"Salutations my fellow Team Leaders! I hereby call this sixth meeting of the Beacon Leadership Council to order! I'll start with a simple roll call! Izuku Midoriya, Leader of Team MNVW?"

"I'm here Tenya."

"Very good! Ruby Rose, Leader of Team RSBR?"

"I am here!"

"Excellent! Coco Adel, Leader of Team CFVY?" A silence echoed out, and Izuku really couldn't help but blink in surprise. He'd gotten used to Tenya's script for the openings of these team meetings, but that had been something else entirely.

"... Tenya, you can see she's not here, you don't have to take her-"

"I shall take Miss Adel's silence as a sign of her absence! A shame, but understandable! Our older students have their own responsibilities to live up to. Finally, and obviously, I, Tenya Iida, Leader of Team TABY, am present and accounted for! This meeting may therefore come to order!"

Izuku just gave a slight sigh as he shook his head; Tenya was just going to do his own thing when it came to these meetings, it seemed, and he was just going to have to handle it. It had been a real shame too; while Team CFVY had their mission assigned earlier in the week and they hadn't been sure when they'd get back, he'd almost wanted to hold off for the weekend on the off chance that they made it back. However, he understood why Tenya and Ruby had wanted to go forward with today's meeting; it had almost become tradition at that point, if Izuku could call six weeks with some interrupts a tradition, for the Leadership Council to take place during the end of the week, that way it left everyone's weekend's relatively free.

Besides, with the big field trip coming up which promised to be a pretty intense affair, and following that Color Week, if people had plans for it, this upcoming Weekend looked like it was going to be more about people resting or making plans with their family than anything. Still, Coco had been a welcome addition to the club room ever since she'd signed up. A feeling that had apparently been shared with Ruby and Tenya, who were both a little glum at having their fourth member so noticeably missing. Still, Tenya immediately took a deep breath as he straightened up, giving all of them a serious/impressive look.

"Alright my fellow leaders, just because Miss Adel is off on a mission doesn't mean we need to be glum... in fact, I'd dare say that Miss Adel would very much want the opposite, that she'd want these meetings to go forward with the same level of energy and enthusiasm as the ones that we've had when she wasn't here. To that end, I'd say that we should work up our itinerary and prepare ourselves for today's meeting!" Izuku nodded as he sat back in his seat and thought over what, exactly, he wanted to do with today's meeting as Ruby rubbed her chin as well.

"Hmmm? You all want to know about the upcoming Field Trip?" Glynda's curiosity had been peaked, the experienced Huntress turned teacher having adjusted her glasses as they all approached her to ask their question. Izuku, having taken the front on the idea, and knowing that he had a little more experience in talking to Glynda about this, nodded as he stepped forward.

"Considering that this is meant to be a more serious test of our team's teamwork and ethic in such a serious environment, The Leadership Club thought it'd be a good idea if we actually got a picture of what the upcoming Field Trip's supposed to look like. What kind of things we might be asked to expect, what sort of preparations we might need to make, you know, the basics. It'd be the sort of information we'd have about a normal mission after all, so I just thought we'd ask you since... well..."

"You're probably the one best positioned to explain everything going on; no offense to either Professor Yagi or Professor Aizawa." Tenya remarked evenly as he adjusted his own spectacles, the other two students nodding in agreement. Glynda furrowed her brow as she looked down at the three of them, though she shrugged.

"It's a fair enough question; besides, if you pass this around your friends, we might have an easier time actually getting into the exercise itself rather than spending time making sure everyone's up on the same speed." The three of them smiled at that as Glynda produced her Scroll, extended the device out into its more pad-like form and then pressed a few command keys into the front of the console. Within a few seconds, the device whirred to life and she presented the three of them... something they were a little familiar about; it was a publicly available view of the Underground Training Facility.

Izuku recognized the image; after all, he had been shown it a few times in Birch Academy by professors who'd sought to explain the various facilities located in and around Mountain Glenn to would be students. It hadn't been meant necessarily as 'in case you go there someday' but more as a 'this area is off-limits to non-Hunters or people not authorized to be there, so if you find yourself there, make a quick exit please or just don't go in'. The place was dangerous for people who weren't prepared for it and as a student, Birch Academy judged Izuku and his peers unready for it. Out of curiosity, and his love for all things Huntsman, he'd tried to figure out more about it than just this one image. Asking hadn't been a crime in Mountain Glenn, but he'd still found himself pretty much road blocked at every turn. Izuku didn't need to know so they didn't 'let' him know. So, way back when and all the way up until now, he only knew what the general public did about the Underground Training Facility, and most of that was wrapped up in this image.

