Oranges and Ice Cream

by treenymphie

A young boy named Roman Torchwick finds his life shredded when a Grimm breaks its way into the city of Vale. His struggles to survive encompass every thought, and he is left alone to die. However, this changes when he meets a young, mute girl, alone as much as he is. Combining their forces, the two must find a way to survive, and possibly fall into the wrong hands.

10. A New Beginning

Neo sat upon her bed, her very own bed, one that didn't have holes in the blankets and a worn down mattress. Even the thought of her own bed left her speechless, though nobody else could understand this besides Roman. Staring down at her hands, she couldn't fathom her luck in finding a friend, one who went to Signal, one who could get her into the school, and being allowed to stay there. Over two years she had been completely and utterly alone; now she sat on a bed of her own, with a uniform of her own, and a place to call home.

The day had ended quickly, resulting in the four boys leaving for their dorm. The room seemed spacious for only four people, or rather three, as one less occupied the room than available. Two beds lined the left and right walls, the feet angled together, and the coverings were the same shade as the curtains: starting with yellow, and gradually shifting into orange, auburn, and red. A long bookshelf lined underneath the window, allowing one to sit on the windowsill if they preferred. The closet was on the right side of the room, tucked away in the corner nearest the door. Both Erë and Ross slept on the left side of the room, leaving Neo with the right side to herself. They both had covered their wall in posters and pictures, mostly of famous Huntsmen and Huntresses, and of family.

"Neo?"

The voice startled her from her utter amazement, and she looked up into the flowing silver eyes of her roommate.

"Do you have anything you want to put in the closet?" Erë asked her. She was currently holding up a hanger that contained a plain black dress, readying to put it in the closet.

Neo, unsure how to answer her, nodded, but she also shook her head. Erë gave her a confused look.

"Wait, here." Ross ran over to Neo, pen and paper in hand, and gave it to the young girl. Neo signed 'thank you', hoping the redhead would understand, but she then directed her attention to writing. She hadn't written in years, so her handwriting would be sloppy, unused to the feeling of gripping the pen, a foreign object to a poor girl. Taking her time, she carefully spelled out what she wanted to say. The older girls leaned over her to watch as she slowly formed the letters.

"Oh, Roman has them? What about the dress you are wearing? Should we wash it?" Ross questioned.

Neo again wrote what she needed too, her tongue caught between her teeth in concentration. The gasps from the two girls as they read it confused Neo. They knew she had been on the streets; why was this surprising?

"You don't have anything else? I mean, besides what Roman has, which probably isn't much. That's awful."

Neo looked up at Ross as she spoke, the redhead's face sorrowful. Erë's face was scrunched in thought, and she didn't speak for a while.

Ross pointed a finger at her friend. "Erë, I know that face. What are you planning?"

Silver eyes darted to caramel ones, and also to the pink and brown ones. Her lips turned up slightly, her eyes crinkled at the corners.

"Let's go shopping tomorrow."

Neo's head shook quickly, and she frantically scribbled on the piece of paper. As Erë read it, she waved her hand at the young girl.

"Don't worry about Lien. I've got plenty. My parents are high-ups in the Schnee Dust Company, basically under Jacques Schnee himself. They have too much Lien to even do anything with it. I'll just tell my mom we're going on a shopping spree."

Ross squealed, throwing her hands up high in excitement. "Oh, I just love shopping! It's too bad we're on Patch. Vale has a much bigger clothing selection than this tiny island."

The tiny companion smiled at the redhead's energy. It reminded her of how she used to be, before her parents died. She could get used to these girls.

"It's a deal," Erë said, also grinning at her friend's excitement. "Tomorrow after class, we'll meet here and then head out. The boys can live without us for a day."

Ross giggled, making her eyebrows wiggle simultaneously. "Are you sure? Mele might be upset."

Pink rose in the dark-haired girl's cheeks. "I could say the same for Pitch."

Ross ran across the room and vaulted herself on her bed, bouncing upon it. "Oh, please, I just have a way of making people talk."

