All eyes in the lecture hall instinctively fell on Willow, as she kept her own down on the notebook before herself. The question 'What is dust?' was written at the top of the page in looping, perfect cursive. The words almost seemed to stare back at the girl, as though the closed loops in the 'a' and 'd' were just another set of judgmental eyes, awaiting her answer. Willow closed her own, and slowly raised her hand. Her pale, nearly ghost-white caught the light and acted almost as a beacon to draw even more attention to her.
"Ah, Miss Schnee," Professor Ozpin said with a bit of amusement. "I'll be honest, I think most everyone in the room was waiting for your take on the matter. What did you write down?"
Willow looked up to see that the entire group of students was still staring, though none sat anywhere near her on either side. The entire back row on Willow's side of the room was occupied by her alone, and the sight caused a little pull of disappointment in the girl's chest, just as it did at the beginning of class.
"I… think dust is just a naturally occurring mineral with reactive properties. A fuel source. And… yes, as I'm sure many of you wish to say for me, profit for my family," Willow said as she shook her head. Several students narrowed their eyes, while a few widened theirs instead at her honest answer. "I don't think it has anything to do with the gods from your story yesterday. If I'm honest… I don't believe that there are any gods at all."
Several members of the student body finally looked away from Willow, while others began to whisper amongst themselves. Professor Ozpin calmly raised a hand and used it to push his glasses slightly up the bridge of his nose. His expression remained even and impartial as he took a quick sip from his coffee mug, and then nodded.
"…I see. And why is that, Miss Schnee?"
Willow took in a deep breath through her nose, and kept a laser focus on the professor. She could feel the eyes in the room all swivel toward her once again, as if she and they had suddenly been magnetized.
"Because… if there are gods, then there is likely fate, under their control. And if there is fate… then I can't fight against it. I want to believe that I have the power to choose my own path, rather than be locked onto a preordained road chosen by someone who doesn't understand how I feel."
A faunus with rabbit ears rolled her eyes from her place in the row below Willow. The Schnee girl took notice and felt a pang of guilt, before a white flicker from within her peripheral vision caught her attention. She turned slightly to look for the source, and found only the backs of heads and faces of unfamiliar students as Professor Ozpin began to speak once again.
"How incredibly… poignant. A statement both optimistic, and yet full of resentment. If I'm honest, I would have to agree with you. It seems like a bit of a scary thought, either way, but it's one that I'll be asking you to consider in several different contexts throughout the semester. Would anyone else like to share what they've written about dust?"
Willow found herself completely uninterested as she watched several other students raise their hands. Some seemed incredibly sure of their answers, while others appeared sheepish or embarrassed to even offer an opinion. Willow did her best to ignore what few eyes lingered upon her as she folded her hands in her lap, and began rereading her own words within her journal. The sudden sound of her scroll vibrating against the surface of the countertop before her caused her to jump slightly, and she instinctively reached out and snatched the device to stop the noise. Willow dragged the scroll down into her lap and held her breath as she tapped upon the screen, only to find a message from an unfamiliar sender.
Hiya! Qrow gave me your number this morning after I begged him all throughout breakfast. I'm the girl down in the second row from the front, with the white cape.
Willow tried to be discrete as she looked up from her scroll, only to see Summer Rose waving enthusiastically from the spot described in the text. The Atlesian girl immediately looked away as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Professor Ozpin cast Summer a quick glance as he paused mid-sentence while answering another student, before he elected to continue his statements without acknowledging the spectacle.
Hello, girl in the second row from the front, with the white cape. Please stop waving with your entire body while turned around to face me. Half of the class is staring, and we are supposed to be paying attention to Professor Ozpin, Willow wrote back. Summer abruptly spun around and hunched over to reply, with her scroll hidden not so inconspicuously beneath the countertop.
I'm Summer Rose. I'm the leader of STRQ, which is Qrow's team. You seem cool. Maybe we can hang out sometime?
Willow reread the message several times, and found herself growing more and more confused with each pass. Finally, she huffed silently to herself and tapped out a quick response.
Why?
