Not That Original
============================================== Chapter 2He dragged the man back to where the bar owner was. "Leave him there." The bar owner said, jumping over the counter with a club. "You did alright. But you better have something more than that, because those were just some untrained thugs… but I guess a deal is a deal, and I'm a man of my word. The interview will be tomorrow at six P.M. Don't be late."
It was absolutely clear, that Addison didn't have what it took to be a huntsman. He knew it, the entirety of Beacon probably knew it too. But the best piece of evidence to this case was the fact that Cardin Winchester was capable of easily pushing him back with barely any effort.
The idea was to not reveal too many cursed techniques because it put him at a disadvantage. Revealing cleave wasn't much of an issue, especially since it's hard to counter, there isn't exactly how to stop something that adapts completely to one's durability. Idle Transfiguration had an easy counter, and it was long-range attacks and until cloning could be used reliably in combat – in other words when Addison himself was good in combat – it was safer not to utilize it. Contractual reconstruction would be the safest one to utilize, however. Addison suffered a problem. A lack of finances.
As such, the only method he had of attacking at the moment was through his Katana. Unfortunately for him, said Katana had shattered during the beacon initiation exam. The weapon's teacher – Harold Mulberry told him it was not fixable, and that it was better to get a new one ("This looks more like glass than steel!").
That led to the predicament Addison found himself in. He was fighting Cardin, weaponless and with no cursed techniques. The result?
He couldn't land a single hit on him.
Addison dashed back as Cardin swung his mace. It was a rational decision, but not the best. Cardin's mace struck the ground and sent a shockwave in a linear path. A wave of flames struck him and sent him back to the end of the ring. Addison coughed and stood up.
Addison's prediction for this fight was quite different. From what he'd done in the emerald forest, it seemed rational to think he would be able to land attacks against Cardin, but he felt much slower than he did back then. Addison saw Cardin grin. Cardin's mace rested on his shoulders as he cheerfully walked toward Addison.
Addison thought of why that was the case and could only think of one answer. He wasn't in a state that was near death. When in a state of near death, humans gain a heightened sense of awareness, including cursed energy, increasing their total output.
Seeing as Addison was bleeding out and riddled with wounds from his battle with the creatures of Grim, it was natural to assume that his body's senses heightened allowing for a higher output of cursed energy. Cardin took his Mace off his shoulder and reeled it back like a baseball bat.
This was nothing like the fight the day prior in the bar with the thugs. Cardin had experience fighting, he had excellent distance control. Both utilized blunt weapons, but Cardin, though having a very showy fighting style, still had more knowledge about fighting than them. His attacks were fast and strong and he knew when to back out in time.
He stood up and tried thinking about his next move. Cardin was aiming with an overhead swing, it was a clear swing, Addison saw a slight twitch on Cardin's shoulder, it was likely he could switch his swing mid-way, it was also possible that he could create a shockwave that surrounds him, hitting Addison. He took too long thinking, Cardin swung and he could barely get out of the way before a shockwave pushed him back against the wall again. Cardin took the opportunity to bring the mace up and hit Addison on the forearm.
He was sent sliding across the arena.
Addison got close to punching Cardin utilizing a cursed energy strike, but if he took one step forward, Cardin took one step back, and with superior range, he swung his mace and hit Addison's hand, and got close. Addison didn't have time to jump back, he fell victim to Cardin's fist.
Addison fell back and got up, but Cardin didn't give him the chance, he kicked Addison. Addison thought of his options, he had less experience, less reach, and less speed and power. He rose his hands, "I give up." Cardin did not stop his swing, hitting Addison on the stomach and sending him tumbling through the arena.
"Very well." Professor Goodwitch, the blond woman that was almost always next to Ozpin. She walked into the stage and stood in front of Cardin, preventing him from charging at Addison again. It was rather inefficient if she stepped after he got hit.
Addison stood up and dusted himself. His stomach hurt. He felt out of air. Still, he walked toward the observation stands.
"Mr. Asher. I expected more from you after witnessing your success in the emerald forest. I must say I am disappointed with your performance." Addison turned his head to stare at her, she had her eyes knit. He understood exactly what was happening.