Eyebrows raised, Erë shot back, "Pitch doesn't talk to just anyone."

The other girl shrugged. "Whatever, I don't see it. All I know is I see the way you and Mele talk."

Neo looked back and forth between her two roommates, soaking in as much information as she could. Her heart gave a jump as she realized that Erë was into Mele instead of Roman, a relief for the young girl. However, Ross was a likable girl, especially energetic, making her a viable candidate for Roman, considering she didn't seem to be into Pitch, who Erë believed had a thing for the redhead. And there was also Loden. Although Neo didn't know what Roman preferred, she had picked up on their slight flirting and a history between the two that provided a connection.

Erë's voice knocked Neopolitan out of the quick banter in her head. "We're only fourteen, Ross. Even if we did get together, which I don't think we will, we both might not get into Beacon. Just because we both went to primary combat school doesn't mean we'll both pass the test."

The words caught the ice cream girl's attention. Her mind raced through what the older girl had just said, and her hand moved quickly to the paper still on her lap.

"Oh, look, Neo wants to say something," Ross remarked, jumping off her bed and hopping over to them again. She read as the younger girl wrote, "'Wait, you might not get into Beacon?' Well, see, in order to get into Beacon or any other Huntsman academy, you have to take a test that shows your skills and knowledge of Remnant already. If you don't pass, you don't get in. And if you don't get in the first year you apply, it's much harder to apply again. Of course, you could always apply to the other academies as well, but they're equally as hard to get into, and Atlas is much harder."

Neo's eyes pierced the caramel brown of her roommate, her head tilted to the left slightly. So, if Roman passed the test, he would go to Beacon, or possibly another Huntsman academy, leaving her alone. She would be stuck here at Signal, finishing the many years she had to catch up. She would again be alone, and she wouldn't have these girls with her either. She didn't even want to become a Huntress. She didn't want to protect just anyone; she wanted to protect Roman.

"Anyway," Ross continued, turning back to Erë, "you and Mele are probably the best fighters in the school. There's no way you both won't get in. If you guys don't, there's no hope for the rest of us."

The black-haired girl flushed at the comment, hiding her face behind her hands as she did. Neo couldn't help but smile at the girlish notion, one that she herself indulged in occasionally. These girls weren't much different than her.

"Well, I think it's time we go to bed," Erë announced, saving herself from her embarrassment. "We've got class in the morning, and it's Neo's first day. You'll need all the sleep you can get."

With that, the three roommates readied themselves and crawled into bed, Neo still in the beautiful pink dress that Roman had stolen for her. Exhausted from nerves and little sleep the night before, she drifted heavily into sleep, her last thought the image of Erë's shifting silver eyes.

"Rise and shine, roomie!"

The loud voice above her shook Neo from the soothingness of a real bed. Peeling her mismatched eyes open, Ross stood leaning over her, a large grin upon her face, and her hair was wild. At the sight of Neo's eyes, she squealed and jumped up and down. The younger girl couldn't help but grin at the energy again, something she missed from her earlier days.

"Ross, give the girl some space. She just woke up." Erë was at the closet, pulling out her uniform, a satin black vest and a skirt, the colors on it following the same pattern as the curtains and bedspreads. Something about those colors intrigued Neo, itching something at the back of her brain. They held some importance, other than the colors of autumn, but she was oblivious to what it could possibly be.

Ross backed up a bit, but she was still jumping up and down, her hands clasped to each other. "Are you ready for your first day of class? Oh, and if you're not, just remember that we having shopping to look forward to after classes. It's gonna be so much fun!"

"I should not have said that last night," Erë remarked, her face annoyed at her roommate's energy. "It's too early in the morning to deal with your excitement over it."

A small chuckle came from Neo, and the two girls froze and looked at her. She looked back and forth between them, wondering why they were so surprised.