The reply came almost immediately, and Willow found herself unable to understand why she was at all surprised by the answer she received.
Why not?
Willow merely shook her head as she simply replied with 'Very well.' She moved to put her scroll back into her purse, before the device buzzed gently in her hand. Willow hesitated halfway through the motion, only for the scroll to vibrate again, and then again, and again with distracting, momentary hums. Unable to fight back her curiosity, she brought the device back down to her lap and tapped the screen to illuminate it.
Are you tapping on a screen to type up there? Do you have some fancy new prototype scroll? That's so cool!
Are you free this weekend? We could go somewhere, and I can ask Qrow if he's busy. Maybe we can go shopping!
Can you teach me how to straighten my hair like yours? Yours is really pretty.
Am I sending too many texts?
With a flustered sigh, Willow began to type once again while keeping her eyes up and pretending to pay attention as Professor Ozpin began to close out his lecture.
In the order that you sent your inquiries-
1) Yes.
2) I do not know.
3) Yes. Thank you.
4) Yes. Please stop.
"…tomorrow, we'll be changing things up a bit. Class will meet at the edge of the Emerald Forest. I would advise you to wear your combat gear, just in case we're interrupted by unwelcome guests of the grimm persuasion," Professor Ozpin finished before setting his coffee cup on the edge of his desk. "The other professors have been informed that you will not be required to wear uniforms. Some are less pleased about it than others, but… quite frankly, I do not care."
Much of the student body laughed lightly as they began to stand, and filed out of the rows of seats. Willow slipped her scroll back into her purse and stood, only to linger behind while waiting for the rest of the students to make their way out of the room. Predictably, Summer waited at the foot of the steps leading down to Professor Ozpin's desk. Despite the other girl's insistence on waiting, Willow took her time descending with careful, methodical steps down to the floor of the room. Summer grinned wide as the girls finally met face to face, and Willow strained to return the smile with a soft one of her own.
"…good morning, Summer."
"Hey! So, let's talk, at lunch? I'll come and see you today! I think Qrow's gonna hang back, to deal with some… stuff going on, at our table," Summer said cautiously as she scuffed her shoe into the wooden floor. "Not everyone there is happy that he and Kali were nice to you, which is… kinda awful."
"Yes," Willow agreed as her posture stiffened slightly. "I'm aware that me being who I am is potentially causing a rift on Kali's team. Honestly, I'd rather the eight of you focus on each other than let me cause infighting. I'll find my way, if need be."
"It… uh, needn't be," Summer reassured. "The sticking point is really two people in particular, and one is following the other to back them up. I'm sure we can find some sort of peaceful way to all get along."
"I should hope so," a masculine voice cut in. Professor Ozpin walked forward from his place in front of his desk with a stack of small, notecard-sized blue papers in hand. "I'm going to assume that one Adam Taurus is having some trouble accepting the fact that a Schnee is at Beacon?"
Summer nodded emphatically, though her expression was one of sadness. "Yeah… things got pretty ugly yesterday."
"Then that would explain why Adam booked an appointment with me during lunch today," Professor Ozpin replied. "I'll do what I can to address his reservations. After all, you seem like a pleasant, insightful individual, Willow, and you have every right to be here."
Willow felt her cheeks grow hot at the compliment, and she folded her hands before herself as she offered the headmaster a small bow.
"Thank you, Professor. I was aware that my presence here would likely cause a stir among the faunus, but… I really don't have a choice in the matter."
"I know," Professor Ozpin agreed. "This is a complex issue, but I'm glad to see STRQ and OKRA reaching out to you. Whether or not you realize it, Willow, you have the potential to make a big impact on the future simply by being here. There is far too much hate and vitriol against faunus being thrown around openly, and those perpetuating it are likely to assume that you think along those same lines."
"I don't… hate anyone," Willow said in a small voice. She flinched as she felt Summer's hand reach up and rest on her shoulder, and she turned her head to look down at the shorter girl and her pleasant smile. "It's just not who I am. I'm just… scared. I've never really been around faunus, especially in large numbers. I'm not sure what to do, other than be generally pleasant and hope for the best."
