Comets that passed through the debris cloud of Remnant's shattered moon were few and far between, but these rare events signaled new beginnings for all kingdoms. The comets illuminated the scattered pieces of the moon as their tails passed through the cloud, creating thousands of new constellations in the sky for as long as their orbit allowed. Thousands of legends originated from such events, always weaving tales of the births of heroes and banishment of great evil. They were scientifically called illunanations, but each kingdom and village had their own name for the events.
"Can anyone name the last time an illunanation event occurred? Yes! Miss Belladonna!"
"At the conclusion of the Faunus War. Most historians agree the wars might not have ended without further bloodshed had the comet not come. It gave commanders Doyle and Kimball the courage to lay down their weapons and search for peace." Blake's voice was always stronger whenever she was talking about Faunus history. It was almost imperceptible, but Neptune had been around her for long enough to catch the subtle change.
"Perfect answer if I do say so myself, Miss Belladonna. And can anyone tell me what scientists believe to be event which followed the first illunanation? Anyone?" Dr. Oobleck sped across the room, not spilling a drop of his coffee along the way. He was searching his students for any look of recognition. He saw a hand slowly rise above the heads of his fellow students not a moment too soon.
"Mr. Vasilias! What say you?"
"Well, common belief is that the first illunanation coincided with the first humans. But modern scientists agree that the moon hadn't been shattered yet, so there's no way that could've been the first. In which case the first ever had to be a few hundred years after that, around the time humanity first discovered how to use Dust against the Grimm." Neptune remembered reading about the discovery in a newspaper years ago. Most people still refused to believe that an illumination event hadn't preceded humanity's first steps on Remnant and the concept went against the teachings of nearly every religion.
"Perfect, Mr. Vasilias. And can anybody tell me why the class focus is on illunanation events today? Miss Schnee?"
"Astronomers have detected a rather large comet heading for Remnant. It's in a course that would direct it through the debris cloud. Early observations state that the comet might even be made of Dust." Weiss's matter-of-fact tone earned a quick smile and nod out of Neptune. The heiress blushed, color filling her pale cheeks as she smiled back at the boy.
"Fantastic, Miss Schnee. Finally, can anyone tell me the implications of a comet made entirely of Dust passing through our atmosphere and interacting with our moon?" The bespectacled professor watched and waited as his class tried to answer his question. It wasn't something he'd taught yet, but it was something he was curious to see what his students might think. Unfortunately no one had an answer.
"Well students, this looks like an excellent topic to write our research paper on!" The collective sigh spread throughout the classroom like wildfire. "Please collect a handout from my desk before you leave and I'll see you all tomorrow night at 7pm on the roof of the West Tower! Have a good day!"
Neptune shrugged as he grabbed a handout, reading off the list of requirements for their new assignment. The thought of an entire comet of Dust interacting with Remnant and it's moon was amazing, but a five page research essay on a subject he wasn't too familiar with wasn't exactly that great.
"Would you be so kind as to accompany me to the illunanation parade tomorrow night? I've reserved-"
"James… you know I can't leave campus for something as trivial as a festival." Glynda sighed softly as she took inventory of the food and drink available. In less than a week, the students had put a massive dent in their stores, and they were already running dangerously low on potato chips and energy drinks.
"Glynda…" The general gently touched her Scroll, forcing her emerald eyes to look up from the digital screen and meet his own. His voice was soft and soothing, which put caught her off guard. It wasn't often the general showed his softer side, even around her.
"Glynda… you need a break. You've hardly slept in three days... You need to rest. And you used to love stargazing. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event." Ironwood's hand gently caressed her cheek, and she couldn't help but relax at the familiar touch. His words were persuasive, tempting her with an activity she'd enjoyed since she was a little girl. The blonde looked him over for the first time that night, taking in his strong jaw, high cheekbones and sharp eyes. The knot in his tie was impressive, years of practice with dexterous fingers could probably tie the same knot in the dark. But as much as she would like to accompany him just for one night, she knew she had other duties to attend to. She sighed, resignedly and shook her head.
"James… I can't. As much as I would like to… I can't leave the castle for so long. It wouldn't be fair to the students." Every word was sincere, even if she was more conflicted about this decision than nearly any other she'd made in her life. It was hard to say no to someone who knew her so well. To someone who had understood her as intimately as he did.
"I understand… but please, Glynda… get some rest." The general sympathetically stroked the pad of his thumb against the apple of her cheek. He leaned in close, old habits leading him closer to her soft lips-
"James." The professor slipped her Scroll in the thin space between their mouths, blocking him from moving another centimeter.