"That was the cutest little laugh I have ever heard!" Ross squealed. "Erë, wasn't that the cutest? I didn't know mutes could laugh, oh my Oum, was that offensive? If it's offensive, just tell me and I'll stop saying mute, I'm not very good at stopping my thoughts from popping out but I'll try if you don't like that?"

The redhead had jumped around the room as she rambled, but she stopped again in front of Neo, looking for an answer. A smile adorned the young girl's face, and she shook her head. The word didn't really bother her, but she appreciated Ross' concern for offending her, and it only warmed her heart to the girl even more.

"Now that that's settled," Erë's voice pierced through the silence, "you two need to get ready. Classes will be starting soon."

Ross giggled, running to the closet and pulling two uniforms out of it. She handed the smaller one to Neo, and they all dressed in their identical uniforms. Neo had trouble with the vest, something she had never worn before.

"Here, I struggled my first few times too," Erë said, helping Neo into her uniform. Both the girls were already dressed, waiting upon Neo. As the silver-eyed girl buttoned up the younger's vest, they were finally ready to begin their day.

"You should probably bring your class schedule along so you know where you're going." Erë handed her the sheet of paper that had been on the windowsill. "You'll get your books in your classes, and you can always bring them back here before lunch."

Neo nodded, hoping the older girl understood her thanks for the information. It was beneficial to have nice roommates that were willing to help her in any way they could, and they had only just met her the day before.

"Let's go." The older girls grabbed their books and started to head out the door. Just as Neo was following them, she heard shoes echoing down the hallway, and as she turned to look, they skidded to a halt. Her heart surged in her throat when she saw the orange hair.

"I'm glad I caught you before you went to class," Roman panted out. He held out a device to Neo. "Here's your scroll that the headmaster ordered for you. You just go to this little app here, type what you want to say, and it will speak for you."

She studied the scroll, fully aware that her roommates had stopped and turned, waiting for her.

"You guys go ahead," Roman said to them. "I'll take Neo to her first class. I'll see you guys in class."

"We'll see you at lunch, Neo." Erë's voice seemed flat, but it wasn't something she could focus on right now. The sound of receding footsteps were heard before Roman spoke again.

"Well, try it out."

Looking up, Neo saw the smile upon his face, one of happiness, and maybe even pride. Slowly, she moved the scroll in her hands, choosing the right app, and picking out the individual characters.

"Hello." A woman's voice sounded from the scroll, but the sound was natural, not a robotic function like Neo thought it would be. That one word reverberated through her head, and after a few moments, her fingers flew across the keyboard again.

"Thank you." She launched herself at Roman, embracing him, and he chuckled, wrapping his own arms around her.

"I'm glad you like it. Now you can say whatever you want to me whenever you want, Little Bit."

Neo pulled back, looking up at her companion's green eyes, smiling at the nickname he had given her a while ago but had rarely used. It was a beautiful thing, to be able to voice her thoughts. She had been nervous, but there was no reason: this way she could communicate anything to Roman instead of their simple conversations. Yes, she would miss their unspoken connection, but it didn't matter. She was practically normal again.

"C'mon, I don't want to make you late for class." With that, Roman led her down the hallway, glancing at her class schedule. His face scrunched up in distaste. "Look's like you have History of the Kingdom of Vale first with Professor Hambrigge. On the bright side, if you're feeling a little tired, history can help you catch up on your sleep."

Roman shot her a grin, and she chuckled under her breath. She clutched the scroll and schedule tightly to her chest, but her right hand hung at her side. Roman grabbed it and squeezed it gently, and she forced her cheeks to stay a normal color, momentarily looking away from him.

"Well, here we are." Roman let go of her hand and dropped to one knee to be nearly level with her eyes. "Hambrigge is pretty nice, so you should be okay. If you have any problems finding a class, just ask someone, okay?"

Neo nodded slightly, butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she realized Roman couldn't take her to every class and she would have to find her own way. She looked at the floor, not wanting to show her nervousness, but she could never hide emotions from him. His hands landed on her upper arms, and she looked up to him again.

