Listen, the bells ring. All the living are dead, and the dead are living. The war is over and we are beginning.
In Our Bedroom After The War by Stars
At the very least, she can ditch the shades as her hangover starts to slowly dissipate. Her skin is still paler than normal, but is starting to get its color back thanks to the small snacks that she's snuck through the time in the teacher's lounge and the eye drops that Shota had previously gifted to her. It gives her the strength needed to complete her classes - and she is going to need it, judging by the way the first years file in.
It's going to be a long day.
She sighs deeply, mentally creating a checklist of things that are going to have to be addressed; all things that she had hoped would've been addressed sooner. Nezu made it clear that the students in Class 1 A will be having more mandated therapy for a while, but there's only so much that will do unless they have other mentors willing to step up and talk to them.
The first noticeable change is the more obvious drift between the classes, with Class B separating themselves more openly from the other class, watching their peers with guarded eyes or jealousy. Monoma is the most obviously bitter - a look she recognizes from young heroes and in the competition that society has built around heroism. Setsuna Tokage and Yui Kodai are the only ones from B who notice where she standing, looking for her over to see if she's okay; she realizes that none of the students have really seen her since the attack and the two girls from B have admittedly become a soft spot for her.
The second is that the heroes in Class A are still clearly affected, sticking together more closely, eyes more cautious as they eye the doors and alarms. Bakugou is more distant from the others, but she notices that even he doesn't automatically push away Kirishima or the others when they nudge him. The whispers from the other class make some of the students shuffle and tuck in on themselves, self conscious and unsure. Midoriya, she notices, isn't mumbling to himself like usual, instead sticking close to his peers with dull eyes. He's one of the few A students who seem to be just as concerned about their professor's health (Iida, Momo, Ojiro, and Ayoma among the rest), looking at her with concern and then a flood of relief.
When the whispers start to become a dull roar and the time for class to begin nears, Bakagou is the one to beat her to addressing the other class.
"Why don't you all just shut the fuck up!" He snaps, baring his teeth as he squares his shoulders, ready to launch himself into a fight with the other class. Sparks ignite at his fingertips, but he doesn't immediately explode his quirk onto them, eyes flickering briefly to Florence as she steps out of the shadows.
As if expecting her to correct his behavior, most students of Class B look to her hopefully while Class A avoids her gaze. Instead, she calmly places her palm on Bakagou's shoulder, the boy's sparks dying out as he crosses his arms with a scowl.
"I agree." Her eyes flicker to Bakagou, "Enough so to let the minor quirk usage not be punished today ."
Class B's looks of shock and offense are immediate, while Bakagou preens, a smug look overtaking his scowl. She lets go of his shoulder, briefly whispering in his ear that he did a good job controlling himself but to not push it (surprise flickers on his face before it scowls), then turns to address Class B directly.
"Let it be very clear that I am disappointed in each of you right now." Florence's eyes cut through the B students sharply. Her tone matches that of a mother to the point where it makes each of them shift, avoiding her gaze. "I expect better behavior from future heroes and more importantly, I expect you to have empathy. A villain attack is nothing to be jealous of and more so, it is never something you should look forward to, especially as children."
Florence stresses. "Even as pro heroes, you should always take your fellow heroes' well being in mind."
She briefly addresses them to sit down - a command that's followed immediately. She lets out a deep rooted sigh, knowing that today will be a drastic change in lesson plans; in the back of her mind, she has a feeling that this conversation will have to be repeated for the other classes. She starts with their main argument, what she knows started this in the first place.
"If you want to look at this as a competition, then let me remind you all of the entrance exam. Many of you only got accepted into this school due to the extra rescue point system, others have only ranked as high as they did on the entrance due to the additional points. A rescue point system created to emphasize the fact that they shouldn't have to advertise it for you to help your peers. As a pro hero, how you save others and take them into consideration is reflected in the hero ranking system."
Guilt and embarrassment flickers across some of their faces, others understanding. She knows that some of them never scored any rescue points during the exam, the first place Katsuki Bakugou being one of them. Her eyes flicker to him and she can see the disregard in his face, the way he rolls his eyes and leans back as if the conversation doesn't apply to him.
"Let's take Bakagou Katsuki, for example."
The boy immediately perks up at the mention of his name, suspicion in his eyes. Midoriya's eyes flicker to him with concern, almost worried about where the conversation is headed. The lack of chairs today make it easier for Kirishima to slowly and quietly scoot closer to Bakagou, looking between him and the professor with worry.
Knowing that she succeeded in grabbing his attention, she continues.
"He ranked first without any rescue points." Florence addresses. "But how much better would his results have been if he didn't just explode his way through the exam and instead paid more attention to those around him that needed help? He's a smart kid, good control of his quirk. He could have easily gained another thirty, forty, sixty, points, if he took others into consideration. Think of how this will reflect as he becomes a pro hero."
"Do you think that All Might could have become the Symbol of Peace if he didn't actually help people," Florence stresses. "Endeavor doesn't even seem to care much for others, but he's still made enough of an effort to save people, including other pros, to maintain his spot as the second. The difference between that first and second spot does not just lay in raw strength or their quirks."
Considering the looks that pass between the students, she can see that her point has been made. At the very least, she got a few of them to think it over. If she can't get these kids to think with their hearts, then she will get them to think about it logically.
"The incident-" She chooses her words carefully as she continues, finally addressing what happened before the break. "-that occurred was scary. There's no other way to put that. As a teacher, I was frightened for all of my students and their safety and I can't imagine how much more so it was for your peers. Not knowing if your friends are okay, seeing them get hurt, seeing your mentors face villains like that and getting injured."
Florence keeps her gaze on the students evenly, something indescribable gleaming in her eyes. A look that makes them all shift uncomfortably.
"You all did well when that happened. I know each of you did your absolute best despite being scared and know that there's nothing that happened that was your fault. I wish I could say that with time, that goes away, but the truth is that it will always be there. Even as you all become brilliant pro heroes, there will be times where you get scared. There will be a time when you face a villain and you freeze. A time when your body won't move on its own to fight. The good news is that with time, that does get better. Even when you are scared, you will learn to continue fighting, continue moving. You will learn to trust your reflexes, your sidekicks, your partners."
Florence continues, "Remember that courage is not the absence of fear, but the understanding that there is something else more important."
The ancient quote doesn't seem to be recognized by the students; she didn't expect it to. Considering that the person who said it has been dead for hundreds of years and the history of presidents not being widely taught outside of the United States. Still, she feels it is suitable for the occasion as her expression softens with an encouraging smile.
"Of course, you're all children, ones still in training. While it's important to always remember that, just know that we won't fault you for your fear or your mistakes or anything of that sort. You're not expected to be perfect all of the time - not yet. That is exactly what this course - and your homeroom teachers - are trying to train you for."
At the mention of perfection and faults, she meets Todoroki's eyes. Something flickers across the boy's face, the closest thing to emotion she's seen from him so far. She files it away for later, something to keep an eye on.
She glances at the clock and her tone shifts, lacking warmth and becoming more commanding.
"We still have half the time left and we're not going to waste it. Get up and pair up, class has begun."