Chapter 11: DramaRama: IE

Character Change: Viralious- Ifiral Phenrix

Location Atlas Academy: Combat Training Classroom

Ifiral's blade slammed into the poor bastard's weapon, the sword, while a thing of fine craftsmanship wasn't able to withstand Ifiral's burning might. Cutting through the metal like it was paper, Ifiral's strike continued before connecting into his opponent's shoulder causing their aura to flash quickly before shattering and being thrown across the room.

Snarling Ifiral yells "Get up, I'm not finished with you yet."

Ifiral during his brooding grabbed his weapon from the locker room and was doing training drills until Kris and his team challenged him to a series of one on ones to see who was stronger. Seeing this as the perfect way to let off steam, Ifiral naturally accepted and defeated each member up until then. Leaving only Kris staring at the pissed off Ifiral.

"I-I, ow… My aura's broken, I can't keep fighting." The boy on the ground whimpered out, his blue eyes looking like they were filled with tears. He was forgettable, so much so Ifiral didn't remember if he had heard his name.

"Fine, salt your wounds and get the last member of your team down here. I'm still waiting for a challenge." Ifiral grumbled.

From the stands another member of Kris's team… team KNGT if he remembered correctly went and helped the boy on the ground basically dragging the limping tool with him.

Ifiral's eyes focused on his next opponent as he made his way down the stairs. Kris Winston, strong, confident, and muscular. However, from his fight today in class he knew he was bullheaded and a one-track mind…. Oh, and a racist, so he was going to enjoy beating the shit out of him.

Kris reached the opposite end of the ring, his simple claymore held over his shoulder, he looked smug on the surface, but his eyes showed fear. He was sizing Ifiral up, looking at the weapon Ifiral held with one hand effortlessly. Slowly he lowered into a fighting stance.

Ifiral laughed, Kris Winston, a supposed huntsman prodigy who graduated near the top of his class at Shelter, was holding his claymore with his arms too close together. It was almost ironic how obvious it was, with his current stance if Ifiral attacked from the left side he could easily break his guard and arm simply with his weapon alone. Something Ifiral knew he was going to do.

Breathing in Ifiral leveled his weapon in front of him, shifting it into two hands and holding it in a low guard. Weapon facing his opponent, he then suddenly burst forward and used his semblance to throw a small fireball to distract Kris.

Kris took the bait and shifted his blade to block it causing his arms to come together too closely, this gave Ifiral the perfect opportunity he closed the distance on the left and brought his blade into an upward strike starting at Kris' crotch. The blade cut straight up and actually disarmed Kris and caused him to stagger. Before his opponent could recover, Ifiral brought his large blade back into his target in an L shape from before finishing with a cross slash to Kris' torso.

Kris's aura flashed but survived the onslaught and was thrown back toward the edge of the arena. If this was a normal match in a tournament or a class, it would have been a ring out. Ifiral simply lifted his blade to his side and started walking towards his opponent with a deep scowl.

This is not nearly as good of a way to blow of steam as I was hoping, this fucker must have bought his way through Shelter… if it wasn't for that aura of his he probably is just Grimm chow.

Kris then gave a deep shout, suddenly a slight twitching was seen within his muscles, and they started rapidly expanding, going from looking like he could bench 300 pounds to nearly 600 in a moment.

Must be his semblance, temporary muscle boosting… It oddly fits.

Kris begins to rush Ifiral's arms in a stance that makes it look like he's ready to grapple Ifiral before suddenly.

"That's enough. This match would have ended in Ifiral's victory and if it was my class, I would have called it long before this point" Professor Kaine suddenly shouts from the entrance way. This causes both combatants to stop. Kaine looked at both of them with a look that screamed "I'm fucking pissed." Ifiral just stared deadpan while Kris attempted to keep his cool.

"Team KNGT get the fuck out of here and back to your rooms and expect extra drills tomorrow during class those fights were fucking shit shows." The team in question looked at the professor stunned before she continues looking them dead in the eyes "DID I FUCKING STUTTER? NO! CAUSE I'M NOT BASIL! SO, GET YOUR SORRY ASSES THE HELL OUT OF MY CLASSROOM BEFORE I DRAG YOU OUT!" she screamed.