Addison's abilities made him a beacon for grim. His backstory was most likely sketchy and he was capable of detecting grim, he probably earned the distrust of a lot of the faculty. Those capable of critical thinking either waited for him to make a move and what professor Goodwitch intended. Which was to discourage him from becoming a huntsman. It didn't particularly matter, in fact, having eyes specifically on him could be a good thing.
That made rational sense to Addison.
He sat down on the seat closest to the exit. He put both arms in front of him and stared down at professor Goodwitch.
"Kind of strange right?" Yang sat next to him and leaned back on her seat, "They changed our timetables at the last second…" Addison searched his pocket and took out a folded piece of paper. He opened it and saw the "new" timetable Yang was speaking of – the truth of the matter was that Addison didn't get the previous timetable. This was the only copy he got.
Most of the classes were supernatural and unheard of in his previous world. He looked at his list of classes.
Grim studies (Prof. Port)
Weapon Craftsmanship (Prof. Mulberry)
Stealth and Security (Prof. Greene)
Combat Studies(Prof. Goodwitch)
History (Prof. Oobleck)
Plant Science (Prof. Peach)
Yang was correct, most of the classes in the timetable were Combat Studies. It took up at least one-third of their timetable. To Addison it made sense, a huntsman is supposed to always be prepared for combat. They act as handymen that do several different jobs, but ultimately they must be prepared to fight at all times. They fight Grim and outlaws all the time.
Police officers in this world had to double as detectives because otherwise, they would be obsolete. Huntsmen were dispatched to deal with criminals and outlaws. Sometimes there were even investigation missions. To rub salt in the wound, they were paid by both their employers and the government, meaning police officers would never get as much money for the same job.
"How come you didn't use your curse?" Ruby came closer to where Addison was and sat on the seat on his other side. Addison looked at her, her eyes were huge. "Cleave. The one you used on the Nevermore back in the emerald forest"
[Because he CAN'T!]
The faceless man's laughter echoed in his mind. Addison leaned back, "If I had used that curse," which admittedly he couldn't, "Cardin would be dead. Cleave is an exclusively lethal cursed technique." Addison looked at Cardin. He was sitting on the opposite side of the arena, grinning while chatting with the members of his team.
"... oh…" Ruby fidgeted, twirling her thumbs, "now that you mention it, you did say it adapts to its opponent's durability…"
"Revealing one of your curses that easily isn't the greatest idea. I would advise against it." Weiss sat behind Addison. Blake was nearby as well, she was behind Yang, sitting down, staring at him from the corner of her eye. There was a glint of cautiousness in her stare.
"There is no point telling me that." Addison kept looking forward, staring at Joan fight one of Cardin's team members. Addison would say they were around the same level in terms of combat proficiency. Joan's body was more fragile, he had less stamina, and he was weaker, however, skill-wise, they were about the same.
"Excuse me? I'm trying to help you!" Weiss' irritation went past one ear and out the other. Addison turned to look at her and sighed. He would continue to reveal his cursed technique so that he could get an increase in power and efficiency with his cursed technique. "You should take my advice! Clearly, you are in need of it! What possible reason could you have for wanting to reveal your semblance's ability anyway?!"
"I will continue to do it. I benefit from doing it" Addison answered.
"... That makes zero sense… why would you even do it?" Turning his head to look at the white-haired girl, Addison wondered if he should tell her. What were the advantages? If they were in combat together, they would be able to buy time while he explained more complex techniques. The disadvantages? The same, they would be able to try to interrupt him, but really, stopping someone from speaking is hard.
"There is something called a cursed restriction." Addison started, all four of them seemed interested, they leaned toward Addison. "One of the most common is called revealing one's hand. By revealing the rules of your cursed technique you can increase its effectiveness."
"So that's why you were blabbering about your semblance, but say, you called them cursed techniques right? What exactly are they? Are they a subset of skills like my glyphs? How many do you have?"
Addison wondered whether he should answer Weiss' question. He opened his mouth to tell her he wouldn't say but was beaten to the punch.