"First, the obvious; the training exercise is set to take place within the Underground Training Facility itself, located just underneath Mountain Glenn. The area is meant to be wide open but with a few artificial obstacles meant to simulate a environments that Huntsmen and Huntresses might be expected to fight among in live missions. They're nothing too fancy, being underground means that Mountain Glenn can't exactly plant trees down there and expect them to live, but the work done on it by Ken Ishiyama makes the entire place a bit more well modeled than some simple concrete pillars. Still, don't expect to be 'wowed' by the sight of it. It's in this area-" Glynda indicated the main chamber, "where we'll be staying for the duration of the exercise. Grimm will be brought in from various holding pens, cells and cages from within the... meat of the facility, the 'Tunnels' as they're called in the city." Izuku's eyes drifted off to the edges of the room indicated in the image, where three tunnels could be seen dug out of the wall on the various sides.

"They actually keep Grimm in these tunnels?" Ruby asked, sounding surprised, as Glynda nodded.

"Indeed. The bottom-line, main purpose of The Tunnels is meant to act as a veritable Roach Motel for Grimm invading through the underground. Part of the reason Grimm are kept in them is that Grimm themselves act as a slight pull on fellow Grimm, seeking to join up with them in order to act in a group or herd. It makes it easier to pull them into the more compromising places within The Tunnels themselves. In addition, much like Port's little chamber here on Beacon where he keeps numerous Grimm, the Grimm are there to supply the Training Facility and to be tested upon when the need arises." The three of them nodded in understanding, glad for the clarification, as Glynda moved on.

"The exercise will not be taking place any deeper into the facility; The Tunnels are a wide network, even the Main Tunnels can form a confusing network of pathways that can be easy to get lost in. More sensitive facilities important to Mountain Glenn are also within or connected vaguely to these Tunnels. There's a, 'locked' entrance and exit connecting the network to The Rail should something happen to the city at large. I'm sure Mr. Midoriya here already knows a little something about that."

'Yeah; if a Grimm incursion ever came from The Rail itself, several steel gates would slam shut between the surface city and The Rail, while the entrance to The Tunnel would be opened up, all remotely. That's when The Tunnels as trapped dead ends would come into play.'

"We'd rather not have live exercises potentially involving the various Semblances or Dust that you students use anywhere near any of these Tunnels. They're sturdy and stable, but there are civilians working within The Tunnels at any given time; we'd rather not interrupt their work or endanger them should something unforeseen occur during your exercise." The three of them nodded in understanding as Glynda sighed. "Now then, as for the exercises themselves, they'll be overseen by Professor Yagi, Professor Aizawa and one Ju Mittsu; she's a local Huntress specializing in Mountain Glenn's local flavors of Survival and Rescue, who'll be there to pull you all out of the fire should anything unforeseen happen with The Grimm while they're being herded into the Training Facility itself." They all blinked as they tilted their heads.

"Huh? What about you Professor Goodwitch?" Glynda adjusted her spectacles as she looked at her students.

"It'll be my job to oversee students who shall be on 'off' circulations of the training exercise. The Underground Facility, while large, would be rather... cramped for the purposes of our exercises if we had the entire First Year Class shoved in at once. Thus, teams will be taking part in the exercise throughout the day, being cycled out as they complete it and waiting in Mountain Glenn while their turn comes up. To make sure no one gets into trouble or runs off before they complete the exercise, I and a few other teachers will be keeping our eyes on them." Glynda produced a side screen that, Izuku saw, looked similar to the program that she used to determine who was up to be challenged for Class Spars. "Thus, Five Teams will enter the training facility at once. Teams have already been determined through lottery and the schedule for the day has been established." Glynda turned her gaze back to the students. "Teams that finish the exercise are considered done with classes for the day and are thus free to do whatever they wish from that point on... consider it the beginning of your Color Week vacation.

