Author's Note:
Here we are another chapter completed.
Allow me to apologise in advance if you find there to be not much action going on in this chapter. This, and the next few chapters, will be the sort of 'calm before the storm' chapters. I will do my best to fit in some action and other stuff that could make these chapters excited, but, for now, please enjoy what I have done here.
With that out of the way, carry on dear reader.
Precision and Speed
Professor Taupe stood in one of the sparring rooms, before her were several students, from Beacon and the other Academies. They were all gathered together for one of her rarely performed lessons. The sparring room being the chosen locale for the lesson because it better suited the more practical nature of the class, with its spacious interior helpful for what she had planned.
The professor never got many opportunities to teach her lessons, with all the classes she had to cover or assist with, the counselling of students, and even missions out in the field. To finally get a chance to do this was refreshing.
Some of the teams present were upperclassmen who had already attended her classes, as well as teams of exchange students who wanted to try Taupe's lessons out. Also in this lesson, the first of this semester in fact, teams of Beacon first-years were included as well. Teams of first-year students had volunteered to attend during the first semester, but only now were they allowed participate. Not because Taupe did not want them in the class, but because the other professors disagreed with their inclusion while those students were still coming to grips with living in Beacon. Once the first-years had acclimated to studying in Beacon, as the other professors stated, only then could Taupe let them in her lessons.
First-year students used to be allowed into her classes from the beginning of their time at Beacon, but Taupe guessed after what happened last year, the decision was somewhat sound. Hell, they had to cut all of the professors' pay to help pay for the property damage the incident had done to the Academy.
Who would have guessed Ursa-type Grimm went into near berserk state when in the presence of honey of all things?
The past aside, there was a class of teens that needed teaching, and they sure as hell would not teach themselves. So, once the clock reached 4 pm, the Gorgon got to work.
"Afternoon students. Welcome back to those who have attended my lessons before, and good luck to those who are joining us for the first time. You will need it if you wish to remain in this class," Taupe said to all those gathered in the room. From behind her mask she scanned each and every one of them as she carried on. "For our friends from abroad, I hope this lesson will be as instructive to you as it would be to your fellows here in Beacon."
At her words, the students exchanged looks and words of greeting; some even went so far as to shake hands. At least they were all being civil.
"I am sure all of you are all aware of the benefits your Aura confers, and, hopefully, have honed the various ways it can be used. From augmenting your physical abilities, to the efficacy of how you use your Semblance. However, to become Huntsmen and Huntresses, there are far more than those you must learn. Traits and skills that will help you survive. For this class, I shall put you all through an exercise that tests your ability to use two of the most crucial a Huntsman needs. Precision and speed." As the Gorgon made her speech, she could practically see the cogs in their heads turning as they attempted to predict what she had in mind for them in this lesson.
"While strength and control of your Semblances are important for your future careers as Huntsmen, a balanced utilisation of precision and speed are qualities all Huntsmen must endeavour above all else to master. For you will regularly encounter scenarios where their application is necessary." The students appeared to heed what she was saying, but Taupe wanted to know if they, the first-years in particular, fully understood. Thankfully, the Gorgon had an exercise to test just that. "Miss Doronlas, would you kindly set the dummies up for me?"
Stepping from her place off to the side, Yasmin, Taupe's unofficial assistant, strode out to the centre of the room. With her she carried several training dummies, eight of which had a Beowulf face printed onto their head, while three other dummies lacked any.
She carried herself in the usual pride she always did, but Taupe knew she disliked carrying out what the Gorgon asked of her. Especially if it meant she had to carry out tedious tasks such as this in front of others. Whether she liked it or not did not overly concern Taupe, as it was part of Yasmin's job here in Beacon, and she did not have much choice except follow Taupe's orders.
"Normally I would have you all practise with live Grimm, unfortunately, Professor Port has yet to restock my supply. So, we will be substituting them with these dummies for the time being." Many of the newer students in the class raise a brow, as keeping Grimm was a risky business, and few dared to try their hand at capturing them. That she intended to bring some here may have raised some alarm bells in the heads of a few, but it did not seem to trouble her students too much.
While the Gorgon spoke, the Elf-Dracon began arranging the training dummies so that the eight 'Beowulf' dummies surrounded the three regular ones. A fairly typical scenario Huntsmen could come across, and one they were duty-bound to intervene in.
"The task I have for you all is to see how quickly, as a team, you are able to eliminate all eight of these 'Beowulf' test dummies without harming the three 'civilians' they have trapped. To add more of a challenge, you must do so in less than thirty seconds, and only one of you is allowed to use your Semblance." Again, the students began to murmur among themselves after hearing the task she had issued to them all. The smart ones in their number were probably talking strategy, but those layabouts in the class were probably wasting their time. "If I see more than one of you using your Semblance, your entire team will be kicked out of this class faster than you can say 'Vytal.'"
As soon as Taupe was finished explaining the students' task to them, Yasmin had also finished setting up the training dummies. Once she had finished, the Elf-Dracon, with no small amount of whispered complaining, walked to a previously assigned spot approximately ten metres from the dummies she had set up. With a roll of tape, the Elf-Dracon created a simple starting line for the students to stand behind, and returned to her original spot once she was done.
Taupe ignored Yasmin's grumblings, and began getting the various teams to one by one try their luck at her task. Timing how long it took each team with a stopwatch.
For every team that she called forward, Taupe watched them all closely as they strategized and executed what plan they came up with to overcome her challenge. Honestly, thirty seconds was more than enough time for the students, and she gave them no limit to how long they could plan their approach. In the end, every team proved capable of accomplishing the assigned task, some more admirably than others. Almost all had used their Aura to boost themselves to the dummies from the starting position, shot at the dummies if they had weapons that could achieve the same desired result, or used one of their team members' Semblances to aid them.
Generally, the more experienced and coordinated teams of upperclassmen were able to handle Taupe's task well. Most were able to formulate a strategy in a matter of seconds and pull it off without a single hiccup. The first-year students took notes from the teams of upperclassmen who came before them, and tried to tackle it in their own way, though they spent a bit more time planning than their older peers. They too did well, but, in Taupe's honest opinion, were trying too hard to look flashy and stylish, taking away from their overall efficiency.
Underneath her mask, Taupe frowned at what they appeared to have been doing. She could tolerate her students' wish to appear stylish, particularly in the younger ones, but she always hoped they grew out of it fast. Most did, yet some retained this trait like a hoarder who refuses to get rid of a rusty, ten-year old spoon.
Still, the students had done as she told them to, so they deserved a bit of praise. Not that the Gorgon was about to act any softer with them, nor had their training with the dummies been concluded.
"Very good. Do not be too quick to congratulate yourselves, however, for often the time you have on the field shall be extremely limited. To demonstrate this fact, let us raise the stakes a little. Miss Doronlas, if you please." Taupe nodded to Yasmin, who walked up to the dummies and rearranged their positions. This time, the Beowolves were grouped together behind the civilians. "This time, you will have only ten seconds to eliminate the 'Beowulf' dummies. Your planning time shall be reduced to the same number of seconds as well."
"'Ten seconds'?!" One of the first-year students exclaimed, shocked by how much she had reduced the time available to them.
