The dust demonstration was of course performed by the Schnee Dust Company, who used it as a business venture in one of their most profitable selling points to market some "new" product.
It was a simple one. A little, complex nozzle connected to a dust chamber to expel the dust without instantly igniting it. It wasn't a new concept, but until now it only saw use with huntsmen. Now they were aiming at convincing those with a certain, opulent aesthetic that spending dust in the most dubious way possible - for show - is something they can do now.
I rolled my eyes and threw the pamphlet away into a nearby trashcan. Not today, Weiss.
The thought occurred to me to make use of a dust "emitter." You wouldn't really see dust emitters in the average huntsman's weapon, since just shooting it out of a firearm is faster and easier. I think it would give my weapon, when we begin work on them, a bit more personality.
I digress. I was more focused on buying Dez and I something to cook because Huntsman academies teach and encourage the fundamental survival skills like cooking.
A few idle waits for the goddamn lines to shorten was what kept me from leaving as fast as I went in. I can leave now.
I sent Desiree a message explaining where I was going.
'Going to dorm' were the concise and exact words, and a likewise similar 'ok' was the response.
So I waited for the bus taking students to the Academy.
-XXXXX-
In the course of just 3 months, Signal had turned into an interesting home and challenge. Dez and I's dorm took proper shape, with me filling my side to the fullest with books and study material.
Those dust books from back then helped out with the combat sciences class. The dust experiments Mr. Taiyang had us perform were exceptionally difficult. We had to synthesize electric dust for one of them, a process typically reserved for enhanced dust refinery stations. We did that with some test tubes.
The aforementioned process was arduous and required no small amount of patience and precision. Exact amounts and ratios of fire dust, wind dust, and water dust were the ingredients.
"Holy shit," I marveled. "I got it sir!" I was among the first few to create the reaction that makes electric dust, and a sense of pride welled up within me.
In the encapsulated test tube, I mixed together the dust types. This created miniature mist, and soon after little streaks of plasma flowed between the test tube walls. It was brilliant.
Mr. Taiyang inspected the suspended tube and held his hand out towards it to detect the temperature.
"Very well done, Mr. Argent."
In a matter of seconds, some of my classmates came by to either look at my experiment, ask for help, or both.
Truth be told, I had no idea what I did right. All I knew is that fire dust came after the water and wind were mixed. That were the boundaries of my understanding.
But something urged me to go on. To learn more about this force not of nature. The dust reaction had ended and all that remained were some insignificant specks of powder at the bottom of the tube. This was obviously the electric dust.
Eventually everyone would produce the same result, whether it be by careful deliberation or haphazard luck.
This wasn't the first time I had wanted to know more about dust. Back when I was younger, I dove into books all about dust and it's principles. Dust combination articles were barren and held no substance, aside from basic known mixtures.
Another reason the past few months were eventful was Ms. Astra being something of a psychic.
She has had us meditating for a couple of weeks now. Semblance training is the main reason. However, she stated when we first began semblance training that she doesn't expect any of our semblances to manifest.
The true motive for this is that she's lazy. And that she wants us to learn more about ourselves and to strengthen our auras.
Aura meditation brings upon visions. Everybody talks about theirs. Not me. My visions are of an age long past. Days spent on Earth.
I'm always mentally and emotionally exhausted after each meditation. Which is why she's talking to me after school.
"Mr. Gainsboro... Are you... alright?" She asked in her wispy voice. Her eyes were full of concern and her expression was the same.
"Yes I am ma'am. I just get tired after I meditate." I sat down on one of the classroom's beanbag seats.
"That's the problem... You shouldn't be tired after a meditation. The opposite should be true."
I pondered over this for a while. In that while, she continued.
"I can sense that you have... something your classmates don't. Your aura has a feeling of... history and... knowledge."
I tilted my head at that. You can feel another person's aura?
And she, as if she knew what I was wondering, answered that.
"It is a complicated technique. It takes months or even years of practice." She asked me again, "Are you okay, Mr. Argent?"
If I was being truthful... No. But I had a feeling that telling others about my past wouldn't be the best option.
"Yes, ma'am. I think I'll be fine." I stood up and stretched, letting my joints pop.
