If you were to ascribe a single word to Professor Thumbelina Peach, you would choose, "Bubbly."
For one, she was very excitable. Coupled with her being shorter than Ruby, she came across as almost childish when she gleefully described all matter of her topics of interest. She often had to literally bounce across her classroom since she could barely reach most things due to her height.
She was also quite round. Again amplified by her stature, her round hair done in a bob, her round bun placed neatly behind her head, and her round face *again* amplified her youthful look and excitable personality.
She also had a huge ass. "The perfect use of the peach emoji," Yang had said at least once. An early mission to collect sap supposedly went straight to the shortstack's short stack, the pancakes, in turn, going straight to Pr. Peach's hips. A bubble butt, if you would. That was accentuated by her impossibly tight-fitting skirts, which she favored to the pleasure of her male students and the surprisingly high number of female students attracted to women that populated Beacon.
Said features had attracted her a number of romantic attention. You'd heard that Pr. Peach had previously fought off (literally in some cases, if sources were to be believed) a number of suitors ranging from a frog Faunus to a man with a mole nose to a weirdo obsessed with beetles. She was currently obsessed with her boyfriend, a guy named Mr. Maia. You know all of this because she has a habit of getting distracted during class and telling everyone how great he is. You think it's cute, if somewhat unprofessional.
Why these things were on your mind was explained by the fact that Peach's peach was currently pointed at you as she sifted through a cabinet. Considering you recently started dating Blake, you have gained an… appreciation for butts, especially after seeing her in a bikini. Thankfully, you lean back a bit and look at Blake's butt so as not to get too distracted by your teacher. She smirks at you and slaps your hand, bringing your attention back to the classroom.
Admittedly, you never really paid attention in Peach's class, considering her… distractions and the fact that Plant Science really isn't all that interesting, even with Remnant's slightly more unique flora. Still, at the behest of Ruby, you decided to give her a visit. After all, considering your Semblance was, you know, plant-based, it seemed a good idea to talk to the leading plant expert about it. And so, after recovering most of your strength and urging Ozpin that you really did want to be a Huntsman even after your Ursa scare, you scheduled a meeting.
Blake tagged along because A. date, and B. even if she didn't SAY anything, you can feel she wants to keep your eyes on her rear over Peach's. But hey, if she wants you to peep on her, you have no issues, especially when's she's wearing jeans.
"Ah, yes!" Peach cries, holding something up. "Here it is…" You always forget just how high-pitched her voice is… She bounces up in a very bubbly manner and fiddles with something. "I knew I had a reason for liking you, Mr. Redfield!" Blake side-eyes you and raises an eyebrow. You shrug. She pirouettes and holds something up to you. "A plant-based name AND a rare plant-based Semblance! Here, take this!"
You take Pr. Peach's gift. Inspecting it, you see that it's a large leather pouch meant to be affixed to a belt. Embedded in the straps appears to be several varieties of Dust, namely earth, fire, and water. "Thank you! Though, what exactly is it?"
Peach raises a finger and explains, "I call it the Combat Plant Pouch! It's essentially a miniature garden meant to complement plant-based Semblances like ours!" She points to the Dust lining the straps and says, "You fill it with dirt, which the earth Dust enhances to engender plant growth and health. The fire Dust ensures they have warmth to grow, and the water Dust hydrates them. Then, you can use the plants inside as emergency weapons!"
"Plants as weapons?" Blake asks. "I suppose with Aura, that makes sense…"
"Correct! Since plants are living things, they're incredibly receptive to Aura, so it's easy to enhance their strength and durability. I've even cultivated a few seeds that are even more suited to Aura-enhancement that I can let you have!"
You think back to the Ursa. You had wrapped thorny rose vines around its arm, which were strong enough to hold it in place long enough for Blake to sever it. Obviously, normal vines weren't that strong, so your Semblance must pump Aura into them. You had yet to actually figure out exactly what your abilities are past the basics, so Peach's guidance is already paying off.
"So, do you have any recommendations for what kind of plants to use?"
Peach looks around her classroom and thinks. "Considering what you've told me, roses are obvious… There's really only a few plants suited to it, though knowing your environment never hurts. You have to discover how your Semblance works in a bit more detail and find out what works with you." She wanders over to a series of plant pots. Standing on top of a small stool, she looks over them. "There are some that release large amounts of pollen, which your sword could ignite, brambles, cactus, certain types of fungus…"
You survey the garden and start thinking about how to fight using plants. Despite what video games have taught you, real plants don't exactly have the ability to rapid-fire seeds, and Venus fly-traps aren't qualified for anything other than… flies, really. Still, the idea that you can use thorny vines in combat is cool.