"You don't have to tell anyone anything. You have quite a unique semblance," Blake noted, "the more you talk about it, the more disadvantageous it is for you. Sometimes keeping cards close to one's chest is for the best." Addison nodded and rose an eyebrow.
"C'mon Blake! Don't be such a spoilsport! Hiding won't do any good in the Vytal festival that's gonna happen soon enough." Weiss crossed her arms. Addison tried to pay attention to the fight happening below. Joan was beaten down by Cardin's team member and dragged his feet back to the audience stand, he sat next to Pyra who consoled him.
"Hearing that from someone that takes down personal decoration and puts up Beacon's is ironic and sad simultaneously." Blake opened a book, from the cover, it looked fairly complex.
"Hey! What's wrong with Beacon decoration?!" Weiss' voice increased, Addison couldn't really understand why decorating one's room was really that important, it was money wasted to make your room look different.
"Don't you have something less academic?"
"Blake… you have a bookstand…"
"Nothing compared to your file cabinet"
"It's where I keep my binders!"
"... I could see Weiss putting a periodic table poster above her bed." Yang grinned at her comment before continuing, "or maybe not, it might not be her element"
"Ugh…" Blake, Ruby, and Weiss groaned simultaneously, an impressive display of synchrony.
"Whatever, what's important is that you have to keep yourself in your respective areas of mastered effect." Weiss smiled and crossed her arms, "Cardin had better reach and experience with his weapon, so he kept you where he could safely attack without having to fear a counterattack." Weiss was a fencer, and knowing distance was one of the cores of swordsmanship. Addison made sure to nod.
The class ended and everyone slowly left the class to go to their next. Addison stayed behind, he calmly walked downstairs and met with the professor before she left through one of the small walkways leading out of the stadium.
She walked with her scroll – a holographic smartphone – in hand, staring at it. She stopped right before bumping into Addison and looked up from the screen. "Mr. Asher, do you have any questions?"
"I have noticed that in comparison to the other students, my combat skills are lacking." Addison needed to get better if he wanted to survive. It was clear that one day he would get a quest that involved fighting someone else, and at his current level he would lose and most likely die.
"Quite lacking, yes. In fact, it was surprising that you managed to pass the initiation at all. At your current level, I would say even the least trained huntsmen could defeat you. Then again, fighting a human being and a mindless monster are two different things " Professor Goodwitch's assessment was correct.
"I was wondering if you could aid me." the professor's eyes widened, and they gained a glint to them.
"Do you wish to improve your combat skills?" She pushed her glasses up and looked at the screen in her scroll. "Meet me here at twelve-fifteen."
Beacon academy ended mid-day, and at twelve, most of the student's time was spent actually doing assignments or practical cases. There were also a lot of different extracurriculars one could be a part of.
"I have something to do at Six, so I will not be able to stay after five in the afternoon." Addison still had to go to the interview that afternoon.
Glynda Goodwitch was many things. Cruel was not one of them. That is until she found out about Addison Asher's unique condition. She had called Ozpin crazy, she insulted and reprimanded his decision thoroughly when she first heard about it, calling him foolish and mad. Furthermore, the footage and recordings from the emerald forest proved the child was also a beacon for grim.
The child could not become a huntsman, he had the two biggest disadvantages she had ever seen. The incapability of utilizing aura meant he couldn't enhance his body's prowess like huntsmen could, it meant he couldn't protect himself from potentially lethal attacks. As if that wasn't enough, he was born with a semblance that naturally made him a desirable target for grim. He couldn't run away from them even if he wanted to.
That's why, when she saw his dull, uncaring eyes, she understood. That child had gone through a lot. It was clear that he didn't build any connections, he build walls around himself and shut himself from any social interactions for a reason. Being close to other people meant those people were in constant danger.
His strength was applaudable for not utilizing aura, but ultimately he fell short.
Glynda watched as his hand was parried, destroying any defense might have had. Mr . Winchester had good control of distance, it wasn't anything stellar by any means, but his strength and aura made up for his lack of skill… for now.