"In the field you will have even less time to strategise and act, especially if you are in the middle of a Grimm attack on a village. That is if you are lucky, for there will be occasions where you will have no time to do either. Giving you ten seconds to plan and act is me being generous," Taupe countered the student. "Also note that you must do so without harming any of the civilian dummies. Do so, and I will have you working with the support staff in cleaning the locker rooms' toilets and showers."
When she finished that last sentence, the first-years and exchange students sent unsure looks at her then each other, as though asking if she had been serious with that threat. Taupe most certainly was, and only when they noticed how the students who had been to her classes before stood straighter, and had a look as though they were experiencing a flashback of some sort, that the new students realised the seriousness of their situation.
At first, threats such as these had been just that, threats. Only during her second year of teaching did the Gorgon follow through with them, and discovered them to be a strong incentive for her students to do as they were told. Of course, Taupe never had them do something that would get her into trouble, and only had students help with cleaning Beacon's various facilities.
Some questioned whether she was allowed to dish out such punishments, but the Headmaster himself had permitted her to do this. So, any students who thought to cross the Gorgon had more to worry about than being paralysed on the spot.
Returning back to the lesson being taught, the students performed well enough in this new challenge she created for the students. The more experienced in the students' number glided through it, more or less. Younger teams were the same, but not to the same extent as their older peers. A few still tried to appear cool as they completed the task, but that only did more to hinder their performance, and earned them and their team several hours of picking hair out of the shower drains. She could already imagine their faces as they performed such thankless tasks.
With hope, that might shake such a wasteful and potentially dangerous habit out of them.
Once all of the teams had tried their hands at this variant of her exercise, Taupe decided to move onto the third challenge she had in mind. Compared to the previous two it would be far more complicated.
"Superb work students, Miss Doronlas, set up the next group of test dummies." Again, and letting out the most audible groan of dissatisfaction with her role, Yasmin took four more training dummies from the side and put them into position. This time, instead of having all the dummies gathered in one spot, they were spread out and put further away from the starting point.
The civilian dummies were separated and made to stand on their own, before Yasmin then moved the Beowolves around them as she done before. Four were behind the one civilian that remained ten metres from the start point, five circled another that was twelve metres away, and three surrounded the last civilian at fifteen metres. Just like the other two challenges, this too was a fairly typical scenario Huntsmen encounter, and she wanted to see how each of the teams would handle it.
"In this scenario, the time you will have to eliminate the Beowulf dummies shall only be five seconds, and no time at all to plan your attack beforehand."
Taupe's declaration, and the new arrangement of the dummies, got the students hurriedly whispering amongst themselves. From what she could overhear, some were trying to plan out what they were going to do while they still had a chance. Despite the harder challenge, her students rose up to face it.
Repeating the same process from the previous challenges the Gorgon had her students undertake, the teams of students stood behind the starting point and tried their best to successfully complete the exercise. There was no pattern or particular sequence that determined which teams she chose to step forward. She picked them out randomly, and ushered them to the starting point to minimise the time they had to talk to each other.
The more time-sensitive status of this challenge resulted in the students slipping up, making mistakes. Less coordinated teams struggled with this challenge, with one team having two of its members colliding into each other and causing them to fail the challenge. Those teams who had whispered to one another when Taupe announced the time they had fared only slightly better, but made mistakes like everyone else. Some of the students, those who had trained hard together and been on field missions several times before, were the only ones Taupe could say excelled here.
Midway through all the teams in her class, Taupe called forward the last of the first-year Beacon teams, and one she had taken a particular interest in. Team FFOG.
She had resolved many weeks ago to watch over this particular team's development, much like how the Headmaster was doing to Team RWBY, and was keen to witness how they tackled this variant of her exercise. In the last two challenges, FFOG had done well and been efficient, but they did not perform exceptionally. Truth was, they only did marginally better than the other first-year students. Perhaps, Taupe hoped, this challenge would tease out that potential she saw in the team.
If things did not turn out as she desired it would, maybe the exercise she had planned for next lesson would pull it off. With all that was going on, there was no way of telling when she would get to teach again, though.
As the team walked over to the starting point, Taupe could see their team leader whispering and pointing a finger to each other member of his team. From what Taupe could see and hear, the Elf did not say much, but his teammates diligently listened to him, and nodded once as he finished speaking.
Taking up positions behind the starting line, Faen, Friesian, and Akagi drew their weapons, yet Grey did not pull any of her claw-blades out from her sheathes or even unfold her gauntlets into their combat mode. Instead, the Werewolf stood five paces behind her teammates and took up a ready position. The professor was curious of what it was FFOG had planned, and readied the stopwatch in her hand.
"Begin!" Taupe yelled, her finger pressing on the button of her stopwatch, starting the five seconds FFOG had to succeed. Not a second after the gorgon yelled for the team of Demi-Humans to start, the Elf, Dullahan, and Kitsune did a most surprising thing. They jumped into the air.
It was confusing at first, since they had not jumped to any particular direction, but all was made clear very quickly.
A strong gust of wind suddenly rose up behind the three students, impossible within the confines of this room, but very much possible with the presence of someone such as Grey Ulric. Before the three other members of FFOG began to fall back to the floor, the howl of wolf was heard, and the wind skyrocketed in strength. So strong was the wind that it had become powerful enough to throw Grey's teammates at the training dummies, but was brief enough that did not affect the dummies themselves.
Once they had been thrust forward, the other members of FFOG raised their weapons and prepared to strike. All according to the team's plan, the professor assumed.
Akagi had been blown in the direction of the largest gathering, and rapidly fired shots from her twin pistols at the five targets. Each blank the Kitsune fired from her two weapons hit, and not a single one so much as grazed the 'civilian' dummy. She almost smacked right into the dummy she was supposed to protect, but nimbly avoided it in time.
Friesian had drawn Tenebrous Mantle in its sword-whip form, and, with a single sweeping lash of the bladed cord, struck down three of the four Beowolf dummies stood ten metres from the starting point. To take care of the fourth, the Dullahan made the interesting choice of punching it square in the face as he was about to collide with it. For a moment, it looked as though a few of the blades might graze or even hit the head of the 'civilian', but as luck would have it, the blade passed right over it.
Faen, who had drawn out his dao and second sword in its spear-form, dispatched the three farthest from the starting point. He was able to strike one in the eye with a bolt from his wrist-bow, speared the second through its chest with Aglar, and slashed at the neck of the third target with Gwaedh. The Elf, much like his two teammates, nearly hit the civilian dummy when sweeping his spear into position after using the same arm wielding it to fire a bolt.
The Gorgon stopped the stopwatch when all the training dummies fell, and checked the time that Team FFOG had done all that in. Much to Taupe's satisfaction, FFOG had completed the exercise in the required time, though they had been close to failing by a few milliseconds.
Apart from that, and the close calls they had, Taupe could say without a doubt that Team FFOG as a whole performed impressively, and proven why she wanted them in this class.
Quite a few of the other students in the sparring room shared her sentiments, and applauded the team of Demi-Humans for the way they had dispatched the Beowolf dummies. The professor abstained from joining them, as she had with the other teams, so to prevent any notions that she favoured Team FFOG from arising. Certainly she wished to see FFOG grow as a team and Huntsmen, but never would the Gorgon say she favoured them somehow.