Team KNGT fled out of the room as fast as they could leaving Ifiral standing in the middle of the arena. He lowered his blade and eventually twirled it around with a spin before attaching it to his back. He then turned to his pink haired professor with an expressionless face "I think they bought the pissed off bootcamp instructor vibe you were going for."

Kaine then turned to him, and her scowl changed from one of anger to one of annoyance. "Ifiral, I'm disappointed in you."

This caused Ifiral to raise an eyebrow "Why? Because I technically broke rules and fought them past tournament and class regulations?"

"No, because you made me lose a bet with your brother." She responded deadpan. This caused Ifiral to drop his neutral look into one of annoyance. "Seriously I bet that you would at least go a week without picking fights with the rich bastards."

"Well sorry to disappoint you, but shit happens. So then If you're going to punish me, make it quick so I can get back to beating the shit out of something." Ifiral said going into an eyeroll.

"Well, I could make you clean the toilets with a toothbrush but we both know that you're just going to use your semblance to boil some cleaning solution and get it done quickly. So instead, your punishment is to talk about what's going on with your sister-in-law." Kaine said, shifting into a neutral tone.

Ifiral's face contorted to one of pure shock and surprise before he turned to his professor, nearly giving himself whiplash in the process "Wait, he finally popped the question?! That doesn't sound Regis in the slightest."

Kaine chuckles at this "Well, no. Officially he hasn't gotten down on one knee but I've suddenly seen a bill for a ring on his finances, so I figure he's going to soon." She puts her hands into the air making a slight shrug "I mean five years seems like a long enough time to be dating beforehand."

Ifiral grumbles something inaudible under his breath that Kaine cannot pick up on before she crosses her arms "So then Ifiral, the fuck's got you in a tizzy?"

"It's nothing."

"If it was nothing, I would have seen you actually use your head instead of fighting them in the middle of the school. So, I'll ask again what's eatin ya." Kaine says taking a seat in the front row of the stands before patting the space next to her signaling for Ifiral to sit next to her.

Sighing, Ifiral makes his way over to the stands and drops next to Kaine. "There was a fight in Team VIEW's dorm today after classes, Eckhart was being his stuck up self and well things got out of hand. He started insulting everyone and when he got to me, he mentioned my scars and… well you can probably guess how that went." He speaks quietly but still with underlying rage.

"Well Eckhart's alive and the general hasn't arrested you yet so I think it's gone better than some in the past. Ifiral I know it's still hard but you've got to understand you did what you could you-"

"I know that. It's just having to see it every day is enough of a reminder of my failure. I don't need people to rub salt in further." He said, placing one hand on his chin looking bored.

"This isn't the only reason you're hiding out, Ifiral. If it was, you would have gone back to the hotel remains. We both know that, so what else is eating at you?" Kaine says, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Ifiral first responds by grabbing Kaine's arm and pushing it off his, including a little bit of fire to further his message. He then leaned back against the stands "It's my partner and team. Viralious and Winter seem like they get along fine but Eckhart loves to hear himself talk. He expects me to always take his side on everything since I'm his partner. Today he was bitching about how Viralious isn't a good leader since he let us go off on our own and do our own thing! I mean, the fuck!? He's the leader of the team, not our handler! He then started getting snippy with Viralious asking questions that were obviously meant to either make him uncomfortable or get a rise out of him. He then had the audacity to insult my scars after Initaition where I gave him a clear answer of don't fucking ask!" His tone was one of annoyance and little anger, the rage that was there before seemed to have simmered down.

"I see so it's your partner he-"

"It's also that for some reason I know that he's probably the best partner I could have gotten. During Initiation before we found Winter and Viralious we fought a lot of Saybrs… He was surprisingly understanding and seemed honestly like a decent guy then. It's just changed now that we're an actual team." Ifiral quickly spilled out

Kaine blinked for a moment before nodding, "And you thought that maybe with time he would go back to how he was during Initiation but now you think you've ballsed it up."

