Chapter Six: The Impartial and the Impasse.
Pyrrha couldn't really focus during that lesson. As an aspiring huntress, she wanted to learn any useful information… even the mundane things like biology. Plant sciences were often forgotten about by most students, but it was still a very useful thing to know because many huntsmen and huntresses will be spending a large amount of time in the wilderness. Understanding which plants are edible, which are poisonous, and which have medicinal properties are extremely useful to know in a survival situation. However, the girl just couldn't bring herself to concentrate. Any time she managed to get a hold of herself, the question resurfaced in her head: 'Is Neo alright?'
Pyrrha knew that she, herself, wouldn't be fine if she woke up and couldn't recall what happened to her yesterday. Or remember anything at all for that matter. She'd periodically glance at her and noticed that she seemed adequate. A little lifeless, perhaps, but it looked like she was taking her education seriously. She was paying attention and taking notes like a model student in-the-making. It made her wonder who Neo actually was. Like, she was a petite, parasol-wielding, mute strategic genius who suffered with amnesia and had heterochromia. She probably had no place to call home and, if she did, she wouldn't know where that was. Did she have family looking for her? Just that thought alone made her pity the poor girl and thank the heavens above that she had happened to bump into Neo earlier. If she hadn't, Neo would probably have had to resort to sleeping on the streets of Vale.
In the meantime, Neo was actually somewhat interested in the lesson, but she was still using her semblance to cover up her slouching and occasional glances at her fellow students. She'd noticed that Pyrrha was looking at her with an uneasy look on her face but wasn't sure what to make of it. Was it possible that she was worried for her? Maybe she shouldn't have told her the fact that she was currently without memories. Then again, she did owe the girl, and she didn't tell her everything. How could she? Imagine going up to someone and explaining how they die and the consequent impact their death had on the world as a whole. Pyrrha'd think she was a looney. Or a psycho. Admittedly…they wouldn't be entirely wrong with that second assessment. Neo was already well aware that she didn't have the greatest sense of empathy. Or morals. Not to say that she wasn't trying to improve but…that sorta thing isn't something you learn in school. It made her wonder who she was in her past life. Maybe she was some kind of sociopath? Or a criminal? Or maybe her sense of sympathy was lost in translation along with her memories. As much as she didn't want to admit it, the second option seemed the most likely. She had a knack for felony and the moral compass of an offender. When coupled with her fighting skills and fighting style, it seemed all the more likely that her skills had blossomed in the heat of violent street misconduct.
That being said, she had at least turned her moral principles from a set of loaded dice to more of a roulette wheel. That's at least an improvement, right? Well, just as Atlas wasn't built in a day, she couldn't expect to become perfect just by thinking it. Until then, she would just fake it until she made it.
Whoops. Got distracted again. Oh yeah, the lesson. Neo was actually rather invested. No, it wasn't because she was eager to know which plants were poisonous. Well, maybe a little bit. But survival skills were good to have, especially since Neo was much more accustomed to urban life, so knowing about plants was a nice change of pace. It was quite surprising to know how many different kinds of mushrooms there were, and how each of them was named and identified. Similarly, Neo took to heart the method of testing whether a plant or organism was toxic. It might come in handy at some point.
Before she knew it, the class had concluded. Maybe having fun was the key to making classes go quicker. Then again, doing so was difficult when Mr Moustache rambles on about nothing for eons.
She sighed. Maybe having some friends would help with that conundrum. The closest she had to a friend right now was Pyrrha… but… Neo wasn't sure if she was helping her because she liked her, pitied her, or just felt obligated to do so out of the kindness of her own heart regardless of who she helped. Heck, it could even be all three.
Oh well. She didn't have the time to consider such trivialities because it was time for self-directed sparring matches. The students funnelled out of the plant science classroom and marched towards the amphitheatre as if they were a swarm of ants which had located their next source of food. Neo was, admittedly, just as excited as she was nervous. Fighting was one of her favourite activities (not including dessert parties), but she wasn't certain if she should display her potential or hold back in order to not stand out. In all honesty, she didn't even want people to know that she managed to make Pyrrha yield in her so-called 'test battle.' Fortunately, it didn't seem like Pyrrha had spilled those beans as of yet. Hopefully, it stays that way.
The sight of the room brought back memories of the recent combat which she had engaged in. How her heart had raced and fluttered during those last intense moments. She considered herself very lucky that Pyrrha hadn't managed to land a direct hit on her. Truth be told, she was expecting it to be much closer than it had been. She didn't plan on having a rematch with her for a while, though, and finding a different competitor who was worthy of her time would be difficult.
Speaking of fighting, Neo had been holding back her semblance ever since she got here. It was always tempting to just summon an apparition of someone else to do the talking for her, or fight her battles, or take her notes. However, doing so came at the cost of revealing her greatest trump card. That was not a risk which she was prepared to take yet, hence why she just used her semblance as if it hadn't advanced. Evolved semblance was only for emergencies for the moment. As much as Neo liked to be the queen of drama, sweetness, and ice cream, stirring the pot was not something she wanted to do right now. She just wanted to get settled in for today and then begin building her popularity at a later date.