"My apologies, Glynda." He dusted off his lapels, nodded, and backed away, leaving her to her errands. She waited until he'd left before resuming her work taking inventory, but the thought of the almost-kiss itched at the back mind, distracting her. She'd recounted the cans of ravioli three times before finally deciding to estimate to the closest dozen.
"I think he might be right. I might need a night to relax after all…" Glynda groaned softly and took off her glasses, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms until large, white circles popped into existence behind her lids. Minutes ticked by and all she could do was breathe until she finally came back to her senses.
She looked around the room, doing her best to remember how many cases of soda and boxes of fruit they'd had last week. They were already running dangerously low on bananas, carrots and cans of tuna fish.
"Miss Scarlatina won't be pleased if we run out of carrots before her next away mission," she sighed under her breath. She decided to forgo a small break and got back to taking inventory. Slender fingers slid open her Scroll and she immediately checked off "undersupplied" after glancing at the current supply of bacon.
"I don't even know why I bother to check the bacon," she grumbled to herself as she moved on to the poultry.
"Sorry I'm late, Mr. Vasilias." Glynda closed the distance between herself and her office with a brisk, even pace, her black heels clacking against the floor. Her cape billowed out behind her, catching the wind and making her look strong and powerful.
"No worries, Professor. I just need to give you a head's up though, I need to be at-"
"The West Tower by 7pm sharp," she finished, a tired smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. She swiped herself into her office using her Scroll and held the door open for her student.
"Yeah." Neptune slowly made his way inside the office. It was a bit messier than it had been last week, dozens of papers in messy stacks covering her desk. The trash looked like it hadn't been thrown out all week.
"I apologize for the mess. This week's been a little... hectic." The professor let out an exhausted sigh as she sunk into her chair. She pursed her lips just looking at all the papers that needed grading. Even with Neptune's help, this would be a late night and early morning's worth of work.
"Are you sure you're okay, Professor? I mean… I don't think you're the kind of person who likes being late to anything. Or letting work pile up." Neptune sat in his usual chair, already reaching for the first stack of papers.
"Your concern is appreciated Mr. Vasilias-"
"Neptune," he reminded her. He liked the way his name rung through small room whenever she said it. The gentle lilt in her voice made him smile whenever she referred to him with the smallest ounce of informality. It made him feel special, as if his presence was helpful to her.
"Neptune… I've just been a little overworked is all." She studied him as he turned over the papers in his gloved hands, his deep blue eyes scanning over answers as if he'd had years of experience. He had a habit of only marking wrong answers, which saved time, but the seasoned professor had learned that marking correct answers could help with a student's self esteem when needed the most.
"This isn't a C. This is twelve wrong answers. Shoot for only ten on the next exam and you'll get a B, I promise." That same student had then gone on to be valedictorian of her graduating class and one of the most well known Huntresses in Vale.
"Professor-"
"Glynda," she reminded him curtly as she reached for her own stack of papers. She had work to do and Neptune's sentiments weren't exactly helping her. She looked up, surprised as his hand came down to gently touch her wrist.
"Glynda…? Maybe you should rest for a bit? At least until I leave for the illunanation. You're more efficient at working with at least an hour of sleep, right?" Neptune tried his hardest to appeal to her. In the short time that he'd known her, he'd become acutely aware of how much of a workaholic she was. At the very least, sleeping would help her work more.
Glynda was pulled back into the previous night, remembering the General's gentle command to get some more rest. It seemed more genuine coming from a student, especially a student as respectable as Neptune. And work would be getting done during her reprieve. She considered his words for a long while, her mind weighing the pros and cons of getting an hour of rest. She looked down at the first paper on the stack, Neptune's name written in script that was already becoming familiar to her. Every answer he'd circled was correct. Every single one… Slowly, she looked back up from the paper and met his pleading gaze. As if he were all but begging.
"Wake me up as soon as you're ready to leave, Neptune," she sighed resignedly.
"Thanks, Prof- uh, Glynda! I promise you won't regret this." Neptune shot her a quick smile, one he only reserved for special occasions before getting back to work.
"Thank you, Mr. Vasilias," she whispered under her breath. She removed her glasses, leaving them on the polished, oak desk, leaned back into her chair and shut her eyes. Listening to Neptune's gentle breathing and the soft scribble of pen on paper, she wasn't exactly sure when she'd finally fallen asleep.