"We'll help you figure it out," Summer reassured as she gave the taller girl's shoulder a squeeze. "Start there, though, and hang out with Kali. She's really cool."
"…and very loud," Willow added with an unsure look. "And insistent about… certain things," she added as she thought back to a certain picture she had received from the faunus of a certain sleeping Branwen without his shirt on that very morning.
Professor Ozpin chuckled softly as he began to scribble upon the blue slip on top of the stack in his hand. "I can only imagine, given what I've seen of her thus far. Where are you two headed next?"
"Weapons Crafting and Upkeep," Summer replied with a devilish grin and threatening glint in her eyes. Willow recoiled slightly, and Professor Ozpin raised a brow as he finished filling in the hall pass.
"Where is your weapon, in that case?"
"Oh, Professor Calavera is letting us keep them in her room until Free Sparring, and pick them up for Grimm Studies," Summer clarified. "Roman told her about the fact that most professors make us store them in closets during their classes, and she had a fit."
"Yes, she does tend to have those," Professor Ozpin replied as he tore off the pass and handed it to Summer. He began writing on the next one as he shifted his eyes to Willow. "And you?"
"Plant… Sciences…" the girl replied with an incredibly forced grin. Willow strained as she kept up the display, and thought to herself that it was an expression she was becoming far too comfortable making for her liking.
In contrast to his usual muted, mirthful chuckle, Professor Ozpin let out a full on laugh at the sight, and shook his head softly as he completed Willow's hall pass. "It seems that Plant Sciences hasn't quite… grown on any of you, just yet. Give it time."
Summer snorted in amusement, while Willow's expression shifted to one of physical pain at the pun. She gratefully accepted the hall pass as other students began to appear within the corridor outside the classroom, and the headmaster gave the girls one final nod.
"Chin up, ladies. One more day of classes, and then you'll have a weekend all to yourselves."
"And then we can hang out, right?" Summer insisted as she bumped her hip lightly into Willow's side. Willow's eyes widened as she temporarily became unbalanced from the unexpected contact, though she maintained her balance with an undignified wobble.
"Err… I…" Willow sighed heavily, and shook her head. "Yes, Summer, we can… 'hang out' this weekend."
"Score! I'll see you later, Wil!" Summer yelled with a wave as she walked off into the hall and started to weave through the students making their way to their second period classes.
"My name… isn't… Wil," Willow trailed off. Her shoulders sagged ever so slightly as Summer disappeared from view and blended into the throng of students.
"…you're doing the right thing, you know," Professor Ozpin offered from his seated position behind his desk. The older man once again had his coffee mug in hand, and the steam from the ceramic container wafted up to fog his dark, rounded glasses. "Not just with Summer and Kali, but in general. Keep raising your hand and offering your insight, no matter how many of them stare and judge. In time, most of them will come to realize that you're a person, rather than a family name."
Willow frowned at the statement, and shifted her weight as she stepped uncomfortably. Her stiletto heels clacked softly against the wooden floor, and the sound rang out sharply as the noise from the hallways began to die down as students entered the other classrooms.
"…I hope that in time, my parents realize that, too."
For once, Professor Ozpin paused, seemingly at a loss for words, and gently set his cup back down onto his desk as he furrowed his brows. The mismatched pair avoided looking at each other as they lingered in silence for nearly a full minute. Finally, the headmaster laid his hands atop the desk and interlaced his fingers, before speaking softly as he gave Willow a meaningful look.
"…I promise you that when, not if, they find out what you're really doing here, I will do everything I can to help you get that point across to them while still keeping you safe both at Beacon, and at home. You deserve to have a voice and a path of your choosing, Miss Schnee, and asking someone your age to find such things alone is not only unfair, but cruel."
Willow eyed the door, before glancing up at the clock to find that second period had already started. Regardless of that fact, she knew that the butterflies in her stomach and numb tingles in her arms were there for an entirely different reason.
"…thank you, Professor."
"Do keep in mind, though, that those very same words apply to Adam Taurus as well, should the two of you meet," Professor Ozpin cautioned. "Neither of you have it easy, and both of you could make decisions here that will secure a bright future for yourselves… or very much the opposite. Be careful of whom you associate with and trust. Summer and Kali strike me as good options."
