Clark woke well before sunrise, as he always did, only this time he had no chores to complete before the light broke the horizon. This thought struck him rather unexpectedly and he suddenly felt oddly empty, then almost scared and finally he was hit with an overwhelming sense of homesickness.
He had known after he had a moment to think that it would strike, but he had not been prepared for this. He missed his bed, the way his mother would sing as she prepared breakfast. He missed the smell of the clear air in the fields and the scent of hay. The way his father would tease him "all those gifts and you still can't wake up before me," he'd joke as he sipped his coffee through a grin. Clark suddenly felt a small prickle in the corner of his eyes and a lump in his throat.
He stood quickly and rubbed his eyes and silently berated himself for being so sensitive, he'd barely been away from home for a day and this was how he was reacting? Packing up his things and deciding some fresh air would do him some good, he made his way silently out of the ballroom so as not to wake anyone else, he exited the building and the cool morning air seemed to be just the right tonic for his grief.
The grounds were cover in mist and the sky was just barley beginning to lighted, tinted a cool grey as the sun waited just under the horizon. Taking another step out onto the veranda he just barely noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head his eyes fell upon a young lady with long black hair sitting on the banister with her back propped up against a pillar, her face turn towards the east. Clark hesitated a moment before speaking.
"Um, miss? Are you alright?"
He thought, for a fraction of a moment, he saw the bow on her head twitch before she turned to face him.
"Are you?" she responded cooly with a steely look in her eyes.
"I, uhhh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturbed you," he stammered out quickly.
"Well, you did," she said her voice still icy.
"Sorry, I just, well, I'm not used to others being up and I thought...well...I don't know what I thought. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, but if you're fine I'll leave you alone," Clark mumbled slightly abashed as he turned to leave but stopped when he heard her speak again.
"...Thanks, that's kind of you," she said, her voice noticeably warmer, although not entirely welcoming just yet.
"Oh, your welcome, just trying to be neighborly hehe," he said with a small awkward laugh.
"Neighborly huh?...That's a nice sentiment I guess," she said with an almost disappointed tone as she turned her face back east.
"You don't sound to convinced."
"That's because I'm not," she said cooly though not unkindly.
"How do you mean?" Clark asked as he approached with caution and started to take a seat on the banister near her. When she did not object he made himself more comfortable and leaned against the pillar directly opposite her.
"Humans can't be trusted," she said almost automatically. Had it not been for Clark's own discomfort at the mention "humans" specifically he might have noticed the girl across from him seize up for a moment.
"Well...we're just people aren't we? We all make mistakes, but most people are, at their core, good. Some just seem to forget what's really important sometimes," he said as he gave her a kind smile.
She looked back at him and gave him a small smile that was almost a little too sympathetic.
"I wish I could believe that," she said sadly.
"Well it's like my pa says. Turn off the news and talk to your neighbors and you might find yourself pleasantly surprised."
She look at him with a mildly surprised expression for one moment, then another before the small smile that had been there before grew and spread across her face.
"You sure are a positive one aren't you," she said with, almost with a small chuckle.
"Well I try, it's the best way to be," he said with a light laugh.
After a short silence she spoke again "Don't you think it's a little bit...naive?" her voice sounded sad now.
"Well...no, I may be optimistic but not blindly. I choose to see the good, but I don't ignore the bad either. It's easy to focus on the evil in the world, but if that's all you see it'll suck you down into it if you're not careful, and that is no way to live," he told her very matter of factly.
She was silent for a while as she turned to face the east again. She wasn't ignoring him, but she wasn't quite paying attention to him either. She seemed lost in thought and Clark remained quite and let the silence stretch on. After some time had passed Clark was going going to break the quiet but she beat him to it.
"What has you up so early?" she asked as she turned to face him.
Clark didn't know what her conclusion on his previous statement had been but he wasn't going to press the issue. If she wanted to change the subject he wasn't to make it a big deal.
"Oh, I was raised on a farm, we're always up early, I actually got to sleep in a little today," he said with a rather goofy grin plastered across his face. "How about you?" he asked back. He could swear he saw the very small smile on her face, more genuine and personal than those few she had sent his way, as she faced east again and Clark thought he had a pretty good idea.