Glynda made sure to put Mr. Asher against Mr. Winchester first to give her students a demonstration of the importance of distance control, and to demonstrate that the unexpected can happen in a fight. Mr. Winchester was the safest option to fight against, he was one of the few people who utilized blunt weapons and had a larger reach. No one but Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos seemed to be paying close attention to the fight.
Mr. Asher rose both his hands and gave up. Glynda respected that, it was the most rational decision for that specific scenario. The headmistress side of her was glad Mr. Asher didn't get hurt, but her combat class teacher side was screaming at him for throwing the fight before trying a new strategy.
She watched him walk back into the audience seats and then chose another student in need of more training. Jaune Arc and Dove Bronzewing. Both were swordsmen and she hoped Mr. Arc would see the flaws in his own fighting by clashing blades… however, he was reckless, didn't capitalize on enemy openings, and forgot to protect his own.
Introductions to the course took most of the training time and put them behind schedule. She should have predicted that students like Mr. Winchester existed and would set her class back with crude and out-of-place remarks. She opened her scroll and walked toward the exit while staring at it. She had to find a way to teach them and have them practice more efficiently, having them form pairs seemed like the best option, but Mr. Asher would be left singled out, and he needed training most of all.
Glynda saw someone approach her from the corner of her sight. White shirt with a golden button with a black swirl pattern, messy black hair, and dull and lifeless crimson eyes. Mr. Asher stared at her. He was tall for a sixteen-year-old, roughly five centimeters shorter than her, sitting at around 190 cm. What did he want from her? Was he there to complain about the pairing? Surely not.
"I have noticed that in comparison to the other students, my combat skills are lacking." he started the conversation. Glynda nodded, it was good he was aware of this weakness. A lot of trainee huntsmen ignore their weaknesses because of their arrogance, knowing something is wrong is the first step in fixing it.
She told him her opinion on the matter. His physical prowess was something incredible, but it was clear he was not used to battling other people. She made sure to remind him of that, having him be conscious of his faults was important after all. Still, she wasn't expecting him to react, she expected him to turn around, leave and ask her to not choose him in class anymore.
"I was wondering if you could aid me." Glynda had to contain her shock, usually, students ignore her advice. She had to make sure she wasn't mishearing anything.
"Do you wish to improve your combat skills?" She pushed her glasses up and looked at the screen in her scroll. It was full of meetings with different teachers, she pushed some meetings up in her timetable. It was obvious that aiding Mr. Asher with this problem took precedence. This had to be the first time a student directly asked for her guidance. Usually, they would ask each other or upperclassmen. "Meet me at the end of class here."
"I have something to do at Six, so I will not be able to stay after five in the afternoon." Glynda's eyes widened as he gave a court nod and left. He was willing to train for over five hours.
Quickly, she headed to her first meeting. While walking to her meeting with Ozpin, she watched recordings of his fight against Cardin, she spotted a lot he could improve on just in the first few seconds. There was something odd about his fighting, his fighting speed and strength did not match his durability. He had the agility and power of an auraless civilian, but his durability was that of a novice hunter with aura active. Glynda pushed her glasses up.
She reached the elevator and went inside. The doors closed and she pressed the very last floor. While the elevator traveled up, she made sure to make quick notes on her scroll about things to discuss.
The elevator doors opened, revealing a room she'd been to too many times. Gears turned above and below as the large windows on the back allowed rays of sunshine to light the oval room. There was nothing in the room other than a small wooden desk Ozpin sat in, drinking from his favorite mug of coffee brewed by professor Oobleck.
"You are a little late today." He set his mug down and crossed his fingers in front of himself.
"Sorry for the delay, a student asked questions." Glynea thought arriving late was one of the worst things you could do to someone. She gave a court nod.
"This is interesting, I have never seen you arrive late." Her cheeks felt a little warmer, and that feeling of embarrassment faded once she realized Ozpin was just joking, he grinned in his usual cryptic way, "So, what did you think of the new students this year?"
Glynda narrowed her eyes and looked at her scroll. 's very inadequate fighting style came into the screen, she swiped to her left and looked at the next exhibit of trainees that were not ready, Jaune Arc. "They are not ready. I think we should be decreasing the number of breaks for those two in particular."