"You'll be okay," he said, his lips slightly curled up, sincerity in his eyes. "I'll see you at lunch, okay?"

She nodded, and he moved to stand up again, but she wrapped her arms around his neck first. His arms embraced her again, her small figure barely taking any space. Then the hug was broken, and Roman walked off to class, turning to give her a wave before he vanished behind the corner of the corridor.

Deep breath. That's what she needed. Pulling air into her lungs, she pushed open the door to the small lecture hall. Students were already seated in the benches that towered above the professor's desk, and many of them looked at her as she entered. They were all young, twelve she assumed, but they seemed intimidating to her. Some whispered behind their hands to others, eyeing the odd, tiny girl that no one had seen before.

"Why, hello!" a voice exclaimed out.

Neo looked to her right at the source of the voice, coming from the professor's desk. A younger woman sat behind it, skinny and beautiful. Long dirty blonde hair flowed down her back, and she wore a pale green dress adorned with white heels that would have broken a normal woman's ankles. She adorned a smile that radiated white, friendly and warm, almost comforting, especially to a nervous wreck like Neo.

"Are you new?" The woman's head tilted to the side slightly, and as Neo nodded, she gestured to walk forth. "Well, come here, child. I'm Professor Honey Hambrigge. What's your name, sweetie?"

Neo's hands fumbled with the scroll as she wasn't ready for questions already. Her fingers trembled as she typed the three letters, completely aware that all the students were still watching her. At the same time, she walked towards the professor, tripping over her own feet, eliciting laughs from the crowd. Her cheeks flushed, and she hurried over to Hambrigge, her scroll finally saying, "Neo."

"Neo. That's a lovely name." Her smile warmed even more, and now that Neo was close, she could see the professor had warm light brown eyes as well, nearly matching her very dirty blonde hair. "Headmaster Lyon notified me that I had a new student, so I already have your book."

The beautiful woman reached into her desk and pulled out a thick book bound in dark blue. As she handed it to Neo, the title read the same as the class name. Neo took it in her hands, gripping it tightly to her chest along with her scroll.

"Why don't you go take a seat, sweetie? We're just about to start class."

Nodding, the young girl briskly walked to the rising benches, taking a seat at the end of the front one. The closest student was two seats to her right, and she was glad she had a little room to herself in the classroom, even if it did seem as if she was isolating herself. She assumed most of these students already knew each other and were slightly familiar with one another, and she was the oddball out, although she should be used to it by now due to her different colored hair and eyes.

"Alright, children, we're starting chapter eight today, so how about we all turn to page 79. Now, we're finally starting the Great War. We've obviously all heard about it before, but who was it really between?"

Neo had flipped to the page, but she zoned out, too busy focusing on her nerves. She didn't think she would benefit from anything in this class; her fathers had taught her many things before they died, and that included the history of Vale and all of Remnant. They had been extremely progressive in their teachings, always pointing out to her how important education was, and she agreed with them. Unfortunately, they didn't live to see her receiving a real one, eliciting sadness from the orphaned girl, but she would make the most out of it. She hoped she could make them proud, even from the grave.

Neo hadn't realized how long she was thinking about her parents until Professor Hambrigge announced the end of class. She shook her head from her stupor, closing her book and grasping it against her chest again.

"Neo?" Hambrigge trained her eyes on the young girl. "Do you mind if I talk to you quickly?"

Nerves racked the girl's body, thinking maybe the professor knew about her zoning out the entire class. She supposed she didn't hide it very well. Nevertheless, she headed over to the desk, her head hung. The professor waited until Neo was the only student left in the room before she spoke.

"I'm sorry to say that you will have to catch up to chapter eight on your own time. I can't reteach it to everyone. However, if you need any help understanding anything, you are always free to ask me questions. I hope it won't be too difficult for you."

Neo shook her head at the professor, relieved she wasn't in trouble for not paying attention in class. She looked up to the woman's warm eyes.

"Considering you didn't pay attention today, I'm assuming you're nervous, which is normal. However, I really hope this doesn't affect your school performance."