"Now then, as for the exercise itself it's a more complicated Search and Destroy. While your time in the Emerald Forest may have shown you individually capable or capable with a partner of taking on some amount of Grimm, this exercise will be meant to test full team's capabilities at new limits in an environment we can control. A larger number of Grimm, something more akin to what you'll actually encounter in the broader wild and not what you might find in The Emerald Forest, will be brought into the Facility and held in some location or another. Your exercise will be to seek them out and, upon locating them, destroy them. The five teams will be taking this exercise at once, settled into different sections of the Training Facility, so that none of you can watch each other's strategies and plan accordingly for your own run at the exercise. Everyone will be doing it at the same time with the same amount of knowledge about what exactly they'll be expected to face in terms of numbers and location. The exercises are expected to take place over the course of an hour."

With all that said, Glynda closed the programs on her pad. "Now then, that's the information that's available to you all, as students, should need to know. If you have other questions, now would be the time to ask."

"Well, Professor Goodwitch... I mean, hypothetically speaking, let's say worst case scenario; something happens with the Grimm and we end up in some kind of emergency situation. We can't get to our Scrolls or they're otherwise destroyed in the middle of the fight. How might we contact the authorities?" Glynda blinked a few times at Izuku's question, though that eased into her neutral expression as she pressed a finger to her lips.

"For the purposes of this Field Trip? Well... in the main Training Facility, there isn't a way; you'll be right next to the main entrance, so if something like that were to occur, you'd be expected to just turn around, let one of us open up the door, and evacuate. Between Aizawa, Yagi and Mittsu, such a thing wouldn't have to be worried about and, as I said, with its proximity to the main entrance there isn't a special means of contacting the outside world." Glynda frowned slightly as she pressed a finger to her chin. "Now, I know that there are chambers within The Tunnels that 'do' have those sorts of communications to the outside world. The Hunters and civilians workers assigned to the various Tunnels would know more about that. Considering that we're going to stay in the main training facility, that has been information that's been left out of our hands. 'Need to know basis' it was explained."

"Okay, fair enough." Izuku responded as he scratched the back of his head, doing his best to think up further questions. "Where exactly will all the students not taking part in the exercise, and the Teachers overlooking them, be staying at?" At that, Glynda sighed as she shook her head.

"Mr. Midoriya, take my word for it, that's not something you'll need to worry about." Izuku frowned and moved to speak up, but Glynda raised her hand. "Mr. Midoriya, I understand that you're being thorough but, honestly, you don't need to worry so much. There will be three highly qualified Hunters overlooking your exercises, more in the city and Tunnels themselves and the security of Mountain Glenn is a matter they try to handle with the utmost seriousness. Something you should know well."

"Yeah, but-"

"It will be okay, Mr. Midoriya." Glynda said more firmly and, by that point, he could tell that she was done answering further questions. He looked over his shoulder at Tenya and Ruby and saw that they were getting a similar read of the situation that he was. With that, Izuku sighed slightly and gave a slight bow of his head to Glynda.

"Thanks for the information Professor, we appreciate it." With that Glynda nodded and ushered them all off, the three of them leaving the office they had found Glynda in. As they entered the halls of Beacon Academy, the fact of how late it had gotten really struck them all.

"Well I think it's safe to say that, with that, today's Club Meeting can be adjourned." Tenya declared with a few sluggish hand motions, Ruby having nodded in agreement as she gave a short yawn.

"Yeah, I think so too. That's all good to know at least; sounds like this field trip will be fun!" The silver eyed young woman chirped, and her smile widened at the nods of affirmation she received. "Welp, I'll see you guys tomorrow then! Hopefully we all get slotted into the same group!"

"I feel like those are pretty long odds, Miss Rose." Tenya declared, though with a smile on his face, which had made it clear that he desired much the same. "We'll see what tomorrow brings though. Till then, good night to you both!"

"Goodnight you two." Izuku called back as Ruby and Tenya made their way back to their respective dorms, a slight yawn having crawled its way from between his as he shrugged. Maybe Glynda was right; there was so much in place for tomorrow, he didn't necessarily 'have' to worry about it. Nothing bad seemed likely to happen.

Still, that didn't help the slight nagging feeling in the back of his head as he walked off back to his dorm room. It was why, when he pulled out his Scroll to check through its functions, his eyes had landed on the signal feature that he'd gotten done finalizing. While all students had access to a broadband emergency signal that called on everyone in the area, it was considered only usable for just that; emergencies. Plus, when using it in the generic sense, it didn't necessarily identify who they were, just their location. It might've been easy for a lot of people to pass it off as something not to worry about, as that was something of a concern in the past.