For now, the Gorgon contented herself with knowing she had made the right decision with FFOG, and carried on teaching the class.
Team FFOG emerged from the sparring room with all the others who had been in their class, several conversations going on all at once. The four Demi-humans waited until they had gone a short distance away from the rest of the students, before they began one of their own.
"Gosh, that was quite the lesson. Kind of wish we could have trained against live Grimm like the professor said, but hey, it was cool as it was." Friesian stated as he stretched his arms. If his head were connected to his body by a neck, he would most likely be rolling it right now. "I actually had doubts, but I am actually glad you signed us up for these classes with Professor Taupe, Faen."
"Yes, a wise decision indeed." Odori hummed in response as she strode with her hands behind her back, her five fox-tails swaying from side to side, and a soft smile on her face. Someone was happy.
Faen did not respond to them, and simply kept on walking forward. Truth was he had not intended for them to be partake in the Gorgon's lessons, but had agreed to it after Professor Taupe strongly advised he attend during his last counselling session with her. The decision to go appeared to have been a good one, as the exercise Professor Taupe put them through had been an adequate challenge for him and his team. One that was both physical and mental.
Also, to a lesser extent, watching Yasmin performing menial tasks had been entertaining for him.
The Elf's face fell slightly when his mind went to Yasmin, as it forced him to remember all they had spoken of a couple nights ago. He was still trying to determine the truth of all her claims, in as discreet a manner, but nowhere had he found so much as a hint of the 'Order' or 'Salem.' Searches on history books, and informational websites that detailed the beginning of the Demi-humans transition to the Enclaves yielded nothing at all. It only struck him yesterday afternoon that, if such an organisation with the powers Yasmin claimed did exist, then there would be no such information available.
None that was easy to acquire that is, but what could he do? He was only a student, that and the doubts he still held onto contributed to Faen's decision to stop searching for now. There would be a time for him to delve into these mysteries, yet now was not the time for it. Maybe after he graduated from Beacon.
At least the meditation he now practised thanks to Yasmin's encouragement and instruction was proving mildly helpful, so that day had not been too bad.
Deciding to clear his thoughts, Faen put Yasmin and the secrets she had revealed aside for now. Today, despite another run in with the Dwarf and his team, had been a good one. The weather was fair, the classes had been neither dull nor gruelling, and his classmates not too annoying. Faen was unwilling to ruin it by dwelling on troublesome matters that may or may not be true at all.
"What's more, that was a damn sweet move you came up with for that third challenge, Faen. Got to admit, I'm not sure if anyone of us could have thought up of it." Friesian went on to praise Faen, causing the Elf to puff up his chest a little when he heard it. He devised it while brainstorming some combat strategies a while back, but today had been the first time he thought of trying it out; it was honestly a miracle the strategy had worked as smoothly as it had.
"Yeah. And you know what could make such a cool move even better? A sweet and catchy name for it, that's what!" Grey butted in, garnering a deep sigh from Faen.
He carried on walking and braced himself for all the ridiculous names his teammates would come up with. To his misfortune, it was a thing now for FFOG to think of a name for any new team strategy, or 'team-attack' as their comrades in RWBY and JNPR once put it. From the simplest tactic between partners, to the more complex anti-Hydra strategy they were still pouring hours into completing. There was no stopping them once they started, so Faen hunched his shoulders and focused on happy thoughts until they were done.
"How about 'Steel of Wolves'?"
"No, no. We used that for that other team attack that we have, so that is a no go. Why not... 'Hurricane of Blades'?"
"I got an idea, 'Swift End!'"
"'Rampant Storm!'"
"'Lawnmower!'"
"'Kamikaze!'"
Things would go on like this for a while, with each of Faen's teammates creating a name that was more over the top than the other. In time they would notice he had not contributed to this brainstorming session of theirs and drag him into it. When they did, his teammates would beg not for any suggestions he might have on the team strategy's name, but to side with the best name they had individually come up with. Faen just needed to wait until they finished, and pick the one that sounded the least ludicrous.
After they had spent the better part of three and a half minutes contemplating names for the new team strategy, Faen comrades had reached a decision, and, just as he had expected, now turned to him for the final verdict. This was going to be dumb, so dumb, but it was for the best that he choose here and quickly.
"Faen, Faen… are you listening?" Grey's voice called to him, one of her hands grabbing onto his shoulder and shaking it gently, but insistently at the same time.
"Yes, I am listening." The Elf lied, stopping in his tracks and turning to face his teammates. They were close to the dorms, and Faen would have much preferred it if they finished this conversation in their room rather than the outdoors where they could be overheard, but he guessed there was no way out of this.
"That's good, because now shall be the greatest test of our friendship. In all our lives no other conversation shall ever affect our relationship as much as what we are going to discuss here," Grey spoke in a grave tone. Rolling his eyes, the Elf crossed his arms and listened to what else Grey had to say, unconcerned by her claims. "Out of all the names we've come up with, which one sounds better? Mine, 'Rending Moonlight.'"
"Or mine, 'Stalwart Tide.'" Odori cooed after jumping to his side and came close enough to him that she could rub her cheek against his own. Sometimes the Kitsune could compete with Friesian in regards to the levels of weirdness she got up to.
"'The Feckin' End of Days!' That is the name I came up with, and I know you know it to be the absolute best out of them all." Friesian proudly boasted, fulfilling his usual role of creating the most preposterous sounding name when the team did this. As with all the previous times he had been made to put up with this, Faen felt the urge to cover his face with his hand after hearing Friesian's idea, but restrained himself.
When his teammates had finished telling him what names they had spent the better part of three and a half minutes thinking up, Faen spent thirty seconds controlling his breathing and shaking his head. All three names his teammates made were not bad when compared to the last time this happened, but he really did not care for any of them.
"So, what will it be Faen? Will you make... the right choice, and keep your best friend for life?" Grey said, attempting to use the underhanded technique of leveraging their friendship to get her way. Not often did she try this, thankfully, nor did she act on her threats to their friendship, but he was careful of the times she dared try it on him. Not out of fear of violence from Grey, but because she might decide to do something while he was asleep, like drawing a fake moustache on his face with a marker that he never noticed until midday for example.
"Please Grey, our dear team leader is far more intelligent than you believe him to be. Mine is the choice Faen will side with, because he knows it to be the smartest out of them all. This is meant to be a codeword, correct? Well, no one could possibly predict what we will do with a name like that," the Kitsune spoke. Using her favourite tactic of giving a reasonable arguement, while also slipping a bit of ego-stroking to convince Faen to side with her.
"Pfft, the two of you are insane with a capital 'I'. Faen and I are on the same level, yeah, and I know he will not make the right or smart choice, but the most bloody awesome choice. And that choice is undoubtably the name I made." The Dullahan declared, leaving everyone just standing there with puzzled looks on their faces. Truth be told, Faen wondered whether Friesian really believed some of the nonsense he spouted, or if it were just him messing around with his friends' heads.
Regardless of what he thought of his fellow teammate, Faen regarded the behaviour of his team with quiet disdain. Gods, they were all like children vying for a parent's attention and love with their dumb ideas and incessant pleading. He meant it in no disrespectful way towards his friends and companions; it was only the first comparison that came to mind.