For now, she settled on watching the fights on the side lines. There were several duels going on at a time. Four, to be precise, since the room had been split into four quadrants, with observers sitting on the elevated edges of the room. One of the teachers stood atop the stage, just to make sure that nobody ended up taking things too far. Kinda like a lifeguard… but for fighting. Now that she thought about it, the idea sounded preposterous but strangely logical in a way which she hated more, the longer she considered it.
The current fights which went on were not the most exciting, unfortunately. There was Black Bow and the yellow-haired pugilist going at it in one corner. It mostly consisted of the yellow one running forwards and swinging her fists around whilst Black Bow flipped around like a ninja, shot, and sliced at her. Neo predicted that either side could feasibly win. It just depended on whether or not Yellow could land a solid hit off. With a simple grab, she'd be able to combo her into the floor with her strength. If Black stayed one step ahead of her opponent, she would surely chip her down before long.
Then there were the two lovebirds from before. The dark-haired boy and the orange-haired overly attached girlfriend. The former wielded twin uzis which ended with downwards-facing blades. The girl wielded a massive, metallic hammer with a big pink heart imprinted on the flat surface of the maul. It was…surprisingly fitting for her. The reason Neo was bored was because this was just a repeat of the previous matchup. Brute strength versus nimble agility.
The only fight which wasn't just a straight-up 'catch me if you can' fest was the brawl between Pyrrha's so-called champion and that big jock from earlier. Unfortunately for Pyrrha, whom was on the edge of her seat and nibbling her fingernails into nothingness, he was losing. Badly. The blonde boy had a simple-looking sword and shield, whilst the brute had a massive, spiked mace which he was unexpectedly wielding in one hand and swinging the massive weight around with surprising skill for a meathead.
Neo watched as the mace slammed hard against the boy's shield and he immediately fell over from the weight of the blow. Then, the thug swung the mace like a golf club into the yellow-haired boy's unprotected side, sending him rolling across the floor with his aura fading. Despite having already won, the man lifted his weapon as if to deliver a finishing blow but was stopped by the teacher who had suddenly appeared between the two fighters.
"That's enough." The woman calmly said. She had curly, pale blond hair which flowed down to her shoulders and wore an odd mix between a secretary's shirt and a black, buttoned pencil skirt. Covering her emerald eyes were a pair of small, elegant spectacles. A purple cape extended from her shoulders and ended in a flame-like cut. "Show some respect, Cardin. And Jaune, keep an eye on your aura during combat. A large part of battle is adapting to circumstance." She warned.
Neo liked her style. Sure, she wasn't normally a big fan of the stringent, strict stickler sort, but she at least had a flair for style and drama.
Cardin, the brute, harumphed and strode off to sit with his various cohorts. Jaune, the yellow-haired boy, dusted himself off and stood up. He looked rather ashamed and couldn't bring himself to make eye contact with anyone as he stumbled back into the stands.
Another two students stood up to take their place, but Neo wasn't really invested in the current fights. It was like watching children running around with sticks. Instead, she turned her attention to the stands. Pyrrha was sat next to a particularly sad-looking Jaune and talking with him. Probably exchanging combat strategies and how he can improve, if Neo were to guess.
There was Weiss and Ruby sat down near the battle between Yellow and Black, cheering them on. They even had little banners and flags which Neo found impressive…but also rather cringey. Seemed like the two of them had somehow managed to make some kind of amends. That was quick. Neo just frowned. So, this is what being a teenager was like? Petty squabbles which lead nowhere and then are miraculously solved when you're not looking. Or said squabbles lead to a many-year-long turf war which drags in multiple people and ruins the lives of everyone involved. There is no in-between. And it's always for stupid, childish reasons.
Neo wondered if now was a safe time to talk to Ruby, but ultimately decided that going in without a plan would be foolish. Besides, she'd ideally like for the two of them to be alone whilst they spoke. It'd save her any embarrassment if she had the wrong person.
Then there was the blind girl who was reading again, the many-hands guy writing…character profiles of everyone's battle techniques, and the helmet person watching the battles with an intense fire in their…err…eye slits.
Well…that was it. To be honest, Neo had expected more from the students at Beacon. Then again…they were almost as new here as she was. They had four whole years to improve their skills. Then again, part of her disappointment was her own fault. If she wanted to be more involved, she had to be willing to take that first step. Maybe after the initiation. Perhaps then she'd feel confident enough to let her light shine a little.
Either way, it soon became time for dinner and Neo had honestly not realised how much of a craving she had built up. One wouldn't have expected someone as diminutive as herself to have such an appetite, but she could eat like a famished bear if she had wanted to.
When she arrived in the cafeteria, she was met with a surprising array of various foods. There was a good variety of meats, vegetables, fish, pastas, sandwiches and, most importantly for her, desserts. Each section was portioned off from another and all you had to do was ask for what you wanted. The only limits were the size of your plate. Neo had to take a moment to consider what she was in the mood for, as well as size up what the popular choices were. Since different classes had different schedules, there were already several students eating. Looks like getting seconds for dessert was socially acceptable, but seconds of the main course was taboo. That made sense: taking too much would be greedy and selfish.