Which was why Izuku'd set up his Scroll directly into the system; with a press of a button, it wasn't potentially some trouble-making rando who was calling into the system to stir up trouble but, hopefully, a student everyone knew wouldn't' do that with it. Furthermore, the feature allowed him more rapid access to the emergency signal; now if something happened, getting a call for help out was only one button press and a mere few seconds away. Hopefully, in any given emergency situation, that would be enough.

Izuku tried to assure yourself that Glynda was right and all it would be unnecessary but... well, better safe than sorry, right?

There was something almost tranquil in how you work with One For All in the early moments of a Smash.

Being Broken for the longest time, Izuku had had no idea what it felt like to have a Soul, to have that 'power' deep down inside of him. That warmth that he woke up to every morning, that feeling of his body tingling all-too pleasantly through his fingers and toes as his Soul worked to put him into tip top shape. That feeling, when he really focused in on it and just let the outside world 'go'... it was an immensely calming feeling, able to put them at ease at about any time. It was that feeling, that sensation, that he first started pulling upon as he focused on readying One For All's power.

That was just his Soul, however, his Aura. One For All? One For All was its own thing entirely; having worked with it for so long, there was no mistaking it anymore; One For All was separate from his soul... but intermingled. It was weird; the great mass of power deep within him pressed into all the little bits of him that weren't complete, that marked him as a Child of The Moon, and 'made' him whole by taking away what left him empty. Yet, it hadn't necessarily intermingled with his soul... though, from what he'd gathered from Toshinori's very 'vague' feelings about his own Soul, that might not always be the case. For now though, One For All was part of him yet separate from him, his but not his. It was such an odd feeling... especially when he considered the depth of power he felt in his Semblance.

It was pulling on that where things slowly transitioned beyond calming tranquility and into a... 'thrill'. As Izuku grabbed onto a chunk of One For All's power, he could almost immediately feel a charge that ran up his arm, slowly but surely passing through the entirety of his body as it built up strength. His muscles expanded, his heart beat faster and stronger, his lungs pulled in more oxygen and he just felt 'raw power' coursing through his veins. He was careful, however; he knew all too well that too much of that power would end up leading to an extreme: his muscles would tear themselves apart, his heart would feel like his head was a lead weight on top of it and his lungs would scream from the effort they were putting into keeping him alive... not to mention his bones and skin.

He distinctly felt like 'not' mentioning his bones and skin.

So while the thrill was there, always enticing him with its power, he was more careful in cases where he only wanted a small fraction of One For All's power. 5% , the most he could control safely. He'd pull and pull and eventually, with enough care, that chunk of One For All would tear away and fill his being, focusing in on the area he was trying to empower using One For All; in the case of a Smash, his fist.

Now, that all took place in the span of seconds when he used One For All like that, but from the sheer amount of times he'd gone through the exercises he had, the feelings were 'quite' familiar to him. It hadn't been a matter of learning those feelings, but in learning to control them, that his latest training with the 5% Beacon Smash had been meant to overcome.

And in that moment, as he took a deep breath, drawing the power of One For All into his fist as he reared it back, it all clicked for him in one, singular moment.

"BEACON... SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!"

It's small, so small compared to a 100% Smash, but Izuku could actually feel it that time. Izuku could feel the flow of power focus into his knuckles as he threw his punch and, when his blow fully extended, he could 'feel' all that force leaving him at once, blowing out into a small gust of wind that spiraled out away from him, kicking up dust and dirt as it did so. He took a few deep breaths as he clenched his fist; not a single bone broken, blood vessel popped or muscle torn.

"Well Mr. Midoriya; if you can pull that off a few more times, I think it'd be quite safe to say that you've successfully mastered your Smash." Izuku quickly turned his head to face Glynda as she adjusted her glasses, a small smile on her face as she watched him.

He couldn't help but smile back as he tightened his hand into a fist, feeling the remnants of One For All's power slowly seep back into the sea of his Soul.

...

...

'Gods, the tension is killing me!'