Before his team got the chance to continue pressuring him into what name their new team strategy would be dubbed, Faen was saved, not by the bell, but by the arrival of a few friendly faces.
"My, it appears we came at an inopportune time." The white-haired Elf heard the voice of Reuel likely address his teammates not too far from where FFOG was standing. He had heard the approach of their footsteps, as well as the slithering of Amarantha's lower half against the pavement, and was glad they had run into each other.
"Ah, AMRT, glad to come across you lot." Faen welcomed his fellow Huntsmen-in-Training, using their arrival as an opportunity to get out of his current conversation. Striking up a new one might distract his own team from what they had been discussing, though he might be hoping for too much. "What is it you need of us? If that is the purpose behind this encounter."
"Namaste friends," Amarantha greeted Team FFOG. As the Naga spoke, she gracefully brought her hands together at her chest and bowed her head slightly in the traditional manner of those from southern Mistral. "We heard you went to that special, voluntary class Professor Taupe runs. Would it be alright with you lot to tell us what it was like?"
"Sure, why not?" Faen quickly said, immersing himself into this discussion with his fellow teammate. Not just because of his wish to dance around the one he had been in, but also because the Elf wished to see where the new one would take him.
What followed was FFOG giving their fellow Demi-humans a brief recounting of the things that transpired back at the sparring room, with each member of FFOG contributing their thoughts and impressions. They were intrigued by the exercise the professor had posed to the class, and were blown away by the strategy FFOG had used to succeed its third variant. Pun intended. In all seriousness, AMRT truly were amazed by the team strategy Faen seemingly devised on the spot, and congratulated them upon learning it had worked.
Now, as mentioned before, the Elf had not come up with it on the spot. Faen had the chance to correct his allies on that little detail, but he ultimately decided against such a decision, and took credit for what they had come to believe. Such a belief would make him sound more formidable to his friends and enemies, and Faen really liked that idea.
It was as FFOG got to detailing how Professor Taupe had them all do scenarios that focused more on individual performance that Faen espied three people walking in the distance. They were that Cinder girl from Haven, Emerald, who he discovered to be in the same team as her, and a Human male with silvery-grey hair also dressed in a Haven uniform. Mercury Black was that Human's name, and he just so happened to be a part of Cinder and Emerald's team. Faen had yet to run into their fourth member, but he was not going out of his way to find out who it could be, for he had better things to do instead.
Faen was unsure what to think of Mercury, as they had only conversed with one another only once before, and it had been an all too brief interaction to properly gauge his character. Mercury had bumped into Faen in-between classes and apologised for the incident, then buggered off after Faen accepted it. Nothing seemed off about the Human, yet Faen treated him with the same reservation he showed all who had not earned his trust.
"Sounds impressive. Hey Amarantha, think we too should sign up for these lessons with the professor? Might be fun," Faen heard Tora remark to his team leader. The Elf turned his attention back to conversation in time to see the Oni give Amarantha a couple nudges of his elbow to her arm, and great toothy smirk on his face.
"Maybe, but fun is not what we should focus on in classes. Our first real missions will be after the dance, and adding a few more training sessions with a veteran Huntress such as Professor Taupe in our regimen would not hurt our chances of success. It would be highly beneficial, in fact. Faen, do you know when Professor Taupe will next hold a lesson?" Amarantha questioned Faen after briefly voicing her thoughts on the idea.
"None, this is Taupe we are talking about. She is either helping out some other teacher, or out of Beacon hunting Grimm. We're lucky she had the time to run that class with all the things that are going on here," Faen honestly replied to Amarantha's inquiry. Such news was not upsetting to Team AMRT, for they too were aware of the professor's often rather busy schedule.
"That is certainly unfortunate. We shall have to consider this between ourselves later, and thank you telling us of it." The Naga nodded to him in understanding, her eyes telling him that she was seriously considering the idea. He would not argue if she decided to join them, as it would provide him and FFOG people they were on particularly good terms with to stand with during those classes. Good company, especially those one can trust, is welcome most of the time.
Their business apparently concluded, Faen made to bid AMRT farewell, and take his team off to their next venture. This whole conversation had taken them around ten minutes, so it should have been sufficient enough time for his team to forget about the team strategy's name for a short while at least. He was prevented from doing so, however, when Grey decided to speak up.
"Hey, before we go, mind telling us what plans you have for the Dance? It's in three days, and I was wondering what people intend to do during it."
Oh yes, the upcoming Beacon Dance.
Plenty of people had been looking forward to it, enthusiastically seeing it as an opportunity to let loose a bit and party, or so Faen overheard. Practically everyone at Beacon would be attending it, and most now had outfits meant specifically for that one night ready. Well, there was at least one person in Beacon who had their reservations about the dance, but would be forced to attend because screw what he thought or wanted. Yes, Faen had his doubts on whether the whole event would be enjoyable, yet would have to go nonetheless.
Not simply because he was being forced to by Grey and his teammates, his own parents encouraged him to go as well. They themselves never went to many dances or parties, but they insisted their son give the Beacon Dance a try at least, and had him swear to attend the darn thing during their last conversation over the Scroll. Having sworn to his own parents, Faen would have to go, but never did anyone say he had to be happy about it, nor that he was to dance.
While not wishing to talk about the approaching event, Faen allowed his team to speak of it with the others. After all, this was more time for the team strategy conversation to potentially disappear from their minds.
"It is a dance, is it not? I would assume dancing would be something we might do," Amarantha answered Grey's question. It might just be a sarcastic response, but the near emotionless manner with which the Naga typically spoke in betrayed no hint of how she intended they interpret her words. It might have been an attempt at humour, but not even Faen could tell if that was what Amarantha meant.
"Uh, right. Do you have anything specific you want to do there in mind? Any of you going with someone special?" Friesian finally said after a couple seconds spent in silence.
"Well... not really, but maybe Reuel does." Monica answered for her team this time after exchanging looks with her teammates, before settling all their eyes on the Angel in their midst. Said Angel awkwardly smiled and rubbed the back of his head for some reason, likely being the potential plans he had for the dance.
That was not much of a surprise, as Reuel was a great guy in both appearance and personality, and both qualities had made him well liked throughout Beacon. Without a doubt Reuel could approach anyone who even marginally liked him, and immediately receive a positive answer from said person. Not that Faen held it against Reuel or anything, for he had no wish to have that level or type of attention focused on him.
"Heh, Reuel here has been asked out by at least ten different girls now." Tora chuckled and slapped his hand on the Angel's shoulder, causing the latter's legs to buckle for a moment because of the weight and force behind the slap. When the members of FFOG heard what Tora had to say, they looked to each other then to Reuel, who wore an abashed look on his face for the first time Faen had known him.
"No way!" Odori exclaimed, voicing Team FFOG's collective thoughts of disbelief.
"I am afraid what Tora said is true," Reuel sighed. "Just this morning I was approached by an Atlesian girl in the cafeteria who proposed that I attend the dance with her during breakfast. Then, just before 2 pm, a girl from Shade came up to me and asked whether I was interested in attending the dance with her, rather bluntly might I add."