"And Adam himself?" Willow asked, unable to keep the thought to herself.
Professor Ozpin hesitated for a moment. "I think… it may be too early to tell. Proceed with caution."
Willow swallowed hard, and gave the headmaster a curt nod and nearly silent "thank you" before heading for the doors at a quickened pace. The sound of her heels became even more pronounced as she moved onto the tile floor of the hall, and she made a sharp turn around the nearby corner to head for her next class. Willow's mind raced as she tried to determine whether or not she had seen Adam the day before, and what she would say when they inevitably met. Despite the countless scenarios she could see materializing within her mind, the only thing she could think to tell him was "I'm sorry."
An unpleasant memory played out in Willow's thoughts as she picked up her pace down the hallway. The only time she could remember actually seeing a faunus in person before her arrival at Beacon was when her father had brought her along on a trip through town. She recalled the limousine stopping outside of a giant building near the edge of the floating island of Upper Atlas. Willow remembered a long, wide tube of some sturdy, clear material big enough around to fit several tractor trailers side by side extending from the back of the building. At the time, she had no idea what it was for, or why it continued on down past the edge of the floating city. She remembered trying to lean up in her seat to get a better look at the tube as a large, square platform suddenly appeared and began to slowly slide its way upward on some sort of conveyor mechanism. Several people and a few transport trucks occupied the space, and the shimmering glitter of dust within the back of the pickups drew her eyes to the convoy.
Willow didn't know how long she stared at the precious resource, and couldn't seem to recall what had happened after the platform disappeared behind the building. All that she could still see inside her mind following the event was a man with gills lunging at her father as he approached the building, and the two beginning to fight. Willow had exited the car as quickly as she could when she saw her father take a blow to the stomach, and ran past the butler who tried to stop her. By the time she had arrived on the scene, the faunus was laying upon the pavement of the concrete parking lot, with blood pooling beneath his face and stains of the same color on her father's collar. She remembered looking up at him and feeling fear and uncertainty, instead of her usual admiration. She remembered that her father told her that the faunus had it coming the second he had laid a hand on his superior. She couldn't remember whether or not he was still breathing when she looked back down at the prone figure.
The heiress paused as she reached the door to the classroom, and closed her eyes as she tried to banish the thoughts in favor of something more pleasant. Thinking back on the event made her stomach turn, and she already felt uneasy on account of the sight of Professor Peach addressing the rest of her class through the door. With one final deep breath, Willow refocused her attention on the portly woman and pushed her way into the classroom. The professor kept speaking as she turned to face Willow, and accepted the offered hall pass with a raised brow.
"I'm sorry," Willow whispered with an uncomfortable sniff. "Professor Ozpin needed to speak to me."
"Quite alright, young lady. Go ahead and take a seat. It would seem that your friends saved you one," Professor Peach said as she nodded up into the stadium style seats. Willow followed the motion with her eyes, only to see Kali waving both of her arms as if she was trying to coax a plane onto a runway.
"…right," Willow replied with an uneasy smile that ambushed her against her will. "Thank you."
Professor Peach launched back into her lecture as Willow ascended the steps, and she found herself completely unable to focus upon the words as she made her way up to the middle row, where Kali waited with a confident smirk plastered upon her face. Willow lowered herself into the waiting aisle seat next to the faunus, and bristled as Kali leaned in to whisper in her ear.
"So, we're hanging out this weekend?" she asked with a filthy grin.
"I… how did you…?" Willow asked as she set her purse down beneath the seat and opened the textbook waiting upon the counter before her.
"Summer texted me while we were on the way here," Kali explained. "We're on Page 25, and she's on a wild tangent about tomatoes or some shit," the faunus offered with a roll of her eyes.
"Nightshade plants, Kali. Many of them are used in making poisons," Bartholomew deadpanned as he leaned across the faunus to offer Willow his hand. "Bartholomew Oobleck. A… pleasure."
Willow accepted the hand, and cringed slightly as she found her own locked in a firm grip. "Willow Schnee, and likewise. Are you two on the same team?"