"Ever since I was little I loved to watch the sunrise, the warmth, the colors, the light chasing away the dark it's…"
"An everyday miracle," Clark finished.
She faced him, her eyes slightly quizzical she stared at him. For a moment he thought he may have said something that might have offended her, but that same small grin managed to make its way across her face again, despite her own obvious reluctance.
"I hadn't thought of it quite like that but...that's absolutely right, no matter how bad the night may be...the sun is always there in the end," this time when she spoke her voice held a much kinder tone than before, as she looked him in the eyes.
Clarked noticed a great sadness there, but there was also a great strength and determination and smiled back at her. The sky then turned from grey to orange as the first light broke the horizon and both turned to watch it rise. The silence that followed was different than what had transpired before. It was kind, gentle, and comfortable.
"Well, it was nice talking to miss…"
"Belladonna, Blake Belladonna."
"Miss Belladonna, it was a pleasure, but I have an appointment to keep so I have to get going," he said with a small laugh as he offered her his hand. She let a small laugh escape her lips as she took his hand shook it.
"And what do I call you?" she teased lightly.
"Oh geez I didn't say did I? I'm Clark Kent," he said awkwardly as his scroll began to beep. "Oh gosh, I'm gonna be late. I'll talk to you later Miss
Belladonna," he said quickly as he turned to leave and began to jog across the campus.
"Call me Blake," she called after him.
He raised his hand and waved to show he had heard and he could hear her chuckle lightly.
Once he was out of sight Clark was able to me his way to the headmaster office in no time. One second, maybe two was all it took to find himself stand in front of the door labeled "Ozpin". He wrapped lightly on the wooden frame and heard a familiar voice speak.
"Come in Mister Kent," Ozpin said coolly, and Clark entered.
The inside was quite remarkable, the entire room was in circled by the machinations of the clock tower. But despite the gears and cogs the mechanisms didn't seem to make all that much noise. At the far end sat Ozpin and a stern looking woman with glasses who cast him an inquiring look.
"Clark, please come in, take a seat, would you care for some coffee?" Ozpin said in a friendly enough tone.
"Oh...sure, black please," Clark said awkwardly as he took a seat, his eyes constantly darting to the woman.
"Mister Kent, this is Miss Goodwitch, she is one of my most trusted associates, and one of those that helped track you down," Ozpin introduced causing Clark's blood to run a little cold.
"It's a pleasure Miss, but sir...you said you hadn't told anyone," Clark said trying to keep the accusation out of his voice. Ozpin gave him a quizzical look before a look of comprehension dawned on his.
"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but Miss Goodwitch here as well as another close friend helped to find you and learned of your capabilities. I did not, nor will I ever, tell anyone about your secret. These two were always part of my discovery, I would not have been able ascertain your true capabilities on my own. Trust me, they are every bit as committed to helping you as I am, I trust them with my life and I promise you have nothing to fear," Ozpin spoke with confidence and kindness and Clark could tell by the beat of his heart he wasn't lying. But he still wished he had been told this from the very beginning.
"Okay, I trust you," Clark responded quietly though sincerely.
"Very good, again I'm sorry I wasn't clear enough on our first meeting. But let's get down to brass tax here first and foremost we need to discuss your credentials,"
"My credentials?" Clark said a little confused.
"Yes Mister Kent, you are unlike most students here at Beacon. You have no history of combat training prior to your attendance here so we have created a history for you," Goodwitch said speaking for the first time as she fiddled with her scroll, a moment later Clark's scroll began to beep notifying him of a received file.
"Wow, this is pretty thorough," Clark said as he looked the file over.
"No one here will recognize you from their academies so we simply stated you were privately trained by Hearn Gywn, he's a retired huntsman and old friend, he doesn't ask a lot of questions and is willing to help, and no he doesn't know your secret," she said matter of factly without even looking up from her scroll.
"Oh, okay," Clark said awkwardly, not quite liking the whole "doesn't ask a lot of questions" aspect, but glad they had thought to provide him with this much aide.