Izuku really didn't understand what had gone wrong! Was the cake actually terrible yesterday and Weiss had just been too polite to say anything? Had he done something stupid in after the two of them burying the hatchet on the whole awkwardness thing? He'd taken a shower that morning, right, he didn't offend? What could've...

Okay, backtracking, Izuku tried to think of what exactly was going on. So Pyrrha and Nora had decided that they were going to take a quick trip to the air dock to pick up some food they all had ordered for dinner. Not that the dining hall hadn't been great but they all had decided that they could use some extra time to study, mostly on Weiss' insistence, and that just eating something ordered out would let them all eat in their dorm room, thus saving time and attention that could be spent on their studies. Izuku hadn't really seen a reason to disagree and, so, there they all were. Things had been fine while they all studied, waiting for the food to arrive. Everyone was chatting and getting along and it just seemed like things were great!

Then Pyrrha and Nora left and... bam, all of a sudden Izuku could 'feel' a tension in the room that hadn't been there before as he and Weiss just silently sat and waited for the other two to return, the two of them having turned to their studies. In that particular case it had been survival study, to cover for Weiss and Pyrrha, and what they all had been looking into was the practice of using gatherings of small birds in order to figure out what might be going on in a given area; small birds of prey like hawks usually signified the presence of game that Hunters could kill while out on a mission to sustain themselves, songbirds meant that huntsman wouldn't needed to worry about anything dangerous like The Grimm being around, etc.

There was no Earthly explanation for 'why' Weiss suddenly got so tense, so 'angry' and yet, there it was! H could practically feel it wafting off of her... and having patched it up, to have it all go so mysteriously wrong and still have Weiss be upset, it had just been too much for him to bear!

"Weiss, I'm sorry, please tell me what I did wrong and I'll fix it!" Comical tears flooded out of the corners of his eyes as he suddenly called out, Weiss nearly falling backwards in her chair as she just barely caught herself, the surprise having been a bit much for her.

"Izuku, what are you even talking about?" Izuku flinched as Weiss shouted at him, the girl having been thoroughly surprised by his sudden outburst.

"AAAAH! It's just you got so angry when Pyrrha and Nora left and I was the only person here and we had that talk yesterday so I thought you were still mad at me and I just didn'twantallthatefforttogotowastesopleastWeissjust-"

"IZUKU!" Weiss' cheeks turned slightly red at his outburst as she shouted, her sudden raise in volume having been enough to silence him. "I'm not mad at you!" Izuku watched her face for a moment as he tried to discern whether or not she's telling the truth... and he felt relief hit him like a truck. Thank the Gods, she wasn't actually mad. After that past week, getting into another spat like that hadn't exactly appealed to him at all.

"So then why are you so upset. Heck, you're so palpably so that I can feel it from all the way over here." That tinge of red remained on Weiss' cheeks, clearly embarrassed that she'd allowed her annoyance to show, as she just turned with a slight huff.

"It's nothing, don't-" Weiss stopped as she took one look at his concerned expression. "... You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"I wouldn't really be doing my job as a Team Leader if I did, would I?" Weiss sighed as she shook her head at his unquestionable logic.

"Gods, you can be worse than Nora sometimes..." Weiss muttered as she brushed out the folds in her skirt that had formed from her sudden jerking around. "Izuku it's... look, I was reading the material and I was just... thinking about a little problem that I've had recently." Izuku tilted his head to the side, curiosity evident on his features as Weiss just stared him down. When it became even more clear that he definitely wasn't backing off this, Weiss just heaved a sigh as she shook her head. "Look, I was... reading about these birds and it made me think of Shoto."

...

"How does that even work? What does Shoto have to do with birds?" Izuku asked, honestly befuddled, as Weiss' face turned even further red.

"It, I... look, it'd make sense if you were in my head! It's part of this very intricate little metaphor that I had going!" Izuku wondered if Weiss thought of people in metaphorical terms often, but he decided to 'not' prod her on this and instead just get to the meat of the issue.

"Alright Weiss, so why would thinking of Shoto make you so upset?" Izuku asked, expecting a restrained answer from Weiss.

"Because he's a know-nothing jerk, that's why." ...

Well, he was partially right. Weiss, obviously holding back a little bit of vitriol so as to seem at least somewhat in control and in line with her image as an Atlesian Upper-class person, still managed to speak with that restrained nature... even if her distaste for Shoto was still evident.