"Yeah," Roman interrupted from his seat next to Bartholomew as he kept his eyes on Professor Peach and his arms folded. His lip twitched slightly, and he sighed. "Roman Torchwick. I'm on OKRA, too."
Willow nodded silently, and continued flipping pages until she found the one that Kali had described. A rather large picture of a tomato did indeed take up most of the page on the left, along with a description of the plant.
"Don't mind him, he's probably constipated or something," Kali offered. "That, or he really likes tomatoes."
"I see, and… I really did not need to know either of those possibilities," Willow lamented as she leaned forward slightly to look at the student sitting next to Roman. An unfamiliar boy with close-shaved deep purple hair and lizard scales around his cheeks and neck stared into his textbook, ignoring her. Willow returned to her normal sitting position, and cleared her throat before leaning in to whisper in Kali's ear.
"…is that boy next to Roman… Adam Taurus?"
Kali snorted with laughter, and earned a few looks from the students sitting in the row beneath her. "Pff, no. Adam looks a lot different. Horns, one eye, red hair. He's in a different class right now."
"One… eye?" Willow questioned. Suddenly, she began to think that the general feeling of sickness and unease lingering within her abdomen was going to last the entire day.
"Well, we're kinda just assuming," Kali admitted as her ears wilted into her hair. "He wears a green bandanna around his head to cover it. Nobody's seen what's under it, yet."
"I have," Roman interrupted. Finally, he looked sideways at Willow. Something about the boy's eye made her blood run cold, and she looked away. "Yesterday, after you went and sat with Willow. He showed me. He's… yeah, he's got one eye. Suggest you stay away from him, Willow."
Willow returned to her book, well aware that Roman was still looking at her as Professor Peach droned on. "Do you… think Professor Peach would be upset if I went and got some water? I was already late, but I'm not really feeling well."
"Here. It's unopened."
Willow looked up to find Bartholomew offering a plastic water bottle across Kali's lap. The faunus smirked as Willow accepted the item, and pulled it back toward herself.
"Thank you so much, Bartholomew."
"That's Barty for ya," Kali confirmed as she folded her hands behind her head and leaned back while crossing her legs. "A perfect gentleman, and aggressively single. You… are single, right?" she asked, as she opened one eye.
"Yes," Bartholomew hissed as he pushed his glasses back up his nose. "Thank you for reminding me. Now, could you two actually focus on the lesson, before we get in trouble? The pair of you aren't exactly subtle."
"Barty's right, you know," Roman added. "She might start throwing cucumbers into the audience if we don't shut up."
Kali snickered as Willow twisted the cap off her bottle and began to drink. "Yeah, maybe the one from her nightstand. Hope it's not covered in lube."
Bartholomew scoffed as he tried to fight back a smirk. "You two are horrible people."
Willow brought the bottle back down to the countertop, and gave Kali an uncertain look. "Why would one lubricate a cucumber…?"
Kali opened her mouth, only for Professor Peach to interrupt with a sudden clap of her hands.
"Alright, class. Working in groups of three or four people, I would like you to spend the remainder of the period diagramming which plants in chapter one could prove useful on a long-term hunt, both for survival, or for the creation of poisons. One chart per group is fine, but make sure to put all of your names upon the paper to get credit. You have just about thirty minutes. Come and see me with any questions."
Roman pulled his chair closer to Bartholomew immediately, and leaned in to the group. "Cucumber goes under 'nighttime survival', for sure."
"Cucumbers aren't even in Chapter One, you depraved buffoon!" Bartholomew hissed. "This is graded!"
"Masturbation jokes aside, who has the best handwriting?" Kali asked as she hopped up onto the counter and pulled her textbook into her lap.
"Willow, obviously. I mean, look at her," Roman said incredulously as he tore a sheet of paper from his notebook and set it down next to Kali.
"That's… super class-racist. Classist, or something like that. Also, probably totally true. I bet she's done calligraphy before," Kali teased as Willow finally put the pieces of the cucumber mystery together in her mind, and her cheeks turned scarlet. The heiress took another long drink of water, before offering the trio a weak smile as they stared at her.