"Oh? What happened to the talk about favoritism? Wasn't it you who argued a balanced schedule was needed for them to learn more efficiently?"
"Ozpin, you knew exactly that those two were not ready… you changed the schedule to increase fights purposefully." Glynda pushed her glasses and narrowed her eyes. The most annoying part of working with someone as cryptic as Ozpin was that he never truly answered your questions directly.
"Did I?" Ozpin's grin grew. "So, what is this meeting about?"
"It was going to be about the second years and delaying their missions, but now I have more pressing concerns, and they are ready – team CVFY in specific have shown incredible results in their practical exams" Glynda swiped left and saw the four members of the team. Their training tapes displayed just why they were one of the top students of the second year.
"Well, we've had several students drop out this year, maybe we should lessen the criteria of success?" Ozpin put his mug toward his mouth and sipped it, "Or perhaps we double down and make the final practical exam earlier so they can have a longer break."
Glynda sighed, this always happened. Whenever Ozpin didn't want to discuss something, he would bring attention to something equally pressing, she was aware he would try this today as well. "Making the criteria for success lower would only harm their chances of survival in the field after they leave beacon." Ozpin opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to the punch, "But regarding these first years. Some of them don't even have practical combat skills." Glynda put her scroll on Ozpin's desk.
A small hologram of a schedule appeared. "I have prepared another schedule. This time for an extracurricular activity that starts at twelve fifteen and ends at fifteen-thirty." Ozpin raised an eyebrow.
"Who would super–"
"I would be the supervisor. The staff is already overworked and I happen to have these three hours free on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday." Glynda knew Ozpin would bring up the fact all other teachers were busy during that time period, and that they worked hard enough. But if Glynda volunteered there would be no problems. "I plan on maybe asking for the help of second years as well. It'll count as extra credit, voluntary work and hopefully help them with combat as well."
"I am impressed, did you come up with this on your way here?" Ozpin's grin became apparent as he set down his mug. "Quite interesting." Glynda's eyes widened when he nodded in appreciation with his know-it-all grin.
"... you planned for this…" Glynda narrowed her eyes.
"Me? I have no clue of what you are speaking of." Ozpin replied, "I merely brought attention to an issue, changed the schedule, and had you teach combat class. I had no say in anything else."
Glynda came back to Mr. Asher in the combat arena, he sat down inside on the edges. It was clear he'd been waiting for a while. Glynda stared at the clock, knitting her eyebrows. As she thought, it wasn't that late, she was on time. "It is time to begin. Are you ready, Mr. Asher?"
He nodded and got up. He didn't bother to remove the dust off his pants. She took out her weapon, the disciplinarian. It was a thin riding crop that could become compact. Mr. Asher had a lot of room to improve, but the first thing they ought to do was address the initial issue.
"Mr. Asher, have you never taken combat classes before?" He nodded. Glynda thought this might have been the case, he was untrained. "I am going to assume the only class you did was grim slaying? Maybe the basics of grim studies?"
"No, I was never taught anything of the sort."
Glynda pushed her glasses up. How Mr. Asher managed to pass the entrance exams was beyond her. Her guess was he got a spectacular theoretical grade and then barely passed the physical.
"Very well. What is your preferred method of combat? In the Emerald Forest, it seemed to be a Katana, is that always the case?" Most alternated with a long-range weapon to keep themselves safe from a distance. Mr. Asher's lack of one had Glynda shaking in worry as he got seriously injured in the forest, she thought the difficulty she set was far too much. It was an extremely reckless and thoughtless act. Now that she knew he hadn't taken any combat or grim studies classes she was sure it wasn't her fault.
"Yeah, I guess." His emotionless tone irked her. It was like he didn't particularly care about being there, even though he was the one who asked her for advice. Regardless, he asked for advice, and Glynda Goodwitch would make good on her promise, whether he wanted to sign up for the club she was planning or not was up to him. She slapped the shaft of her riding crop on her hand.