Dubious though the whole idea might be, no lie could be detected in Reuel's voice, nor was there anything resembling humour either. Looking over to the faces of the rest of AMRT showed they did not betray anything of the sort as well. If all this evidence was true, and this was not some coordinated attempt by AMRT to fool Team FFOG as part of some joke, then the Angel had truly been approached by ten different girls for one single purpose. To ask him out to the Beacon Dance.
Gods, this sounded so absurd, Faen thought the entire idea fit more into works of fiction than reality. After all, this was the type of thing which happened in TV dramas, books, anime, and mediocre fanfictions. Not real-life.
"And?" Grey asked Reuel, breaking the silence that had dominated the air around them for the last several seconds.
"Pardon me?"
"What did you say to them?" The Werewolf went on to clarify, making all eyes return back to the Angel.
"I... neither accepted nor declined her proposal, as I did with all the others who asked me out." Reuel answered, prompting all present to perk their brows upwards in surprise and some confusion. None said anything though, and waited for Reuel to finish explaining himself. "I-It would be... improper of me to outright turn them all down after they mustered up the courage to ask me out, but to choose one over all the others would be a bad decision, too. Worse would be me choosing someone who never approached me about the dance. So, I am choosing to attend the dance alone because it is the only right decision I can possibly see."
Hearing the Angel's answer, all of FFOG just stood and stared at him. Faen was not sure what was running through his teammates' heads, but the Elf was pondering on whether he should praise Reuel's choice, or disagree with it.
Reuel was a great guy, and the devotion he had for his people's virtues of being good and doing good were very much admirable in Faen's honest opinion. Yet, there were times such as this that had the Elf wondering if that same virtuosity had its own drawbacks. The action the Angel had taken with this... unique situation he found himself in an example of that view. Most would have leapt at the opportunity Fate had given to Reuel, yet the Angel had chosen to more or less turn his back to it; a most intriguing choice.
Eyeing the others to assess how they had taken Reuel's explanation, the group seemed to be in the same boat as him.
"That is... good to know. What of the rest of you?" Faen decided to question the three other members of Team AMRT, to further distract his own teammates and so they could move on from Reuel's strange situation. They might even thank him for it.
"As with Reuel, I shall be attending the dance alone. Not that I mind," Amarantha replied to Faen after taking a moment to think on what to say. Noticeably, she put a hand on her snake-tail when she spoke up again. "Dancing will be out of the question as well, for my... physique would be disruptive for anyone else on the dance floor."
"Same here, though I'm more interested in what they'll be serving for food and drinks. Hope there's none of those puny cocktail sausages or weak-ass punch," Tora stuck out his tongue and mimicked a retching sound during that last sentence. Yes, Grey was not the only one in Beacon with a voracious appetite, which could be a pain at times to deal with during lunch or dinner.
"Um, I too will be going to the dance alone." Monica said in a gentle and somewhat nervous voice, focusing her eyes on her fidgeting hands than FFOG's faces when she spoke to them. "This is honestly the first dance I will be participating in, so I do not really know what I should do while there. Have you four got plans of your own for the dance?"
Faen had foreseen this question might be posed to them when he had AMRT what they would do at the dance, and guessed it was only right for his team to answer in return. Each member of FFOG already knew what the others had in mind for the dance, so, with hope, nothing startling would be revealed.
"Unlike these three jokers, I actually tried asking people out to the dance." Friesian stated as he pointed a thumb over to Faen, Odori, and Grey, though they just sent the Dullahan knowing looks, for the three were aware of how those attempts Friesian made had gone. "No one... uh... no one said agreed, sadly. Everyone I talked to about it seemed nervous or put off by me for some reason, so I guess it's coming to the dance alone for me too."
'Yeah, wonder why.' Faen sarcastically mused to himself while looking at the empty space where the Dullahan's neck and head would be if he were a different species. Evidently, all the time he had spent here at Beacon did nothing to make Friesian more aware of how strange and downright disturbing he appeared to some people. At this point, Faen had come to doubt whether Friesian would, however.
"My hope is to dance sometime during the festivities, but not with a chauffeur who leads me to the ballroom's entrance. All I want to do is enjoy myself without having to drag someone along because people think I should," Odori nonchalantly said, also admitting to her companionless status. Team AMRT should see the trend with them all by now, Faen certainly did, and should probably be able to predict what Grey and Faen would say.
"I'm just going to the dance for the free food, drink, and music. Screw everything else," Grey bluntly stated when it came to be her turn to tell what she would be up to. Perhaps the way Grey had spoken was a bit too frank, but it was true. Once more, her stomach would guide her through a social occasion, and there was no easy way of swaying her to think with anything else when that happened.
"Faen, you have yet to say anything. How about you?" Amarantha inquired with a curious tilt of her head, bringing everyone's attention to focus squarely on him now. He had been spending the last few seconds pondering on what he was to say, and now he had to say something.
Guessing that he had to, the Elf finally told the others what he had plans for the dance.
"I don't want to go, but I have no choice but to attend the dance." The Elf shot a narrow-eyed look at his teammates, who avoided his gaze or casually shrugged as though they did not know what he was talking about. With why he was going and the accompanying discontent made known, Faen then followed that information up with what he meant to do once at the ballroom. "I'll just stand in the corner, and watch as everyone else makes a fool of themselves on the dance floor. Not at the least bit fun, yet it shall be something to do while there."
"At least you will be going to this party this time. When Vigil held a leavers party after we graduated, he just bunkered down in our room and refused to leave." Grey remarked while lightly smacking the back of her hand on his arm.
"You know I don't do well at large social gatherings," he responded with a quick slap to Grey's hand just as she was going to smack him again. Theirs was a strange friendship indeed, or was this a thing normal friends did?
"Do I ever! The one time we went to someone else's birthday party together, I found you sat eating alone on the stairs."
The Elf crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes to send Grey a cold glare, again. Yes indeed, he had passed the time he spent at that birthday party his best friend mentioned on those stairs, yet, it had been completely his own choice to stay on them until he and Grey left. All other party-goers steered clear of him, and Grey had been off trying and failing to make new friends. So, what else was he to do?
Much like the Beacon Dance, he had not wished to go, but went on Grey's insistence that it would be a 'fun experience' for the both of them. That party was nothing like Grey said it would be, and they never went to another party held by that person again. Not that the two were ever invited to a lot of them anyway. Already not a person who much liked large gatherings, the whole affair did nothing but reinforce Faen's dislike of parties and other such events.
It was then Faen noticed the looks all the others were sending his way. To his great surprise, the looks he saw etched on their faces and in their eyes was that of pity.
Now Faen was accustomed to being the target of looks such as indifference, irritation, joy, and even hatred. Yet pity was one Faen had experienced the least, if ever. A strange thing it was to be pitied by others, and Faen wondered whether or not he preferred contempt and hatred over pity. For, as far as Faen saw things, pity was an emotion reserved for those you saw as weaker or lesser than oneself. That it was him being pitied left Faen conflicted, as their pity meant he was weak somehow, resulting in the Elf wishing for something to direct the others' attention away from him.
Fate, much to Faen's relief, decided to acquiesce to his wish, and give everyone something else to think about.
