Night had fallen in Beacon, and the members of Team RWBY minus one where all in their shared room.
The new professor had left quite an impact on most of the students, especially on one particular heiress to a giant company.
Weiss was softly humming to herself on her bed, deep in thought about the new teacher.
Ruby and Yang where playing with Zwei, trying to get the dog tired out so he would go to sleep so they could follow. The night was still relatively young but the all ladies team had a lot of thoughts about the events of today.
"Your head still on cloud nine Weiss?" Yang asked jokingly.
Weiss' response was an immediate glare which then slowly changed into a chuckle. She was as clear as ice with her affection for Professor Carlisle. A sentiment shared with quite a few other woman, either taking in by his good looks or charming and polite manner of speaking. It was safe to say that he was the most attractive male teacher in the castle, not that he had much competition, but the other men where usually a lot older and or had odd quirks that would only be attractive to a select few who liked said quirk.
Professor Carlisle just appealed to the entire body of students due to his youth. Despite how professional he appeared and spoke, the students saw him on somewhat equal ground due to him being the youngest professor there was. There was no generational shift which allows for easier communication.
"Seems like Weiss has the hots for a teacher" Ruby said jokingly. Her sister followed that up with "she and every other girl with a set of eyes it seems."
"Shut up!" Weiss shouted, throwing her pillow at the two sisters.
They both laughed in response. Weiss knew it was all in good fun and she hadn't exactly made her slight crush on the teacher a well-kept secret to her team.
"Just look at him. So smart and well read, so confident in his own brilliance. He and I are almost a perfect match" Weiss said enthusiastically.
Ruby and Yang looked at each other confused.
"No offense Weiss but you've only just met the man, you haven't even said in a single word to him. Besides for all we know he could already be married or taken" Yang said.
Weiss' eyes turned cold at that thought. She hadn't seen a ring so if he was spoken for he kept it fairly well hidden.
"Well so…..in any case he's not the weirdest teacher to fall for" she replied.
Ruby and Yang shrugged, she had a point.
Ruby sat next to Weiss on her bedside and in an excited tone asked "So…what will you do to get his attention. Will you leave secret love letters on his desk! Will you follow him home and profess your love at his doorstep, will you…" Weiss put a hand to Ruby's mouth as to silence her.
"First of all, ugh no. Following him home, I am not a stalker Ruby!" she said in response.
Ruby nodded with Weiss' hand still around her mouth, which she soon removed. "I got to think this through, get his attention, see if he notices me. Then when I can have a shot, I'll take it" Weiss told.
Yang now laying spread out on her bed replied with "well he was sure giving Blake good attention."
Immediately this raised Weiss' ire. Although she never said anything about she had not liked the way that Blake stepped up to and talked with Professor Carlisle. It was so unlike her, she was reserved and shy but she stepped up to this man so suddenly it took them all by surprise.
"Speaking off," Ruby said "where is Blake?"
The library was completely empty aside from a certain dark haired cat Faunus, reading her book in silence.
The events of today where certainly unique. The new professor was the talk of the town, everyone had an opinion about him. Mostly positive, some less positive, mostly coming from the guys, and of course in the middle people who were completely neutral.
To take her minds off of things Blake took the library and did her usual pastime of reading in order to not today get to her. The professor seemed to get everyone's attention, the talk was mostly about the way he chewed out the normally arrogant and boastful Cardin Winchester, basically stunning him into silence.
Blake despised Cardin as did most. His insensitive and degrading Faunus comments where frequent and despite her team knowing about her being a Faunus, she hid it for a good reason from the rest of the academy. People like Cardin was why she joined the White Fang, and the road she took her to get to Beacon. She hadn't really seen anyone stood up for them much, professor Carlisle was so casual about it.
The thoughts distracted her from her book. With a loud sigh she put it down and looked around her. The darkness was clear through the windows.
"I better get back to the room" she said to herself, grabbing her book and back and rushing towards the exit. Only as she turned the corner to bump into someone and crash to the ground.
Her bag and the books in it fell through the floor along with some other articles held by the person she bumped into. Blake rubbed her head in pain as she tried to get up. As her eyes regained focus she saw the new professor Firen Carlisle in front of her, also rubbing his head.
Her pride immediately sank in her shoes.