Heat rushed to Neo's cheeks, and she glanced down, ashamed. Grabbing her scroll, she started typing.

"I'm sorry for zoning out. Yes, I'm nervous. It's just that I know most of the history already."

The woman's eyebrows raised, disbelief tucked into her eyes. She immediately hid her reaction, but not before Neo caught it. Again, the girl looked down, ashamed of her words. Something she wasn't used to.

"You do? If I gave you the end of the year test now, you think you could do well on it?"

The girl shrugged, not wanting to say anything. She believed she was capable of it, but she didn't want to be disrespectful. Of course, she would have to revisit all of the material, but she would inevitably remember it once her brain was reminded of it.

A smirk crossed Professor Hambrigge's face. "You know, I'm curious, Neo. I want you to take the test. Who knows? Maybe you do know the material. I'll get permission from the headmaster and let you know tomorrow. You will take the test on Friday."

Neo's eyes widened. Three days to review? And catch up with the rest of her classes? How was she supposed to be capable of that? Nevertheless, she nodded and typed thanks to her new professor. Then she turned on her heel and hurried out of the room, her mind racing with what she had just done. She clutched her book, schedule, and scroll so tightly that her knuckles turned white. How had she been so stupid? There was no way she knew everything from history, so why had she been so sure of herself just a minute ago? During her orphaned three years, she supposed she thought a great deal about the education she had received prior, though she hadn't learned anything knew in that time. What if she didn't know everything? There wasn't a possible way she could.

Neo shook her head furiously, glancing at her schedule. Aura with Professor Jung. Hopefully she wouldn't embarrass herself in this class. She really wasn't sure where she was going, but she followed a few of the other students from a distance, ones she recognized from her history class. Maybe they all had the same classes, and sure enough, Neo entered the classroom of Professor Jung. The arrangement of the classroom was much different from Professor Hambrigge's though. Instead of a lecture hall, this room didn't have any seats or even a desk. Colorful mats were laid upon the ground, each spaced out evenly, with a black one at the front of the classroom on which a wide-shouldered man sat upon. Three of the walls were made of glass windows, half of them open, allowing sunlight and fresh air in. The students from her history class were all sitting upon mats, and once again, the only open spot was in the front, and unfortunately in the middle of the front row. She would be looking the professor in the eyes.

She slowly made her way to the brown mat open for her, setting her history book, schedule, and scroll on the floor and lowering herself to the ground. The professor's eyes were closed, and as soon as everyone was seated, he spoke.

"We have a new student," he said, his eyes still closed. "What's your name?"

Neo scrambled to pick up her scroll and type her name, and the other students chuckled again as she had to use a scroll to speak. At the sound of the chuckles, the professor held up a hand, and they immediately ceased.

"Neo." His eyes opened, a bright green piercing into her. She gasped at the beautiful color, as vibrant as the green of the trees on Patch, something she had seen on their airship ride. His wide shoulders led into bulging biceps underneath his shirt, and his thighs matched. He was a large man, strength wise.

"What a fitting name." He stayed seated, his eyes still drilling into her. They finally moved to sweep over the rest of the class. "I hope your classmates haven't given you trouble so far. They're quite troublesome."

Scoffs could be heard throughout the room, but the professor smirked, his black hair flopping over his right eye.

"Alright, I'm just kidding. Well, for Neo, I am Zezë Jung. You're here to train your Aura. You may begin."

Neo looked around as the other students closed their eyes and meditated. Professor Jung motioned for her to come, and she stood to walk to him.

"Greetings," he started, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb the others. "Since you're late to the year, you will have to catch up. Early in the year, we learned the basics for Aura. Now we focus our Aura to make it stronger. This is done through meditation, and it may put you through mental strain. If that is the case, take a break. Don't hurt yourself. The goal is to manifest your Aura around your body to be visible. Once most of my students have done this, we will move on. We will see how far your knowledge of Aura extends, but for now, meditate."