Eventually, after standing back for a while, Neo made her choices. Though not particularly exotic, she decided on a cheeseburger, fries, chicken nuggets and some fish fingers. Since getting dessert later was fine, she'd make full use of her plate and come back for some of that sweet, sweet, good stuff afterwards. Neo felt a little awkward when everyone else asked politely for their choices, whilst she just had to point to what she wanted and give a thankful curtsy when she was done. It made her just look like one of those rich, spoiled kids which she despised.
Either way, with a full plate, she took a seat at an empty table near the edge of the room and helped herself to the condiments. To her surprise, as she was mid-bite in her cheeseburger, someone sat opposite her. Neo recognised her immediately, since she was very hard to mistake for another. No, unexpectedly, it wasn't Pyrrha. It was that cowled girl with the bandages over her eyes. You know, the blind kid which somehow knew that Neo had been looking at her in class. Now that she was right up next to Neo, she could discern more details about her. She was tall and slender. A touch shy of six feet tall in total and, as such, she practically loomed over Neo. Her skin was pale like moonlight, such that even her lips barely stood out from the rest of her face. The hood of her navy-coloured cloak covered most of the bandages, but they could still be seen, wrapped in a criss-cross formation over her head, likely so that they didn't cover her ears. They seemed fresh, as if they were replaced daily. Her hair covered most of the bindings over the lower sections of her head, so that explained why Neo hadn't spotted those details earlier. In stark contrast to the darkness of her clothes, her hair was silver like a lunar beam from the fractured moon of Remnant.
It was, perhaps, the most awkward person to be sitting in front of her, since Neo had absolutely no means of talking with the girl which wouldn't involve reaching over and touching her. And yet, the girl spoke to her, as if expecting an answer.
"You're the new girl." She spoke. Her voice was quiet and soft like silk, but unwaveringly confident. In that sense, to Neo, it was a spider's web of tone. "What's your name?"
Neo simply raised an eyebrow. Her hand had instinctively reached to her scroll in order to type out her response… before she realised the futility of that course of action. When it became apparent that the short girl had no intention of replying, the blind girl spoke up again.
"You are right. It is rude to not introduce yourself first," she sighed, before gesturing to herself. "I am Thea Paradox."
Once again, there was silence, which confused Thea. Why was this small girl being so blatantly rude to her? She was just…staring at her with an uncomfortable expression, as if she were repulsed by her.
"Just because my eyes are covered does not mean I cannot see you; you know? You are being most rude by not answering my question." She continued, hoping that it had just been a case of shyness or concern. Or perhaps the new girl simply thought she was talking to someone else…who wasn't there.
To Thea's disbelief, her statement made the girl seem…happy? She had reached for something in her pocket and Thea could tell by the shape of it, that it was a scroll which she was typing something into, and then holding out to her, as if for her to read. Now the egg was on her face, as opposed to it being on the new girl's.
"I'm afraid I…cannot read." She stated, much to the short girl's confusion. "But I am not illiterate," she clarified. This only served to baffle her more. It seemed that some explanations were in order. "Allow me to explain. I cannot see using my eyes, but my semblance acts as my eyes. It is different to human eyesight, as I see in all directions at the same time. Alas, I can only see shapes. There are no colours, nor light or dark in my world. As such, any flat object with writing on it, such as books or scrolls, are illegible to me. I understand that you are, perhaps, shy. But please do speak up."
And then, she watched the girl's face turn into a pout, before gesturing to her own mouth and covering it shortly thereafter.
"…You cannot speak?" Thea asked. The girl nodded. "That…complicates matters."
And so, they were at a stalemate. One side unable to speak; the other unable to read. But…all hope was not yet lost, as Neo had one final method of communication. She raised her hands and began to sign, asking: 'How about sign language?' Unfortunately, the final chance at unaided communication fell upon blind eyes.
"Sorry…I don't know sign language." Thea sighed. Neo was just glad that she could tell what she was trying to do, but still just sighed in defeat and opted to try spelling her name with her fingers. She first gestured to herself, then began trying to make an 'N,' then an 'E,' and, finally, an 'O.' It took several attempts, since 'N' and 'E' were difficult to form with just your hands and fingers in a way which someone else could read and understand.
"N…E…O. N-Neo? Are you trying to say that your name is 'Neo?'" Thea asked. Neo nodded, triumphantly.
"Do you have a last name?" Neo's face fell. That was…a much more complicated question than it had any right to be. Because the answer was…yes. But no. But then also yes again. Yes, Neo had a last name. Technically, it was 'Vanille.' As in 'Trivia Vanille.' But that was her old name, and she went by 'Neopolitan' now. That was one word which has no last name associated with it. However, she had been referred to as 'Miss Politan' by several people now, which implies that the latter half of her name was considered to be her last name to them. Urgh. And trying to convey all of that information without words would be impossible. And so, for simplicity's sake, she just shook her head. It was the most correct answer in her opinion, and she could always explain in more detail at a later time. Right now, she just wanted to eat her food before it went cold.
'What a strange child…' Thea thought to herself, as she also began to eat. Maybe she should just give up on trying to communicate with her for the time being. Or get someone to mediate.