Golden Thorns: Chapter Seven

The morning after the events of the Emerald forest Coran awoke in his dorm room. It took him five minutes to unpack his small hold-all. Clothes hung up, clips in draw and tooth brush in a cup by the sink in the en suite bathroom. These rooms were disgustingly comfortable and it showed. He had unpacked, showered, and gotten dressed and his team was still asleep.

Johanna Umbra; lying on her front, bright spikey hair sticking out at odd angles. Devlyn Lazarus; curled up on top of his sheets, tail tucked along his side and arms under his head. And then there was Marie d'Or, the foreign girl with the honey coloured hair, asleep on her side, a slight smile on her face. His team, and they were his team, "team SOUL lead by Coran Silverthorne", was a responsibility than he most definitely did not want or need. And yet Ozpin saw fit to place them under his command.

He watched his team sleep for another minute, then decided to go and get breakfast. As he was walking down the corridors he heard students talking about a new team of kids. Of course rumours spread fast in closed communities. Most people would have heard the story of the nevermore and the girl in the red cloak. Coran new the story better than most. He had been watching.

He and his team, he was stuck with them now, had been looking for the way back up beacon cliff when they had watched as the eight kids had managed to destroy the ancient temple and kill the two mighty Grimm. Even Coran had to admit that it was damn impressive.

Classes started today. 9 o'clock sharp. He looked at a clock mounted high on the wall. Eight thirty. Plenty of time. Wait, no. No ticking. He was probably late. He set off at a run, and ran straight into Johanna.

"Where were you, Coran? We have been looking for ages"

"You were all still asleep so I went for a walk,"

"And didn't leave a note or anything? We were worried about you."

"Why, we're in the middle of a school where the teachers are trained fighters."

"Still."

"Fine, I'll let you know when I next want to leave your sight."

"Wow, talk about wrong side of the bed, what's up?"

"Classes, let's not be late."

"But it's only eight thirty."

"Clocks broken."

She stood on tiptoe, listened at the clock and turned around. "So it is. Shall we?"

He nodded and they both hurried to their first class. Grimmonology with one Professor Port.

It was a full class with each desk occupied. Not just by anyone either. Two rows in front of him, sitting ramrod straight was ickle miss perfect. Coran was contented by the fact that he had got to class a good ten minutes before her team. It lifted his spirits to see her burst in one minute before the lesson began, panting and apologising. Not so perfect after all then. She had then proceeded to volunteer to fight a Boarbatusk. After that the lesson was over and she stormed off in a huff. All in all, Coran's first day had been very entertaining.

"What's so funny, that girl could have died." Said Jo

"Remember what I said this morning. School full of hunters and huntresses. She'd have been fine."

"Seriously though, what if she had been hurt at least."

"Then she would have been hurt."

"That's dark, dude."

"Look, the instant she got a scratch she'd have had a team of docs on her"

They arrived back at the dorm room at the same time as Marie and Devlyn who had just come back from "history with Professor Oobleck, right."

"Yeah, he's a strange one," Dev hissed, "obsessed with his coffee."

"I don't know about you all, but I am very tired," Marie said with a yawn, "I am going to bed.

"Good idea," Coran said. He had a lot to think about.