Neo nodded and returned to her mat. This is all they did? Of course, these students were first years, just coming out of normal school, so she supposed most of them knew very little about Aura. Of course, she would have been the same way if hers hadn't unlocked during the time she spent in that awful house with those men. She knew she could always improve her Aura, but she had done that quite a bit during her three years on the streets.

The young girl sat, watching as the professor finally stood, a towering man, and he started weaving through the mats, searching for any kind of strength or strain. Neo crossed her legs and closed her eyes, setting her hands upon her knees, palms up. She let out a deep breath before levelling the amount of air entering and exiting her lungs. Her mind searched for one thing to focus on, and she imagined a certain redhead that she had lived with for nearly a year. She blocked out the sounds of others breathing and the professor's light footsteps, strengthening the image of Roman, clarifying and sharpening it. It wasn't long before she could feel every section of her body with intense clarity, and the arms on her hair stood up. Her long strawberry and chocolate hair rose off of her neck, and her body tingled with energy as she held her state for a time she didn't even know.

"Why don't we all take a break. Grab a snack." The professor's voice knocked Neo from her concentration, and her hair fell again as she opened her eyes. Professor Jung stood on his mat again, his eyes boring into her, curiosity laid clearly in them. The other students had run to a cupboard in the corner of the room that Neo hadn't noticed before, and they returned to their mats with peanuts, pretzels, and other assorted snacks to fuel their mind and Aura. Neo didn't feel as if she needed anything at the moment, plus they had lunch after this class, and she didn't want to spoil her appetite.

While the others ate, Professor Jung knelt next to Neo's mat, his green eyes questioning.

"Do you know what you just did?" he asked, his voice low once again. Neo knew she had manifested her Aura, but she shook her head in feigned ignorance. "Your Aura, it's strong already. You had no trouble making it visible. How long has it been unlocked?"

Neo shrugged before typing, "About three years or more."

The professor kept his reaction to himself, but his eyes studied her for a while before he spoke again. "Three years is a long time for someone so young. How old are you? You don't look the age of a first year."

Neo held up all ten fingers, and surprise registered on Professor Jung's face.

"Has your Semblance unlocked as well?"

A hesitant nod from the girl left the professor in silence. He seemed to be thinking for a while, his eyes darting to look across the floor.

"I want you to watch the others with me. I want you to think about what you do differently from them to so easily manifest your Aura. Help them. I'm more than capable of doing so, but I want you to be able to learn from this, considering you are so far ahead of them."

Neo's head tilted. How far ahead? Had none of them manifested their Aura yet? She nodded to the professor.

"Alright, is everyone ready?" Professor Jung asked, standing up and addressing the rest of the class. Silence ensued, and they closed their eyes, starting their meditation once more. Neo stood, looking at the professor. He caught her eyes and nodded to her. She took a deep breath before slowly starting a walk through the mats. There were thirty children in the class, six columns with five rows of mats. She started down the column she had headed. A girl with purple hair sat behind Neo's mat, her face scrunched in concentration and her entire upper body hunched over her crossed legs. Butterflies took flight in the young girl's stomach; if she touched the girl, would she know it wasn't the professor? He didn't seem to want the other students to know of Neo's progression, but she was supposed to help them, wasn't she? She looked once more at the professor, who was watching her, and his chin lowered slightly.

Pushing down her butterflies, she stood behind the girl and gently pulled the girl's shoulders back until her back was straight. The girl seemed to relax a bit, her face also losing its tight manner. Moving onto the boy behind her, Neo found him to have posture correct, but his Aura wasn't manifesting. That could be due to a mental, focusing reason, something Neo couldn't fix. She moved on once more. Another boy. Good posture, but his hands weren't palm up. Fixed.

Neo did this continually, fixing the posture of the other students as Professor Jung walked around as well, whispering into the ears of certain students. As class neared the end, Neo was starting to tire. She wished that she had eaten a snack for energy, but lunch would be soon, less than ten minutes away.