"Oh, I don't mind writing for us! And… yes, I have taken calligraphy classes, before," Willow admitted as she pulled out her fancy pen from her purse. "Is that a bad thing?"
"No, not at all. Don't let them rile you. They're good people. Usually," Bartholomew offered as he began to turn the pages of his book. "I'll handle the last three pages of the chapter. Roman, take the three before that, and Kali, the first three. Divide and conquer, yes?"
"Sounds hot," Kali replied as she began to run her finger along the page as the students in the other rows began conversations of their own. "Looks like baneleaf can be used to make a poison."
"Yeah no shit, it's called fucking baneleaf," Roman sassed. "Next, you'll tell me there's a plant called grandma's snuggles that can be used to make tea."
Kali stuck her tongue out at her companion as Willow drew a line down the center of the page in a slow, careful motion. The faunus leaned forward slightly and watched as the Schnee girl wrote "For Poisons" in curly, slanted letters at the top of the left column, and then wrote their names in the corner just above the header.
"Holy shit," Kali said in amazement. "How did you make a line so straight without a ruler?"
"…practice?" Willow offered with an embarrassed shrug. "Is that really such a noteworthy feat?"
"Hot damn, that's straighter than me," Roman remarked as he looked up from his pages.
"…you wear eyeliner."
"Fuck you, Kali. And yeah, that's pretty sweet, honestly. Let's get a list of poisons going, first."
"Including their effects," Bartholomew agreed. "What exactly does baneleaf-based poison do, Kali?"
"Taste bad, probably," Kali replied automatically. She looked up to find Bartholomew staring through her with an unamused look. Kali returned to reading rather quickly, and traced her finger along the text once again. "Uh… numbing. Go for the hand, it apparently makes holding weapons a bitch."
"Don't actually write 'makes holding weapons a bitch.' I don't want to get detention just yet," Roman instructed as Willow began to copy down a description.
"Oh, I didn't intend to. I've already learned to filter approximately 50% of what comes out of Kali's mouth," Willow joked, earning a laugh from both boys.
"Are you sure you weren't placed on our team, as a fifth member? You've already picked up on our most important rule," Bartholomew asked as he looked over a cross-sectional diagram of a root with healing properties.
"Found another one. It's called jerkweed, and it looks kinda like a late-adolescent boy with green hair and glasses on. It's incredibly toxic," Kali chimed in.
Willow looked back and forth between the pair, her pen an inch above the paper. "…there isn't actually a… 'jerkweed' in the book, is there?"
"Put it on the list anyway. It'd be funny," Roman instructed. Willow raised her pen, and simply continued waiting instead.
"So… Kali, if I may ask," Willow began, "what exactly will we be doing while… 'hanging out' with Summer?"
Kali's wicked grin only served to make Willow's numb sensation return. "Oh, I dunno. But I'm sure it'll involve going out into the city, and stirring up some trouble. Or maybe just some shopping. On that note, I almost forgot," the faunus said as she took out her scroll and began to text furiously.
"Almost forgot that we were trying to get an assignment done?" Bartholomew tried, sounding exasperated.
"Oh, hell no, I forgot about that the second we started. I'm inviting Raven," Kali clarified as she slipped her scroll back into her pocket. "Girls' night out. Qrow can stay home and sulk."
"I've heard of these fabled 'girls' night out' situations before, but I can't say I've ever been invited," Willow remarked as Bartholomew showed her a page and she leaned in to copy some information down. "I'm going to assume you'll show me the ropes and keep me safe out on the… 'mean streets' of Vale, is it?"
Kali waved dismissively in response. "As long as you're with us, you'll be fine. Just promise me you'll let your hair down, and try to have fun."
"I'll try," Willow agreed. She raised a brow as she watched Roman snicker to himself, and then turn his book toward the trio.
"Hey, there's a plant in the index called pussywillow. Now there's something I'd like to s-"
Roman cried out in pain as Bartholomew bashed him over the head with a textbook.
"No."
Author's Note:
I swear, sometimes these characters write themselves.
-RD
