Chapter Four
Damian was surprised by just how big the food hall was. Its three long tables were currently almost empty, as it was pretty late in the day. Scarlet sped off ahead, and jumped into the queue for food, which only had two other students.
"Nathan, let's get something to share. What do you guys want?" Damian asked the others. Ryu leaned to look at the menu over Damian's shoulder.
"Pizza." He replied. Damian looked to Gagana, who nodded in agreement.
"Cool. Nathan, grab some trays." Damian said. Nathan looked like he was about to protest, so Damian started to walk, forcing him to follow. As they entered the line, Scarlet turned around. She had been chatting to the two girls in front of her.
"Damian! What you having?" She looked happier now that the situation had simmered down a bit.
"Just grabbing pizza," he replied. "Are these friends of yours?" He motioned to the two girls.
"Nah. Well, they're first years like us." One of the girls looked round at the sound of the two talking, and tugged on her friend's shoulder. The two let out a simultaneous "Wow…"
One of the girls. the one with green hair, spoke up.
"Are you like a mountain giant or something?" Her friend frowned at her.
"Rylee, I don't think you can just go around asking weird things like that. Now he'll think I'm weird like you." Rylee looked hurt.
"Ramona, I am asking a very reasonable question." She replied, a little too honestly.
"I just don't think that's the first thing you should have asked him." Ramona replied.
"S'up, I'm Damian." Damian interjected. "I am not a giant of any sort, actually. I am a Faunus. And I'm also right here."
"Rylee Teal, at your service." Rylee said, holding out her hand.
"Ramona, Ramona Teal, nice to meet you." Ramona said extending her hand as well. Nathan peered around Damian.
"Hey, don't forget me! Nathan Glas." He said, stretching round Damian to shake Rylee's hand. Scarlet clapped and smiled.
"Ah, much more civilised."
"Wait, were you guys that racket we heard outside?" Ramona asked.
"You can't prove anything!" Nathan spluttered, his face a little red.
"Well, now I can." Ramona chucked.
"We won't hold it against you" Rylee said cheerfully.
"Y'all, there are some other first years over there, let's introduce ourselves." Scarlet said.
"You are very friendly," Nathan said, tiredly. "How do you even know that they are first years?"
"They're sitting at the first year table." Ramona pointed out, taking a bite out of the sandwich she had picked up.
As they walked to the table, Damian motioned Gagana and Ryu to where they were going to sit.
Damian sat down, and started tucking into a bit of pizza, he decided to let Scarlet do all the networking. She was moving from person to person, introducing everyone to each other. The students they had already met included a broad black boy named Richard, a little blond girl called Mary and a skinny boy named Oscar. After a few minutes of casual chatter, Richard called across the table to Damian.
"So, I saw you come in with these three. I'm guessing you lot are the crew who trashed the gate." Damian didn't know whether to be embarrassed or angry. He turned red anyway.
"Thanks for that, you let us all get in." Richard added.
"… What?"
"Turns out the gate had broken down, so none of the students could get in. So Mary, Oscar, myself, and apparently everyone else used it as a way of getting in." Damian's face turned red to the point that you couldn't tell where his hair started and his face stopped.
"That piece of shit Ironwood! We practically did him a favour." He said, banging his hands on the desk.
Everyone burst out laughing.
"Some people are saying you got pre-assigned a team instead of being of being expelled, 'cause the higher ups liked the look of your fight." Oscar added.
"You would be correct." Ryu said leaning back in his chair with a smug grin on his face.
"Well then, if you're so hot, up for a friendly game of strength?" Richard asked resting his arm in the middle of the table.
"I'm not really in the mood." Damian said dejectedly.
"Wimp. I thought you were a bear, not a chicken." Mary crowed. Damian wasn't going to take that lightly, especially not from a girl half his size. He put his arm on the table and locked hands with Richard. He quickly looked to Mary.
"There is no such thing as a bird Faunus." He said, totally deadpan.
"Ok, when I say go." Mary announced. "Three… two… one… a half…" Both boys glared at her. She smirked. "GO!"