"The next thing we must discuss is your semblance, or lack thereof, and your Aura," Ozpin interjected, causing Clark to look at him questioningly.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong per say, but you have so many gifts and talents that we must insist you decide on one to focus on while you are in attendance here, one that the other students will see. I'll leave that choice up to you, I'd like you to decide shortly but there is no immediate need. The more pressing of these issues is your Aura levels are, for want of a better term,a bit obscene. Our systems can't measures it," he said almost sounding amused.
"Oh...sorry," Clark mumbled embarrassed, to which Ozpin only chuckled.
"Nothing to apologize for Mister Kent, but it does mean we will be artificially manipulating your aura readings during combat classes so we wish to impress upon you important it is you stay aware of this," Goodwitch told him her voice sounding slightly warmer.
"Oh, okay, I'll be sure to keep an eye on that," Clark answered, hoping his response didn't come off as dismissive.
"Next, I'd like to discuss initiation today, I know you are aware we have a process by which we try to weed out those students who can't quite make it at Beacon."
"Yes sir, I I remember, but I don't know exactly what it entails," Clark admitted.
"Well, for the other students it will be a fair bit more complex than it will be for you. This test would normally determine what team you will be on for your time here. But given your unique case, you will not be assigned to a team," Ozpin stated.
"I won't? But then…"
"Don't fret Mister Kent, you will not be alone. The headmaster and I have discussed it and we have decided it would be best if you rotate between the teams of your year. This will allow you to learn teamwork, but it will also help aide you in hiding your abilities as you will, ideally, not be constantly at the scrutiny of other students," Goodwitch responded.
"We have arranged everything, all you need to do is complete the task assigned as quickly as you possibly can, and this should allow for everything to fall into place," Ozpin said confidently.
"Alright, I just have one question, if that's alright," Clark asked awkwardly.
"Of course Mister Kent,"
"When are we going to start the, uhh, private lessons?" Clark asked knowing he sounded very unsure, and Ozpin only chuckled.
"Eager to start? Well we'd like you to acclimated to life here at Beacon before we begin so I planned to begin at the end of month."
Clark found this slightly relieving, he certainly want to start testing himself but at the same time jumping right in while learning about Beacon and starting classes did have him a little nervous.
"Oh and Mister Kent, we have a small gift for you," Ozpin sounded a little eager himself. "I had these custom made and I'm quite proud of them," he said pulling a suitcase from under his desk.
He placed the container on his desk and turning it to Clark and opening it. Inside lay a pair of what looked like knuckle dusters that seemed to glow with a light purple hue.
"Thank you professor, um, what are they exactly?" Clarke's asked slightly embarrassed.
"We call them Graviton Dusters, they use gravity dust to increase your striking power, at least that's what you'll tell your fellow students. In reality when you equip them they use sensors to measure your strength output and adjust their weight accordingly to help you govern your power. I don't think they'll do anything to slow you down but it will be a useful warning system as well as a good cover for your immense strength," Ozpin said almost proudly.
"Oh wow, thank you Professor, I was actually wondering about this but wasn't sure it was quite appropriate ask hehe," Clark answered with a small nervous laugh.
"There is nothing to worry about son, we know coming to Beacon was never a thought in your mind before I approached you and as such we will attend to everything you may need for your education while you are with us,"
"Thank you sir, I really appreciate all if this,"
"It is no trouble at all, if you ever have any questions or problems please feel free to contact me directly, now that we got all the humdrum odds and ends out of the way, I think it's about time you went down and got some breakfast, you have a big day ahead of you," Ozpin said.
"Right, okay, thank you again professor, I'll let you know if anything else comes up," Clark said as he pick up the suitcase for his dusters and gave a small wave as he headed out.
"He doesn't seem all that sure of himself sir, he may be strong but he seems hesitant," Goodwitch said with slight concern in her voice once Clark had left. Ozpin was silent, but only for a moment, and when spoke there not a shred of doubt in in voice.
"He most assuredly is, that is abundantly clear. But believe in him, and I think Clark Kent will change the world."