"You know, I never thought about this idea before, but why don't we all go to the dance together? Not as a group, I mean, but together in pairs!" Of all people, it was Friesian who was coming up with this idea. This one just so happened to be an interesting one, so everyone listened to him. "We have an equal amount of boys and girls here, so it could work. That way none of us needs to go to the ballroom alone and it will be with someone we know."
Considering the idea proposed by Friesian for a moment, Faen found himself agreeing it to be not a bad idea for his team to try out, but preferred to be left out of it. He was fine with going to the dance on his own, as well as spending the entire event in the same manner.
"Eh, it's not a bad idea, but it's only going to be to the entrance right? I don't want a partner who'll slow me down on my way to the food table, or pull me over for a dance while I'm eating." The Oni in their number said, voicing his own thoughts of Friesian's suggestion while he crossed his large arms over his chest.
"Same here. Sorry guys, but most of you would slow me down and waste the precious time I could devote to eating," Grey added to what Tora had to say. Whether the two had thought of it or not, Faen realised they had pointed out a problem with Friesian's idea, as they all had differing interests and plans for what they were to do during the Beacon Dance. So maybe the Dullahan's idea was not as great as Faen initially thought it would be.
"Then why don't you two go together? You two sprint as fast as gale force winds when the subject of food comes up, so being slowed down will not be too much of a problem." Friesian now suggested, making a good point that Faen was surprised he himself had not thought of.
Grey and Tora exchanged looks then, rather out of nowhere, huddled together to conspiratorily talk between themselves. What Faen could overhear left him sighing out of exasperation, for the two had begun to discuss potential 'vectors of approach' and the adequate ratio of food they could consume. He guessed this was what happened when you get two great food-lovers together, and did not wish to see what would occur if more than two were gathered in the same place. Putting up with one was hard enouh, living with one even harder, so more was a nightmare for Faen.
Still, a smart idea by Friesian to place Grey and Tora together. It made Faen wonder where the real Friesian was, as this was far too good of a plan for Friesian to have come up with. While Faen was mentally chuckling at his own joke, Friesian came up with another idea about their dance predicament.
"While you two go together, Monica and I could also go as a pair, too."
"Wait, you and me? A pair?" The Vampire immediately questioned Friesian, visibly taken aback by his decision, and most likely wondering how he came to it. Faen certainly was, and awaited the answer the Dullahan would give.
"Sure thing! I have been to plenty of parties before, and I can show you how to enjoy yourself at one, given how this is the first party you have been to. Trust me, it will be a fun experience for the both of us." Friesian replied, his tone becoming more optimistic and confident with each syllable he uttered. Again, not at all a bad suggestion and it might actually be as beneficial as the Dullahan believed it could be.
"Wow, Friesian, these are actually some good ideas you've come up with. Where is this version of you during History class with Oobleck?" Odori teasingly remarked, bringing up how abysmally Friesian performed during said class, prompting a chuckle from Faen.
The others let out amused chuckles with him, but they quickly did more than that. Faen's companions began to laugh, and laugh quite loudly and heartily too. At first, Friesian visibly took offence to both the joke and the mirth everyone else derived from it, yet he did not hold onto it for long. Not a few seconds later, the Dullahan also started to laugh with his friends. A very unlooked for reaction from someone who was being laughed at, yet, Faen had come to expect this sort of behaviour from him, sort of.
Strange people were those he counted in his circle of trust and friendship, but Faen guessed he too was strange if he associated himself with them. Deciding to embrace the peculiarity for a moment, he joined his companions in their laughter.
After all, even he knew life without a bit of laughter was no life at all.
Time flew by, and after the somewhat merry encounter with Team AMRT, Faen found himself stood in the common room of his area of the dorms. Plans for what both teams would do for the dance had been devised, and now all they needed to do was wait and finish up the last bits of preparation that required completing.
Once that was over and done with, the two teams of Demi-humans went off to the dorms together for dinner. The cafeteria offered some good food, but the group desired for something else for a change, and Odori was more than willing to provide. Which was why Faen stood here, a book in hand, and one eye watching the Kitsune as she prepared to marinate some salmon in a mix of soy sauce, lemon, sugar, and pepper.
That salmon had not been cheap, so it had better be as delicious as Odori swore it to be.
"Been quite the day, hasn't it?" Odori remarked as she stirred the mix in a small bowl with a spoon. The way she stirred the spoon around, and how he never once heard the scrape of metal against a ceramic surface, told Faen his partner had quite some experience in making this dish of hers.
"I cannot really say it has, but please, enlighten me on why you believe it to be?" Faen was doing his best to focus on the Kitsune rather than the sauce she was mixing together, which had a devilishly enticing aroma to it. He could only imagine how the salmon would smell once Odori fried the two together. Thank goodness it was only he and Odori in the room right now, for he knew one of them would be flooding the place with all the drool that would be pouring from their mouths.
"Oh you jest. Today was our first lesson with Professor Taupe, a splendid one it was too! I particularly enjoyed when she had... us perform those exercises of hers." The momentary pause in Odori's speech left Faen guessing she had another reason to be happy about attending that specific lesson. And he had a fair guess what that other reason could be.
It had white hair, pointed ears, horns, and its first name rhymed with the word 'bin'.
"Is that so, well, I am glad you found today to be entertaining," he said while turning to a new page. The book was something he had picked up from the Academy's library, an old book with yellowed pages detailing numerous beliefs and theories held by various cultures and peoples regarding the Grimm. Not all that useful really, and it focused purely on the Human side of things, yet it was a fascinating read all the same. Strange were plenty of the steps they took to protect themselves from the Grimm, but he supposed it was it be expected of Humans.
"Yes, it may very well have been a perfect day, if I had not received a message on my Scroll earlier. The message... came from my sisters." Odori let out a deep sigh as she set both the bowl and spoon down. Hearing his partner speak of her sisters, Faen began to cautiously regard her, for the sisters' last interaction was neither friendly nor expected by the Elf.
"Your sisters... for what reason did they message you? Not because they wish for us to join them for lunch sometime soon, do they?" He had set the book down on the kitchen counter to show Odori that she had his full attention. She in turn faced the Elf to show the same level of attention he paid her, but not before picking up the sharp kitchen knife set aside to cut the salmon, though.
Faen trusted Odori, but right now he felt incredibly uneasy about having her hold a sharp object while discussing her family. Trusting Odori would not try anything, he let her keep the knife. If her supposed sadism decided to flare up or whatever happened to those with it, the Elf was confident he could handle the Kitsune.
"No, the message said nothing of the sort. My dear older sister, Hitomi will be arriving at Vale tomorrow morning, and shall have my dress for the Beacon Dance with her." There was no missing the way Odori rolled her eyes as she spat out the name of the oldest of her siblings. His partner's spite for her family did not concern Faen, it was how all this related to him that made him cautious of why they were talking about it. "Instead of simply spending some Lien in shipping my dress to Beacon, they want me to go and retrieve it personally."
Now there was the problem, it was clear as day what it was.
Both sisters interacting with each other, on their own at least, would not pan out well. Without a mediator to keep things from getting out of hand, things may actually turn ugly. More likely than not, his partner wanted him to accompany her as she went to meet Hitomi, it was the only possible reason Odori had for telling Faen any of this. If his presence meant a more peaceful meeting of the two siblings, then he guessed there was no choice.