"If you say so. I am not one to force you to tell me." She gathered up her belongings after me. "That's all I had to ask about, Mr. Argent."
I took my leave and went to my room. Laying down on my bed was a relief I had been waiting for.
-XXXXX-
I don't remember how long I was sleeping, but I was awoken by Desiree nudging me.
"Gray, wake up." She showed me her scroll's screen. "You slept into tomorrow."
The screen, though initially too bright, soon became clear. It was the next day and was currently the time we usually woke up to go to class.
My heart dropped. I fell asleep and didn't do my homework?!
"Dez! Do you have the homework for Mr. Luce?!" I damn near screamed as I bolted out of bed.
At that, she began laughing hysterically. And in that moment I knew I had been pranked. I calmly made my way to my scroll and checked. I had only slept for like 2 hours.
Desiree, to her credit, had got me good.
I leveled an even and enotionless stare at my sister.
"Really Dez? Really?" I didn't wait for her excuse to wash my face in the bathroom sink. There was also a second voice snickering from the door. It was Yang. She was laughing.
I palmed my wet face with my towel.
"Yes, G. Really," She retorted. "Well I woke you up for a reason," she added whilst still having fits of giggling, "2 as a matter of fact." Pulling out my chair and relocating it to her desk was the first thing she did.
"Both of us need help with some work so I invited her over." The second thing she did was throw my notebook onto my bed.
I remained silent as I availed myself of a more casual and comfortable shirt and shorts instead of our uniform. I continued to be noiseless as I changed in the bathroom.
"Whatever. Sure. We can do that." The third thing she did involved turning her scroll back to the proper date and time.
I sat with the girls and did my work alongside them, helping them along the way.
To my surprise, Yang was quite astute. She only needed help with the grimm anatomical models we were assigned.
"The more armor it has, the older it is." The ursa in the model was utterly encased in bone plating.
"So this is an ursa major?"
"Yeah, since it has at least 3 rows of bone spikes."
Denominations for grimm subsets are based off of certain criteria.
After the work had been finished Yang thanked both of us and left.
Desiree sat on my bed.
"Gray?" She questioned softly. She had an air of guilt around her. "I'm uh, I'm sorry for waking you up like that." She looked down at her hands.
Well now's a good time to mend the bridges I didn't let my family make. I feigned ignorance.
"Huh? What did you say?" I cupped my hand over my ear. "I couldn't hear you." In just a few sentences I had already frustrated my sister.
"I said I'm sorry," she repeated, slightly louder.
"Still can't hear you," my singsong reply came. I could hear her embarrassment from the desk. "Did you... did you just apologize?" The tension in the room was approaching critical mass.
"Yes! I said I'm sorry-" I cut her off.
"I know, Dez." I turned in my chair to face her. "And don't apologize. You needed something so you asked. You asked so I helped." Her equal parts irritated, dumbfounded, and guilty countenance was all I could see across the room. "Just make sure you help me if I ask, alright?"
She cleared the emotions from her face and nodded.
"You know, you're kind of a-" I cut her off yet again.
"A dick? Yeah. I know." Her nonplussed face told me I took the word right out of her mouth. "But at least I'm nice."
After a beat of silence she began laughing once more. I turned back towards the books on my desk, letting her laughter be my confirmation for having made her feel better.
I properly returned to my studies
-XXXXX-
'Gravity dust (Purple dust, Figure 3a) can take upon many properties depending on it's matter of use.'
I rubbed my eyes in exhaustion. I had spent the rest of the day studying even more about dust and grimm and Remnant.
I finally got up from my chair and stretched. I would have gone to bed, but Desiree fell asleep on mine. I had more than half a mind to move her to hers, but ultimately decided against it. She would need her sleep so that she could train better.
Training has been hell. I never thought I would be punching solid concrete and be fine, but it's something that we're graded on.
I guess I should be happy for being able to have formal aura training. The manifestation of the soul decides between who lives and who dies.
Our souls are the only things keeping us from our deaths.
-XXXXX-
(A/N: Merry Christmas! I was originally planning to make this and subsequent chapters longer, but... Smash Ultimate. Blame that. In any case, I hope you enjoyed and I hope that you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Cheers, Rico.)