"Regardless, it is best to start hand-to-hand before moving to weapons." She swung her weapon and utilized her semblance, telekinesis. A pink glow surrounded Mr. Asher. Glynda used her semblance to control his body like a puppet. His lack of resistance was worrying, but for now she ignored it. She made him go on a basic kickboxing stance. Both feet were planted on the ground, facing forward with the weight on the center, and the hands were raised, covering his chin. His knees were ever-so-slightly bent.
"I noticed that in your fight against Mr. Winchester, your basic knowledge of fighting is scrambled." Glynda used her telekinesis and made him throw a punch. His hip turned and he extended his arm, still keeping the chin covered with his other hand. "We will do ten of these on each side with my semblance and then do the same without." Mr. Asher wasn't responsive, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It was easiest to move his body with telekinesis if he didn't resist.
Letting go of the telekinesis Glynda saw his posture worsen slightly. She knit her eyebrows. It was expected that his posture would change, after all, he wasn't used to fighting and this was most likely his first fighting lesson. But still, it was far too good. Most of the stance was the same with only some improvements needed here and there. His punches were slow and he didn't use as much of his hip as he could have, but it was impressive regardless.
"You have a knack for this," Glynda told him. She grabbed her crop and tapped his legs, "Bend your knees, you need to be able to hop around and raise them for defense." Mr. Asher did as asked, she put her weapon under his elbow and pushed it up, "put your arms a little higher, if someone hits your chin it is over." Mr. Asher complied with any change she asked him to make and didn't have any resistance.
"Good, now let us spar."
Addison walked into the club before. He heard people whisper and saw them signal to him. He walked straight to the bar of the club. The tall bearded man from before wasn't there. Instead, two girls shorter than him tended to it. They looked at him and rose an eyebrow in sync. They seemed to be twins.
Both wore dresses. The one on the right had a red dress with black accents. On her waist was a black ribbon tied to a bow. She had red eyeshadow and bright green eyes. Meanwhile, the other twin had teal eyeliner and a white dress whose edges seemed to be tinged blue.
"..." They looked at him up and down and then leaned to each other, "Is this the guy Melanie?" the red-dressed twin asked.
"Yeah, I think so. He's dressed like what Junior described Miltia." The white-dressed girl added. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "You sure you wanna go into the interview looking like that?"
"Yes," Addison answered. The red-dressed girl, Miltia nodded her head sideways and walked toward the back of the club. Addison followed closely. They opened a door on the back, on the other side was a lavish room full of expensive-looking furniture. Everything had a white, black, and red theme that blended together. Red seats, white carpets, and black frames and desks.
The bar-man from previously sat in one of the red seats with his legs crossed. He stared at the desk below with a frown on his face. He had red spectacles on with white paw marks on the side of its black frames. Addison sat down opposite him and looked at the papers on the desk. It was hard to read it, but it seemed like a letter.
"Bad news, more bad news." He slammed his hand on the desk and stood up, "tell that rat Torchwick that if he doesn't bring back my men that I will not supply him with information any longer!" He finally took his face from the paper. His frown calmed as he stared at Addison's face. When he realized Addison was there, he rose an eyebrow, "Holy… you look like you've been through a war. Presentable outfits aside..." He looked at his wrist and gently pulled his suit's sleeve, showing a silvery watch.
"You are just in time I guess." He dropped himself exhaustively, on the seat and untightened his tie "I'll interview you now. For the record, all of this will be recorded, if you don't like that just leave." He pulled a small remote from his pocket, it was paw-shaped and had red buttons. He pressed one of them and sighed, "My name is Hei "Junior" Xiong, most just call me Junior. I will be interviewing you for this job. So, why do you want a job?"
"I need money."
"... why not any other place?" Junior, his name apparently, was very confident and carried himself with assurance. His back was straight and he looked relaxed, resting his arms on the seat's armrests.
"I tried every other place in the region. You are the only person who was willing to pay me." Junior nodded.
"If money is involved, would you go elsewhere?"
"I'll choose the place that pays the most for my job and gives me the most advantages."
"Why?"
He needed to buy a lot of spa receipts to utilize his cursed technique effectively, that's all it really boiled down to. "My semblance requires buying things"
"Owch, bad luck. So, have you worked before?"