Thinking of a good side to all of this, Faen guessed this would be a good opportunity to deepen the trust between him and Odori, and further some potentially useful connections. Being in the good graces of a future secretary to the Ten Ministers of Shangri-La might, as he contemplated many times before, prove beneficial.
"Huh, I see how this might be problematic for you," Faen nodded in an understanding fashion. He was being genuine, as Halvard brought out the same emotions Odori was feeling right now the moment he saw the Dwarf's stupid nose. "Do you need aid in this matter? I, and the others I'm sure, am more than willing to provide any, all you need do is ask us."
"Thank you, Faen, but for this I believe you alone should suffice," Odori graciously replied to his offer to involve the others. A shame, for introducing the other members of FFOG to Hitomi might have been helpful, somehow.
If that was going to be how things went, then Faen guessed he had no other choice than to shoulder the burden of keeping things relatively calm between the two Kitsunes on his own. He had managed to keep FFOG together and out of too much trouble thus far, so this should not be too hard. Besides, what was ensuring peace between two sisters with a less than warm relationship when compared to leading a Werewolf with a bottomless stomach, a Dullahan who acted pretty odd at time, and slightly mischievous Kitsune?
"Yes, you alone should suffice," his partner muttered, repeating herself she did. Looking down at the knife in her hand in a reflective manner, Odori ran her left hand's thumb and index finger along its edge, secretly unnerving Faen as he watched her, before looking back to him again. "This may be me asking too much of you, but I must ask... Will you... Could you go and see my sister in my stead?"
"What?" Faen blurted out before he could think. He was prepared to stand by his partner, not to stand in her place.
"Meeting Hitomi… ugh, you must know I cannot bear being near her. So, would it be alright if you took time out of your day tomorrow to pick up my dress, please?" The five-tailed Kitsune pleaded to him as she stared straight into his eyes, almost in a 'puppy-dog eyes' way, or whatever that Kingdomer expression was called.
Desiring a moment to mull over Odori's wish, Faen turned so he faced away from her, and quietly gazed at the wall opposite the kitchen counter. Making himself appear deep in thought would give him maybe a minute to collect his thoughts and think her request over before she started pressing him for an answer. To further the effect, and perhaps give him a bit more time, Faen touched his chin and stroke it gently.
The Kitsune was right in assuming she asked a lot from him, for not only did she want him to spend time and money on this errand of hers, she was also asking him to meet with a person he barely knew. A task all his teammates and acquaintances understood to be difficult for the Elf by now. Faen and Hitomi met before, that was true, but it was not a lengthy meeting which could make either of them count the other as friends or trusted associates.
The secret deal he made to Odori's sisters was one of convenience he had realised, for they saw him to be the one their sibling trusted the most. In no way did it make him and the sisters friends, at least with Hitomi and Sekai that might ring true. Goodness knows what the youngest, Megumi, thought of him.
"Faen? Have you thought it over? If you need proper motivation for doing this, I swear that, if you do this for me, I will give you half of my monthly allowance." Odori offered to Faen, interrupting his thoughts sooner than he hoped she would, but it was her proposed 'motivation' that caught him off-guard.
Half of her monthly allowance. Being the pseudo-aristocrat she was, the sum of money the Kitsune's mother lent Odori was not something to be scoffed at. He did not know the exact amount of Lien she received each month, but he estimated half to be equal his entire monthly allowance at the least
Faen's own parents could only send him fifty Lien a week to cover for food, school supplies, and other items, totalling around two-hundred Lien a month. It had been this way since Vigil. His parents claimed it was supposed to teach him money management and how to work with scarce amounts of resources. During their years at Vigil, he and Grey pooled their allowances together to afford certain items that they did not necessarily need but wanted.
"This is a tough choice you have put before me, Odori. Very, very tough," the Elf muttered while still continuing to stare at the wall and stroke his chin.
"I know it is, and I am begging you to consider it. Do you believe the Lien to be insufficient compensation for all the legwork you will do? If so, you can ask for anything else and I will give it to you. You have my word," Odori took a step his way as she tried to add another incentive for him to do what Odori wished not to. She still held onto the kitchen knife, and whether she was doing it on purpose or not, it really was unnerving to see Odori hold a knife so close to him.
Worse yet, Odori now held onto it in a reverse-grip, the way murderers in movies gripped them.
Getting a hold of himself, Faen began to deliberate over the task, the promised rewards, and how exactly this entire mess he got involved in might benefit him.
The substantial amount of Lien Odori said she would pay him would be a huge boon, and he could just save it all in his bank account until a situation called for its use. He would not ask for anything else, the Lien would be enough, besides, doing this errand for Odori would mean she owed him. Much like oaths, debts could be handy tools and useful tests of others trustworthiness. Poor form, maybe, to hold a debt over a friend, but the practical potential of it outweighed his ill feelings about it.
Another thing that only now struck Faen's mind was that he could have a chat with Hitomi in private, without fear of Odori walking in on them. His last conversation with the older sister was rushed because of it, but this was a perfect opportunity to learn more about Odori's life back in Shangri-La.
Having thought the task through, particularly both its ups and downs, Faen reckoned he could now give an answer to his partner's request.
"I... will do this for you."
Soon as those words were out of his mouth, Odori, to Faen's alarm, advanced purposefully towards him. Before Faen could defend himself, the Kitsune had raised both her arms, knife still in hand, and... hugged him tightly.
Surprised by the hug Odori had locked him in; Faen stifled a cry of alarm and resisted the urge to push her away. Odori may as well have stabbed Faen, for hugs were still something he found difficult to tolerate. He was still a socially awkward individual, despite of all the improvements he made in dealing with people, and wanted it to be over as soon as possible. Actually, why was there a feeling of something sharp pressing against his back?
"Thank you, Faen. Thank you," Odori whispered to him, almost sounding as though she were on the verge of tears. As important as this request might be to her, Faen doubted she would shed any, and if she did it would be an effort to cement his desire to help.
Taking a moment to consider what was causing that feeling on his back, he remembered the sharpened piece of kitchen equipment Odori had been holding all this time. It was also then that Faen noticed the familiar sensation of his Aura being slowly drained bit by bit. Putting two and two together, the Elf found another reason to end this hug, fast.
"Okay... Now can you please take the knife away from me? I think you're scraping the blade against me back!"
Elsewhere, in another part of Beacon's dorm blocks, three 'students' were gathered. One was lying lazily on his bed, hands resting beneath his head. A second was kneeling on the floor, waiting patiently for instructions or for something to happen. The third was flicking through pictures taken on her Scroll, spending a couple seconds on each one to memorise every single detail her eyes fell upon.
These people were Mercury Black, Emerald Sustrai, and Cinder Fall.
Since coming to Beacon, the three had been scouting out the entire Academy, as well as the numerous students that now attended it. They explored almost every hall, room, and corridor that they could. Attended as many classes to assess the strengths and weaknesses of all their 'peers'. And tried their best to not draw much attention to themselves. All for the sake of the plan.
The plan to see Beacon fall.