"... So... I take it there's a story behind this, or did this just kind of happen..." Weiss frowned, the Heiress having turned in her seat as she folded her arms.

"There is a story behind this, but... frankly, I don't see too much of a point in sharing it. It's a rather simple affair; Shoto decided that he would address some rumors in order to ascertain 'why' I, Weiss Schnee, a 'pampered Diva' had decided to come to Beacon Academy in order to study rather than stay in Atlas so she could enjoy the company of her father's social sphere." Weiss shrugged her shoulders as she laid it all out. "I mean, no big deal right, it's just Shoto Todoroki showing that he's a miserable... person." It's clear she'd had another word on her mind rather than the last one she'd uttered.

"... Okay, that's... kind of... oof." Izuku scratched the back of his head, trying to think of something. "I mean, Shoto can be blunt, but... I dunno." The Schnee Heiress clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she shook her head.

"If you ask me, it makes perfect sense; it's hardly a wonder he seems like such a miserable person like that if that's how he behaves with people. Dipping into rumors of their upbringing so that he can throw it in their face and belittle them, as if there isn't plenty of muck to kick around with his family. At least that brute Bakugo's insults are surface level and easily brushed off to the side as the ill-mannered idiocy of a lout." Weiss placed her hands on her hips, while Izuku just frowned. That... sounded like it could form a very deep sore spot between Team MNVW and Team RSBR. Whether or not Shoto meant the things Weiss said that he'd said, it'd be bad if, on future assignment, the bad blood between the two ended up causing an issue. If Weiss was that upset and laying into Shoto so much, to the point of comparing Bakugo favorably to him even if it was just two negatives, then whatever Shoto had said had seriously touched one of Weiss' nerves, in a way that even he hadn't managed to do so.

"Weiss... maybe run the entire story by me, alright?" The light blue eyes of the Heiress turned to him as him requested this... but she sighed in annoyance as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Fine, fine... you're going to insist, I already know it..."

About five minutes later, Izuku was just left...befuddled

He would freely open to admitting that he didn't know Shoto Todoroki 'that' well. The two had, thus far, only had the one conversation and, during it, even he could admit that Shoto was... blunt. Very, very blunt. In some ways that was good, he knew what he was thinking without having to decipher too much... but that could also lead him to being pretty intense, like when he'd, apparently, stepped on a bit of a landmine. Aside from that and having met him in the locker room before Initiation, Izuku couldn't honestly say that he knew that much about Shoto aside from that. However, that was still enough for him to consider two things; that it might've just been Shoto being Shoto in that incredibly blunt way of his and asking a question in a way that 'really' could've been worded better... or maybe Weiss was right on the money with her characterization of those statements.

Point was, there was no way for Izuku to be certain and that's what concerned him. If it was the latter, fine enough, Weiss and Shoto just weren't going to be friends. It happened; not everyone could get along, after all. Some people were just 'different'. It'd mean that he and Ruby would have to manage things between their teams carefully but, hey, that was acceptable. If, however, it was the former then he really wanted to be able to help. Having relations between Team RSBR and Team MNVW hurt over a misunderstanding hadn't been something he was exactly wanting to happen; having said misunderstanding and hurt be between two of the stronger members of the Teams who could, otherwise, really synch up well in a given situation would've been even worse. Plus, it would've really stung to see two people, one he already considered a friend and one he hoped considered him a friend (though it could be hard to tell with Shoto), be on bad terms with each other over what had been, in essence, a misunderstanding.

Still, he knew Weiss well enough to know that she wasn't necessarily going to bend easily. Judging by the sounds of it, that wasn't just some embarrassment or a misunderstanding like between him and her; Weiss thought that Shoto had done some direct insult to her in some way, though Izuku couldn't exactly say how as Weiss seemed tight lipped on that herself. So he had to make sure Weiss knew he was on her side; after all, for all he knew, Weiss 'had' been rather badly insulted by Shoto. He wanted it to not be true but... well, Weiss was his team member and his friend, he'd support her if the worst turned out to be true.

""Hey Weiss, do you remember when back before Initiation, when you were talking to Pyrrha, Tenya, and Shoto? You said you were hoping for all four of you to be on a team; that Pyrrha was supposed to be this incredibly strong fighter from Mistral and... well, I mean, you and I both knew that Tenya's and Shoto's families were famous, so that hadn't been much of a surprise." Weiss arched a brow as he started, though it seemed she'd been content to hear him out. "Well... here's a question to consider; why didn't they go to their home cities instead?"