The odd girl looked at the professor, who had a smile upon his face, and she followed his trail of sight. A girl with long blonde hair was deep in concentration, her posture perfect, and a lilac-colored Aura flickered around her, although it didn't stay for more than a second at a time. It shifted between visible and invisible, and after two minutes of it flickering, she finally collapsed back, panting deeply. Professor Jung made his way over to her, kneeling next to her, and Neo hurried over as well.

"Syrin?" Professor said lowly. "Are you okay?"

The girl didn't answer, but her eyes were still closed, and her chest moved up and down dramatically.

"Neo, go get a bottle of water from the cupboard."

Neo walked briskly to the cupboard, not running so she wouldn't interrupt the others' concentration, before she returned to the professor with a bottle of water.

"Here, Syrin, here's some water."

He helped the girl sit up to take a drink, and she heartily drank half of it before laying back down and gasping. Her eyes finally opened, and Neo saw the bright lilac of her irises, the same color as her Aura.

"Did I do it?" the girl whispered.

The professor smiled. "A little bit, but you shouldn't strain yourself so much."

The girl, Syrin, smiled at that. "But I finally did it. My brother is gonna be so proud." She turned her head to look at Neo, her blonde hair fanned out under her. "Aren't you the new girl? Why aren't you meditating?"

"That's not important," Professor Jung answered. "Neo, please return to your mat. I'm going to release the other children. Good job today, Syrin."

Neo did as she was told, but she could feel the lilac-colored eyes following her. She sat upon her mat as Professor Jung stood on his own.

"Okay, you may stop. Good job to you all today. Eat a hearty lunch."

With that, the other students gathered their books and hurried out, conversing with each other, some bragging about their Aura ability and how close they thought they were. Before Neo left, Professor Jung called her back.

"Neo, a word." She turned back to him, waiting. "Since you are so advanced, this class isn't quite beneficial to you. It may take most of the year for my students to be able to manifest their Aura. I'd like to move you up to second year Aura training. But I'd like to test your abilities before I do so. Would you mind that?"

Neo shook her head, smiling. She was glad that she would be moved up. She didn't know if she could have sat in that class every day, not doing anything to really strengthen her Aura, just other people's.

"Fantastic. Tomorrow, after your last class, come here. I want to test you. You shouldn't use any of your Aura tomorrow for this class so I can see the full extent of it. You will be helping others again tomorrow. I'm sorry for that."

"Thank you," her scroll said. "I look forward to it."

Professor Jung smiled at her before dismissing her. She started to head to the dining hall, thinking deeply about the two classes she had already attended. She was already advanced in both. Would she be for the third as well? If so, would she be moved up an entire year? If that was the case, she'd only be a year lower than Roman and his friends, and she'd be three years younger than her peers. Was that bad? Would other people be mad? What would Roman think?

Of course Roman would be supportive. He would be happy for her, right? Although, it wasn't her dream to become a Huntress; it was his to become a Huntsman. Would he be jealous? Would he be mad that she hadn't taught him anything?

No. He had plenty of time to train his body and mind. She had used that time to do so. He hadn't very often, especially at the beginning, but he was still mourning his parents' deaths. Neo had had years to overcome it; Roman had barely a year. She was just more progressive about her time.

Nevertheless, she couldn't help but be nervous for Roman's reaction. Whether he would be happy or upset, or jealous even. The imminent reaction forced her appetite to nothing.

Author's Note:

Well, I know this chapter is a lot longer than normal, but I was on a roll, and it was part of the Monty Oum project (although I'm a week late on it). Not very much happened, but we know that even as a young girl, Neo excelled. Most of the name are forms of colors. Ross is red in another language (I honestly can't remember what language I used to translate it), Pitch just refers to black. Mele is just a random name I decided to use, and we will learn about Erë's name soon here, although it is translated from another language as well. Zezë is black in Albanian, and Syrin is lilac in Norwegian.

Anyway, I apologize for the long chapter, but I hope you guys like it! Feedback is always appreciated!