Every so often, Cinder would reach a hand up to her ears and scratch at them out of irritation for a moment, before swiftly retreating them once she noticed what she was doing. It was wrong for someone such as herself to be seen doing such a thing, and was quick to shoot a scathing gaze at the others if she caught them watching her. Mercury most of all, because that little goof could not help but find it amusing.
He was lucky that he was useful to her, or else Cinder would have put an end to the nuisance a long time ago.
"Ma'am, how are your ears? Are you still adjusting to them?" Emerald asked her leader, her voice filled with concern for Cinder. Though she may have meant well, her question did nothing but raise Cinder's ire.
"My ears are of no consequence or importance, now focus Emerald! What else have you come to learn?" Cinder kept her cool, but allowed a small ounce of her irritation to show. She was a smart girl, and Cinder had made sure to discipline Emerald enough for the girl to know when to never broach a subject again.
"Yes ma'am," Emerald hurriedly said as she bowed her head in a respectful and submissive manner to Cinder. Mercury let out a snort from where he was sat, but piped down as soon as the dark-haired woman sent another glare his way. "Just as you said it would be, the Beacon Dance will be the best time to hit the CCT Tower. Best time should be when it's in full swing. All the teachers should be there or at least distracted by it, same goes for all of the students. Guards will be present at the Tower, likely Atlesian soldiers given how Ironwood is here, yet they should not be too hard to handle."
"Very good, Emerald." All that the green-haired underling just told her was not surprising, but information was information. For her sake though, Emerald had to do better next time Cinder assigned a task to her. Now to see what her second underling had found out. "Now, Mercury, what do you have to report on the students here?"
"Eh, they're a bunch of lunatics." Mercury, who had still been reclining on his bed, grunted as he sat up and faced Cinder. Not amused by the game he was trying to play, Cinder narrowed her eyes and turned her left hand so its palm pointed to the ceiling. Getting the message, Mercury quickly started to take the conversation seriously. "Fine, fine, here's what I got on the crazies here."
"For once, I agree with you." The dark-haired woman's other minion whispered in agreement to Mercury's claim, which only ever happened once in a blue moon.
While she had no time for Mercury's jokes, Cinder also had to agree with his choice to refer to the people here as 'lunatics'. For one, at least once a week one of the dorm block's caught fire, and was such a regular occurrence that the Beacon students no longer treated them as emergencies. Some said the dorm blocks were cursed somehow, a few going so far as to claim a Grimm or evil spirit was behind the so-called curse. More level-headed and rational individuals pointed out their fellows' inability to observe simple fire safety, but were ignored by their peers most of the time.
Another incident that had Cinder questioning the sanity of the students here, was 'rocket-locker surfing', where a student rode their locker into the Emerald Forest as a sort of test of bravery or something along those lines. It was strictly prohibited by the teachers, but some Huntsmen-in-Training dared their wrath anyway. Threats of detention, and even expulsion, did nothing to stop people from doing it.
Anyone could be forgiven for thinking the whole idea to be insane or a tall tale, but Cinder had seen it happen. While exploring the locker rooms, she watched as a group of Beacon students talked some Vacuo exchange students into trying 'rocket-locker surfing'. It was one hell of a sight, and never had she heard a more high-pitched scream come from a person's mouth before, let alone a young man's. Most were sent flying into the Emerald Forest, yet one had crashed through the cafeteria roof thanks to the wrong coordinates being put into the locker's targeting system.
How such an activity first arose was beyond Cinder, and she was left wondering how the Kingdoms were still standing if they had children such as this defending them.
Back to the matter at hand, Mercury spent the next fifteen minutes detailing the fighting styles and techniques of various students he had observed, including the ways they used their Semblances. Some, if they were allowed to flourish, may prove adequate Huntsmen and Huntresses, while a few could become great champions that might stand as beacons of hope for the masses. Shame such potential was wasted on those creatures, for if all things went to plan, not many of them would see the coming Winter. What a great shame indeed.
Oh well, they had all made their decisions, no point in wallowing over the very poor choices of others.
Overall, Mercury's personal report on the students, both Beacon and exchange, proved insightful enough for Cinder and the plan, but she needed more. Much, much more. When she introduced the virus Watts made into Beacon Tower's CCT hub, however, Cinder would have all the information she could possibly want at her fingertips.
When Mercury finished his report, ending it on the skills of that crazy blonde girl with the abominable puns, the amber-eyed woman nodded and already began to spin various new schemes for the Vytal Tournament. For now there was still much work that needed doing.
"Emerald, continue to learn as much as you can about the dance. I want no surprises, so found out everything you can before we put the plan in motion." Cinder instructed the first of her subordinates, who wordlessly accepted her given mission. That was not all though, as Cinder had another task in mind for Emerald. "And carry on being 'friends' with Team RWBY, Ozpin seems to think them special somehow, you will learn why."
The green-haired girl pursed her lips together when she heard Cinder add that last part, obviously not pleased with the prospects of spending more time with the aforementioned team. Despite what personal feelings she might have on the matter, Emerald voiced no complaint against her designated task. Refusing Cinder was bad for one's health, as both underlings knew well.
"Mercury, carry on assessing the abilities of our... 'classmates'. However, if the opportunity to do so arises, face the Pyrrha Nikos girl to a spar. I want you to learn of her Semblance, and how she uses it." This assignment would be crucial for the plans she had for the Vytal Tournament, and Cinder would accept nothing less than perfection in its completion. The Nikos girl was strong, after all, and Cinder wanted to know how she could possibly break that strength.
"Sure, I'll do just that." A hint of smugness could be heard in Mercury's reply, no doubt directed towards Emerald. Their bickering was tiresome, yet Cinder had found a way to tolerate it, for now at least. Again, if these two were no of some use to Cinder, she would have done away with them before coming to Beacon.
"Good, now leave me." Cinder commanded her two minions with a wave of her hands directed towards the door. Wisely, the two creatures did not question her on why she wanted them gone or what she was going to do in their absence.
Once the two goons were gone, Cinder took a moment to examine herself in the mirror that decorated a wall of each dorm, particularly her ears. The surgery had 'trimmed' them, as one of her 'comrades' put it. Turned them into the round and ugly lumps of flesh they were now, and she hated having to look at these 'ears' every time she saw her own reflection. It was a necessary sacrifice to make herself less conspicuous among these creatures, yes, but it made Cinder sick to her stomach.
When the people of the Kingdoms saw her ears, they knew she was something else, something other than they were. Some even knew to fear her for them, which Cinder silently relished, and those who did not learnt swiftly why they should. The uniqueness they gave her, the fear they brought to others, oh how she missed both.
When everything here at Beacon was finished, her ears would be restored to how they had been, how they should be. She swore it.
With one last disdainful look at her reflection, she turned from the mirror and focused her mind back to her plots and schemes. As said before, there was still much work to do.
As I said, there would not be too much action going on here. Just some more character development, some progression of the story and me being vague as to what Cinder actually is. I will try to fit some action or something of the sort to spice up the next chapter, if it is required or works with the story, no promises.
No omake today, or any special references to speak of here, so I guess there is not much else to put here. Oh well, at least this chapter was done in under a month, unlike the last one.
I will see you all when I next see you.