"So I can take a few seeds for myself?" you ask.
"Yes, yes, that will be fine. My special ones will channel Aura well, so they'll be extra resilient. You can keep them in the pouch and they'll grow just fine, and then you can have them on you when in combat."
"Thanks, Professor!"
"Of course, Mr. Redfield! I'll be available any time if you have more questions about this sort of thing. Just be sure to take care of my plants; they're still living things, you know!"
"Of course!"
"Anything for you, Ms. Belladonna?" Peach asks, making Blake nearly drop a plant pot.
"Umm, no thanks. I'll be better suited to helping him train than using plants as weapons."
Peach smiles and picks a vibrantly red rose, strips it of its thorns, then hands it to Blake. "I understand. Still, always good to stop and smell them!"
Blake sniffs her rose and smiles. "Thank you, Professor. We ought to be off."
You and Blake nod and leave the classroom, taking your gifts with you. You affix the plant pouch to your belt and settle it behind you, trying to find the best place for it. You find it sits comfortably in the small of your back while also allowing you to easily reach back and open it. You beam at Blake and say, "I'm already moving forward! Now I can try out adding plants to my fighting style!"
Blake smiles, but then looks at the ground. "And you're sure… that you want to?" She shifts her eyes behind you, trying to peer through your body to see the scars on your back. "I mean, this soon?"
You extend a hand and grab Blake's. Now holding hands, you squeeze her palm and say, "I am sure. I'll take it easy for now, but I want to get stronger. I have things to protect now."
Blake moves closer to you and leans her head on your shoulder. "I don't need your protection." She closes her eyes and lets out a breath. "But I'll gladly accept it." She frees up her hand by putting her rose in her hair, then moves her fingers over your chest, inviting you to wrap your free hand around her waist. With a flower in her hair, Blake looks even prettier than normal. It's also YOUR flower, considering your name; Peach didn't know that you two were dating (unless she was VERY perceptive), but damn did she make a good wingman. Blake now carried a literal symbol of your relationship with her in her hair, which ought to boost the dating atmosphere.
Speaking of which, now that you were free to do as you pleased, you and Blake catch an airbus to town. Though the beach was nice, this would be you and Blake's first official solo date with no one else to hide from. As such, you two wander around enjoying each other's company until you find the place that you were looking for.
"Oh, my god, this is your idea?" Blake says, unable to stop smiling. She looks up at the restaurant you chose.
"Seemed like a nice place. Something about the atmosphere reached out to me."
"This is already sappy and I love it. Let's go."
You and Blake grab a table for two at a restaurant where the main claim to fame is that it was also a flower garden. The elevated eatery sits on a rooftop overlooking part of downtown Vale, each table surrounded by gorgeous flowers, circus trees, and arrangements of colors that make everything seem to glow.
You look across at Blake as she eagerly cuts apart a cooked salmon. She meets your eyes and says, "It's rare to have so many smells in one place that manage to not be completely overbearing." Her bow wiggles. "It's so… peaceful here."
"I get what you mean." Since waking up as a Faunus, you've been assaulted by the potency of smells with your enhanced nose. Perfumes, colognes, Weiss' bodyworks shop, a lot of it was nigh impossible to stomach… err, sniff. Despite being surrounded on all sides by fragrant flowers, they somehow mixed together to form a pleasing scent that wasn't too much.
You focus and reach over and touch a deep purple flower that was hanging close to you. As you charge your Aura through the petals into the stems into the vines surrounding you, one of the plants springs to life. The sister flower to the one you touched lowers itself like it was an extension of your arm, stopping before Blake.
Blake tries to give you a, "Seriously?" face at your cliche, but immediately cracks. She sniffs her flower and whispers, "It's beautiful," under her breath. You try your hardest and manage to make the flower bow by channeling your Aura through the roots, then have it return behind a fence. "I already love your Semblance."
"I think I do, too," you respond, out of breath. "Though I definitely need more training, since that really took the wind from my sails."
"This is a date, Briar. Training can wait." Blake reaches her hand across the table and places it over yours. "But I'll be right by your side. For now, my salmon is calling to me."
"I won't keep you any longer, then. My food looks great, too."
"And then we can get ice cream after?"
"And we can get ice cream after."