"No, where I come from it'd be considered child labor unless it's out-of-school hours and only part-time is allowed."
"You are a beacon student. What reassurance do I have that you will not tell the feds?" Junior rose an eyebrow, he remained in the same position as before.
"You getting arrested means I don't have a job."
"Maybe you are faking that as well. Beacon is a surprisingly exceptional academy, the entrance fee is expensive… unless of course, you had a scholarship."
Addison didn't know if he had a scholarship, but he was also not paying for anything, he didn't have a bank account or money after all. If he did, he didn't know how to access it, he wasn't placed into the world with any items other than his card and clothes.
"What is the benefit of coming here undercover?" Addison wondered, was Junior a well-established criminal? Someone everyone knew was one, but there was no evidence to pin him down?
"Putting me in prison for money." Addison could see the logic in that, he wasn't an undercover police officer. The question now was how he could convince Junior of that if there was any way. "I don't really get that vibe from you though. Well, whatever works, works." Addison couldn't understand what he meant by "vibe". Basing one's decision on gut instincts only seemed irrational and bad for business in the long run.
Junior leaned back and looked at Addison with a calm expression on his face, "Now… which job should I put you in?" Junior put a hand on his chin and brushed his beard with the tip of his fingers like he was thinking for a long time about the decision.
"Whatever pays the most for a starting employee," Addison suggested. He didn't have the credentials for anything complex and advanced, so anything good for starting employees was perfect. The idea was to get enough money to buy useful items and make his cursed technique more useful.
Junior inspected Addison's face, staring into his eyes. He put his right hand on the armrest of the seat and tapped his finger on it. "I guess you look alright. You'll start as a waiter. Your salary depends completely on your tips, great for starting." Junior leaned forward, "you don't look like the type to smile a lot." Junior's lips curled up into a smile and pointed at it, "you'll have to learn how to smile even if you don't mean it." He pointed to the corners of his mouth next.
Addison rose an eyebrow and tried the same. Junior leaned back and furrowed his eyebrows like what he looked at was the most displeasing thing he'd seen throughout the day. "Ugh… that looks… well it's a start… I can see you'll definitely need the training." He stood up and walked toward the corner of the room and took a small USB-esk item. "Pull out your scroll."
"Scroll?" Addison rose an eyebrow. It sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember what it was.
"... You don't have a scroll?" Junior looked baffled like it was next to impossible to not know what it was "Who doesn't have a scroll these days? I'm pretty sure my three-year-old niece has one…" through comparisons only, Addison could guess what it was, it was equivalent to a smartphone.
"I don't have the money to buy a Scroll," Addison explained. Junior put a hand over his face. He sighed and then rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I want the job because I have no money."
"Fine. Wait there. I'll be back in a second." He walked off outside the room. Addison could hear a mechanical sound right outside the room. The sound would cut off, then start again, several times.
The door opened and Junior came back with a bundle of papers. He dropped them on the table in front of Addison. "Before going to sleep, or in your free time, or whenever you can. Look at the images, then at a mirror, and try replicating the smile. Do it until you can smile like a human being. I'll let you work here when you're able to do so. Come back next week and show me your improvement… and try not to come to work looking like that. It looks like five people jumped you. Oh! And buy yourself a scroll with your first paycheck! I think you can get second-hand ones for pretty cheap."
Addison was dismissed and walked his way back to Beacon. Walking through the vast empty halls, Addison looked at the images Junior gave to him. Several men smiling, they had different expressions. Some had their eyes crinkle with their lips curled, while others didn't. Some seemed more genuine than others.
Addison made sure to stare at the image intensely while moving back to his dorm. He was sleeping in a dorm by himself. There was room for four, but only he stayed there, so obviously he had all the beds removed. There was a decent amount of space there now.
He looked in the mirror and tried curling his lips up. It looked kind of artificial, and awkward in comparison to those in the image. He looked at the image again and tried imitating what they were doing once again. He looked in the mirror, smile certainly looked more natural than before. Once again, and again he practiced his fake smile.
It wasn't hard to get a grasp on how it worked. All he had to do was look at the image in front of him and imitate it while looking at a mirror. Visual references made learning really easy. After practicing, he went to bed.