Weiss furrowed her brow, though he was sure he spotted a genuine gem of curiosity behind her eyes. "I mean, they all have clout, they all have status; Pyrrha probably would've been a big person on Haven's campus if she'd gone there, and the same is absolutely true for Shoto. They would've both benefited from their status, same with Tenya... yet they're all here at Beacon instead of where they were born."

"I'm sure everyone has their own reason for doing so too... and, well, if I saw someone else who'd done something similar to me, I might be curious as to what brought them to Beacon too. Now, I don't want to pry, but from the sound of it he was curious and decided to ask you directly. Very directly." Weiss nodded along with him up until that point, whereupon he could practically 'see' her hairs stand on end.

"So what, you think he was just curious and blithely asked me that kind of thing like that? Izuku, I thought-"

"I do agree that the way he asked sounded pretty rude." Izuku cutoff Weiss, while it clearly annoyed her, did cause her to stop her accusation, her body language settling down even as a frown remained on her face. "Now, do I think he was being spiteful when he asked it... I honestly don't know Weiss." Weiss actually raised an eyebrow at that as he shrugged. "I've only talked to the guy once, but that was enough to know that he could be incredibly blunt. Now, I'm not saying that to defend him or ask you to forgive him; like I said, I only know that he's blunt, I don't know if he was being a jerk about this or if it was just an accident. I can't say for certain either way." It was subtle how the frown rose from Weiss' face, replaced by her lips having settled into just a thin line. Not a smile or a frown, just a neutral expression, and Izuku furrowed his brow, trying to figure out what she was thinking.

'Man, I still really can't read people.'

"With that said, I still don't think its necessarily in your best interest to sit here and make yourself more and more upset over all this. I think it might be better if you went ahead and asked him about it yourself, on your own terms." At that, Weiss rolled her eyes, less annoyed or aggravated and more in an 'obviously' sort of way.

"I guess I still should've seen this coming." Weiss remarked as Izuku shrugged his shoulders.

"I mean, I'm only saying this because I think it's to your benefit." Weiss quirked an eyebrow at that, obviously finding that line of logic a bit hard to believe. "I mean, think about it; if you find out what made him ask and what his intentions were, you can know for certain rather than being upset about what seems like the reason. Either he was just being blunt and it was a mistake and you can avoid making a misunderstanding with a fellow Hunter this early into our year, someone whose on a Team that we have friends on-" Weiss did seem to wince a bit at that, "-or you'll find out that you were right and you'll get your perception of Shoto confirmed... and at that point no one can really argue with you that what he said wasn't horribly rude." Izuku did his best to give Weiss a smile as he nodded at her. "I mean, either way I'll have your back because... well, one way, you stand to benefit from doing this or, the other way, I'll support you because Shoto was genuinely rude to you."

Izuku saw Weiss was doing her best to keep that even expression after she recovered from her wince. It was almost like a battle of wills between he and her; Weiss' stubborn insistence that she's in the right and doesn't actually need to go out and address things with Shoto against his insistence that it was for the better she did. In any given situation where Weiss might've had a leg to stand on, she might've taken that leg and gone with it, fighting against his suggestion and insisting that he was just against her in this case and being 'typical' Izuku...

Yet eventually Izuku watched as Weiss even expression gave way to a slightly weary one, a sigh escaping her lips as she rubbed her temples. "You did just have to make me consider that I've gotten into 'another' fight this week that might not be necessary, did you..." Weiss shot Izuku a look before he could gain a feeling of victory. "Not saying you're right, because you might be very 'wrong'... but I am saying that you've introduced some doubt." Weiss sighed as she shook her head. "It would be very foolish if I started some stupid fight with an up and coming Hunter from our year over a misunderstanding... it would be for the best if I at least got clarification." He smiled as he gave a firm nod to that.

"Absolutely." Izuku said, hoping to encourage Weiss... though the Heiress did suddenly seem a bit nervous.

"Although... that may be a bit tougher than it could've been." Izuku tilted his head to the side as Weiss coughs into her fist. "In my... frustration with Shoto... I may have said something rather... rude myself before departing, leaving him not an opportunity to speak back."