"Miss Belladonna I am truly sorry I did not notice you come around the corner. Here let me help you up" he said concerned as extended her hand. Blake stared for a few seconds at the man, still wearing the same outfit as this morning except he had his long black coat on and his glasses where now kept in the breast pocket of his waist coat.
Blake shook herself out of her thoughts and took his hand as he raised her up. His hand was still as warm as this morning.
"I'm so sorry professor, I wasn't watching where I was going and I didn't saw you I'm so sorry" Blake apologized profusely.
The man smiled at her "it is fine Miss Belladonna, I do hope you are not hurt, here let me help you with your belongings."
Professor Carlisle bend over and grabbed the books of the ground along with her bag. Blake decided to return the favor and help him with his stuff. One of them was a dark cylinder without labels and another a book on the history of Faunus.
She looked at the book for a while as Carlisle got up and patted her shoulder to give her bag and the books inside it. She smiled as she took it and gave him the stuff he had dropped as well. "Thank you professor" she said slightly blushing.
"It's nothing Miss Belladonna, a small gesture of good will is never a bad thing. Plus I should have looked where I was going, no more late night studying for me" he chuckled, laughing at his own predicament.
His laugh was quite infectious.
She needed to go. She needed to get to her dorm. It was late, she had to sleep. But here she was standing with the charismatic new professor alone in the library in the dead of night, blushing like a lovesick fool while she didn't really know if you could call this love. Admiration was more like it.
Being with someone like Adam Taurus really screws up someone's view on love. At least, before he went off the deep end. Before that, he was genuine and truly loved her.
Blake glanced over to the book in his hands, the history of the Faunus. And she couldn't help but ask "that is an interesting book professor" the man looked at the book and then back to his student "it is, I've been reading it for a while. I know it may come across odd I study the Faunus so thoroughly but they just interest me so much" he said.
"How come?" Blake asked, her mind now filled with curiosity.
"Faunus all have unique traits and abilities related to all kinds of animals. It is so captivating and I wonder how they came to develop these traits, where did they come from, did they evolve into this, are they the next evolutionary step. So many questions and so very few answers."
The professor rambled on a bit more and Blake spaced out during, clutching her bag tightly. But watching this man be so passionate about his subjects was intriguing and inspiring. He seemed to be genuinely interested in the history of her people.
"I have never met someone who spoke with such a positive tone about my….I mean about the Faunus people" she corrected herself quickly.
Carlisle looked at her curiously "why wouldn't I talk about them with a positive undertone. They are also people, yes different from regular people but still regular people. I never understood the hatred against them, after all they did not choose to be who they are."
Blake's heart made a jump.
She couldn't believe it.
The man saw her people as equals. Not just as animals or as lower or higher than others. As equals.
Her eyes shined up brightly.
"Are you alright Miss Belladonna?" he asked as she was lost in thought. She shook herself out of it "Yes Professor, I am just surprised by your response, I have never heard anyone say it like that."
"That is peculiar. I cannot be the only one who sees it like that. Yes ignorant people like Mr. Winchester exist, but I imagine that most people are somewhat understanding and see things similar to me" Carlisle said.
"You'd be surprised" Blake responded chuckling.
Blake clutched her bag even tighter, she had to leave or her team would start to question what happened, not that she minded them knowing, but they didn't need to know everything.
"I shouldn't hold you up professor, it is already late" she said looking behind her at the door and then back at him.
"Not at all Miss Belladonna, it is refreshing to have a good intellectual conversation with someone who seems to know quite a bit of the world as you" he replied with a smile.
Damnit, what a man, Blake thought as she blushed a bright red which she hoped he didn't notice in the creeping darkness of the night.
"But indeed I shouldn't keep you up at night. You need your good sleep for your classes" he said looking directly into her dark eyes. "Should you ever need my help or wish to talk, you can find me mostly here. Have a good night Miss Belladonna" he said as he turned around and waved her off.
"Good night professor" she said. She turned around and speeded out of the library.
Her thoughts where racing back and forth. This man has had made two huge impressions on her in one day! How was this possible? He seemed almost too good to be true. Young, good looking, smart and considerate. He was almost out of this world.
Blake finally made it to her dorm and entered it slowly, seeing her teammates already asleep. She silently crawled into bed. Her thoughts preoccupied by her meeting with the new professor.
She held her head in her arms trying to think of something else. But her thoughts and maybe even her hormones betrayed her, as she could only think of him. A man she had only known for one day, but made an impact like no other.