The following day, Addison was woken by yelling a loud whistle coming from a dorm nearby. He got out of bed and put on his uniform. It was very average uniform-wise. It was formal, with a button-up white collared shirt, a blue vest, a black blazer, black formal pants, and shoes. He walked to class and sat through professor Port's lesson.
Professor Port spent his whole time speaking of stories of the past. Addison didn't understand how that could possibly be used practically, he didn't bother paying attention. His mind kept floating back to the combat training he had with professor Goodwitch.
He could imitate the form she showed him well enough, but it still felt different from how he did it while she controlled his body. During Port's lesson, he asked for someone to go in front to kill a Grim. Weiss volunteered and fought it. Addison couldn't understand what she did wrong, or if it was correct or not. All he could see was that her fighting style was flashy. She jumped around a lot, and although it probably worked with her semblance, Addison couldn't see himself, or envision himself fighting like that.
He looked at his hand and closed it. It was a weird feeling. He wasn't exactly what it was, but when he put his attention to it, it fled and disappeared.
The following class was history and the last one was combat. He changed his clothes to the ones the faceless man had spawned him with. It was exactly like Yuta's uniform in jujutsu kaizen.
He sat on the closest seat in the front and looked down at the match proposed by the professor. Yang Xiao Long versus one of Cardin's team members. Dove Bronzewing used a sword with both hands. Addison stared at the fight with narrowed eyes, Yang was a close-carters fighter that used gauntlet weapons.
Addison looked around at the small arena, Professor Goodwith was staring at him. She looked back at the participants as they appeared, and then glanced back at Addison, as if to say pay attention, this one is important for you.
Addison looked closer at Yang's fighting stance. It was similar to what professor Goodwitch was trying to teach him. Her arms were lower than his, barely covering her chin at all. She closed in on her opponent carefully, and when she entered in a range of his sword, he swung and she wound a punch. It felt slow, but she immediately sped it up.
Yang kept moving forward, using her gauntlet on the hand that was still in front of her chin to block the sword and have it slide on it, protecting her from danger. She threw her punch, but the boy jumped back.
Aura reinforcement allowed them to make movements that should be impossible. That jump came from a position where he should have no strength or power, and yet he jumped at least twice his height in length.
Yang moved forward again, cautiously, waiting for the sword. The boy swung again, however this time he moved forward with the swing.
Yang blocked it once again. The boy was sent flying backward with a hand on his stomach. Addison narrowed his eyes and looked at Yang.
"A kick," he whispered as Yang lowered her leg. She walked toward Dove and kept her guard up. Dove moved back and she immediately punched forward, the sound of a gunshot rang through the arena. Her gauntlets doubled as guns. She stayed close to the enemy, not letting him get enough space to have a complete swing of his sword, in-boxing was the name of the style used if Addison recalled.
She was swift with her attacks, aiming for the body but not being afraid of striking at the calf or above the thigh. The enemy was slowly losing aura. Yang was hit several times by strikes coming from the enemy pommel, but she was never struck in a vital area, she weaved and pulled back to lessen the danger, and then would instantly dash back in, not giving the enemy any breathing room.
It was vastly different from how Addison went about his fight against Cardin the previous day. He made sure to pay close attention to her feet, her stance, according to Professor Goodwitch's standards was too stiff, she had her knees bent too little.
Addison tried playing a scenario in his mind where he was fighting Dove, he hadn't shown his semblance yet or used dust, Addison tried to factor them in his simulation, but in the end, there was too much information to accurately do anything in his head. He watched as Yang slowly drained the enemy of their aura and left them on the ground while punching upward.
"Whoo! Flawless victory!" she said like a Mortal Kombat announcer.
"Far from it Ms. Xiao Long, your stance is far too stiff when it comes to your feet and you received many strikes that could have been avoided if you paid more attention to defense. Regardless, that was a good fight." Goodwitch looked at Addison as she explained and Addison nodded.
"Mr. Asher, could you please come down and face Mr. Arc." Addison nodded and headed for the locker to prepare himself.