Izuku blinked as Weiss told him the very last bit of the tale... and he winced. Even Izuku knew that there was 'something' sensitive about his powers for Shoto that he really hadn't wanted to speak up about, though it seemed like Weiss might've known a bit more about the rumors than Izuku did. "Hmmm... Izuku?" Weiss said with a bit of a dry chuckle as she scratched her cheek. "Since you're in such a... gracious mood with your advice... might I ask for... I dunno... a little bit of advice on how I might... break the ice, as it were?"

"First off Weiss, Yang would be proud of that pun." Izuku say with a slight smile that he would swear wasn't teasing as Weiss just seemed confused for a moment.

"What are you..." Weiss' eyes went wide as the girl suddenly screams a bit. "AAAAH, SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! I DIDN'T MEAN TO! IT JUST HAPPENED, THAT STUPID BLONDE HAS JUST GOTTEN IN MY HEAD!"

Izuku chuckled a bit as Weiss had her miniature freak out.

Weiss's head turned, and her eyes locked with his.

Izuku heard screaming in the distance.

The chuckling stopped.

"A-Anyway, I think the direct approach is the best. Find a place both of you are comfortable talking, and start off by saying that are sorry for having said what you said at the end. I know why you did it, but you obviously regret having said it, and I know from experience that a good way to help with a situation like this is to admit something you did wasn't right."

"... I suppose that is a good thing to have learned, yes." Weiss commented as she scratched her cheek, the moment having caused Izuku to grin.

"After that, you could just ask why he wanted to know. Get him to open up some, and maybe from there you'll be able to tell how much of what he said was just being accidentally rude or not." Izuku tapped his chin slightly as he thought over the rest. "I'll leave it to you as to whether or not you'd want to share your reasons for coming to Beacon. Those are yours and your alone, and I trust your judgment on whether or not you'd want to open up about that." Weiss nodded. "And I think it'd be a good idea if you try to keep an open mind. If this was all a misunderstanding, he may well stick his foot in his mouth again without meaning to, so you should try to remember that and be the bigger person by letting it go."

"And if it wasn't?" Weiss responded, a slight arch to her brow.

"Then you were right and we just move on from there." Izuku shrugged his shoulders. With that, Weiss seemed to take his advice into account. It was a tense few seconds but, finally, the Heiress sighed as she placed a hand on her forehead.

"Alright Izuku... we'll see. If something does end up coming up, I'll do my best to remember your advice. If nothing else... I appreciate that you're trying." He smiled a bit as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Hey Weiss, it's no problem. We're friends after all and I don't want to see potential friends stuck in an argument if it can be avoided."

"HEY GUYS!"

Nora reemerged with two full plastic bags, with several boxes stacked on top of the other, and the smells of well cooked food emanating from within. Pyrrha was right behind her, with her arms filled with even more bags, as well half a sandwich sticking out of her mouth.

"DINNER TIME!"

"Yeah," Izuku smiled at them, before returning his gaze to Weiss, "Dinner sounds good."

"Yes it does."

"Of course you'd say that Weiss," Nora continued, "I mean, when have you ever said no to a meal?"

"EXCUSE ME?"

Izuku silently chuckled, as Weiss seemed to return to normal, beginning to bark at her partner with a vitriol that seemed about routine now. Pyrrha moved over and sat back, down, handing him his bag of food. She seemed to flip her head back, and the last of the sandwich disappeared into her gullet.

"Everything going okay?" she asked, not missing a beat as she opened up another box of her own food, and seemed to be deciding what she was going to have next, "I know you and Weiss were a bit off earlier, and I hope leaving you two alone for a while wasn't a problem"

"Oh yeah," Izuku nodded. He thought about the upcoming trip back to Mountain Glenn and Weiss's really bad week, and the hopeful resolution to come.

"Everything seems to be looking up."

A/N: Sorry for being a day late, had a presentation come due earlier this week and so I lost track of the update schedule. Next update will come out on the 23rd, same as the old schedule, my apologies.

Thought I'd also mention the P atreon as we've hit 50 chapters; people who donate get to vote on outtakes that get written for the story (though it'll be as part of how far along the Quest is) and people who donate enough get to nominate ideas that get voted on entirely. It's easy to find if you search up either my name or the Inkasters and the site.

-gorilla_fingers