Both their arms tensed and locked in place. They held still for five, then ten seconds. They started to quiver. Fifteen seconds. The table started shuddering and Richard's face tensed. Damian very slowly started pushing Richard's arm to the side…
Smack.
"Whoop whoop! That is why you don't mess with Big Bear." Nathan proclaimed, pointing at Richard.
"Big Bear…" Damian began, but nobody was listening.
"Good match. Now, how about I take off the kid gloves." Richard said putting out his other arm.
"I'm not a lefty, but okay." Damian said, accepting the challenge.
"Okay! I'll be ref this time." Scarlet announced excitedly. "Three!"
Damian and Richard locked hands.
"Two!"
They tensed. Something felt off, Damian thought to himself.
"One!"
Their eyes met, and Richard showed a very wide toothy smile, like that of a crocodile with its prey in sight.
"Go!"
Damian went down almost immediately. If his other hand hadn't been holding the table, he would have gone flying. This guy was pulling out all the stops. Damian looked straight into his opponent's eyes. He could see a determined fire. The only fair thing to do would be to try every bit as hard as Richard was. Damian struggled, on the brink of defeat, then as he stated shaking under the might of Richards arm, he decided to use his trump card. He bit his lip as his face tensed. Richard looked confused. He tried to keep pushing him down but he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried. He glanced down to look at his hand and saw that Damian's arm was glowing with a dim red light. The light grew and began to form ethereal claws which stretched out from his fingers. The small crowd around them looked on in shock.
"Two can play at that game." Richard grunted. His right arm whipped around and grabbed his shoulder. There was a revving sound as Richard's arm began to expand. His sleeve ripped away revealing a metallic limb. The two of them glared at each other. Neither one was going to lose, and both had an almost visible fire in their eyes. Richard's arm revved faster and Damian's glowed brighter.
Crunch!
The table caved in, the two boys fell inwards and their heads collided. The opposite ends of the table flipped upwards and came crashing to the ground. The students ducked, dashed and dived out of the way, as shards of plastic flew everywhere. Suddenly, Damian sensed danger. He whipped round and saw a tall cloaked figure holding a staff.
"Oh crud, not again." Damian muttered to himself.
"Mr Carmine, do you have to destroy everything that you come into contact with?" The figure asked, angrily.
"It was an accident this time." Damian pleaded.
"Yeah, uh, Sir," Richard butted in, "it's also my fault."
"Mr Blackwell, I am perfectly aware of what happened and who is to blame. I was watching from the corner."
"If all of you get out of my sight in the next three seconds, I might not have to seek further punishment. If only because Mr Carmine has shown us such an excellent use of his Semblance."
"Are you serious?" Damian replied, shocked.
"One." The man began counting. The students looked at each other.
"Two." They all jumped to their feet and bolted to the door. As he crashed through it, Damian swore he heard the man chuckling behind him.
They all sat, panting, on the other side of the door.
"Who was that?" Damian panted, still regaining his breath.
"One of the senior Huntsmen, I guess." Scarlet replied.
"What are you lot up to?" A voice called from down the corridor. All of the students whipped around to see Professor Ironwood heading towards them.
"Oh hey, Ironwood… fancy seeing you on this lovely evening?" Nathan replied, forcing an innocent smile. Ironwood did not look convinced, but he let it slide.
"Have any of you seen Doctor Emrys?
"No, Sir, sorry. I don't think I've ever met him." Mary replied sweetly. Just then the door opened and the man in the cloak walked out.
"Ah, Gwynn, there you are." Ironwood said.
"Evening, headmaster," Gwynn smiled, "I was just checking out a disturbance in the food hall."
"A disturbance?" Ironwood asked. He looked towards the students.
"Yes," Gwynn replied, "one of the kind that is easily solved, though. What is it you need?" Ironwood walked up to him and whispered in his ear, and the two walked away down the corridor. Halfway down, Ironwood stopped and turned around.
"You students should make your way to your temporary housing in hall A. As for the trouble makers I met earlier, I've left a message with the Huntress in charge there, she'll relay it to you." With that, the two Huntsmen disappeared around a corner.
"I guess we better get going before something else happens." Scarlet suggested.