Ifiral didn't respond but gave nonverbal cues that she was correct. Kaine then leaned forward and looked Ifiral in the eyes "Well for starters it's probably not too late, me and Regis HATED each other's guts when we first met but eventually, we worked through it and got to the point where he's rearranging my guts." She finishes with a small smirk.

Ifiral in response to this gives her a shove (it was more of a punch but who was actually paying attention) knocking her off the stands where Kaine falls onto the floor laughing slightly. "Alright then Tali, what would you recommend me doing?" Ifiral grumbles

Kaine narrows her eyes "It's Professor Kaine as long as I'm still your professor, and it will still be after I marry your brother. For starters you should apologize for blowing up on him and try to explain your thoughts. If he's a decent human being he'll take them into consideration at least." Kaine then stands up and offers a hand to Ifiral "All you've got to do is take that first step. Then the rest is up to him."

Ifiral looked at the hand for a second before taking it and pulling himself up. "Thanks for the pep talk, Tali." he smiled slightly.

Kaine rolled her eyes "Well then go put your stuff away and get back to your dorm, it's getting late, and you've got Murt's class in the morning, you're going to want to be awake for it."

With that, Ifiral began walking back towards the locker room with Kaine watching him leave. A moment after Ifiral had entered the locker room Kaine smirks and exits the classroom saying to herself "Well Regis can't win a bet unless I actually report him" before skipping away.

Character Change: Ifiral Phenrix- Eckhart Slate

Location Atlas Academy: Elevator to General Ironwood's Office.

The lone elevator to Ironwood's office was quiet, no music, beeps signaling the floor; it was just cold dark silence. Eckhart stood in the middle of the elevator; arms held behind his back. His cheek smarted as he resisted the urge to cover it. Standing there Eckhart thought about his plans for the year and how his uncle had dashed them. Purposely he concluded.

With a silent thunk the elevator came to a stop and the twin silver doors began to open showing his uncle's large office. The dim, low light barely reveals the two figures inside. Ironwood sat at his desk looking quite cross at Basil who had her arms on his desk and seemed like she was complaining or arguing with something he just told her.

"Basil, I'm sorry, but I cannot reauthorize that program. I have yet to see something that would warrant it." Ironwood practically shouted with a harsh tone.

Basil slammed her hands on the desk, "General, ge-get your he-head out of yo-your semblance and look at the facts you need to-"

"Basil, we have company, drop it. My stance on this matter remains the same until you bring something that would warrant it. Now, if you'll excuse me, my nephew has come to see me, and I would like to help him." Ironwood said while looking at Eckhart exiting the elevator.

Basil simply blinked at the general before turning on her heel and exiting the office. Grumbling something about mettle on her way down.

"So, Eckhart, what brings you to my office? Here to complain about-"

"I would like to request a team transfer general."

Ironwood's eyes bulged slightly "And why would that be, Eckhart?"

Breathing in, Eckhart ignored the pain still emanating from his cheek "They are uncooperative vagabonds who feel the need to micromanage everything and criticize every statement or spoken word."

"Eckhart," Ironwood said deadpan, "that sounds more like you to be honest."

"Uncle, I understand that I can be… cold towards others at times, but this is to another extreme." Eckhart said with slight rage building.

"Denied," Ironwood said in a monotone voice.

"What?"

"I said your request is denied, Eckhart." Ironwood said again while pressing a button on his desk causing a pair of chairs to begin to rise from the ground.

"Why?"

"It's the first day Eckhart, what could possibly have happened that makes you think I would give you a team transfer-"

"My partner assaulted me."

"What were you doing that caused it?"

Eckhart's eyes went wide, "You're blaming me for getting assaulted!?"

Ironwood looks him dead in the eyes "Yes, in fact I am Eckhart. I 100% believe that you brought it on yourself… that being said I will have Professor Kaine speak with Ifiral and see that an adequate punishment is handed down to him." Ironwood then motioned for Eckhart to sit on one of the two chairs while he took a seat behind his desk.

Eckhart stared at his uncle in pure shock, how could he blame him for getting assaulted by his teammates? His mind was running a million miles per minute before Ironwood pressed a button on his desk. Suddenly a screen appeared on Ironwood's desk and powered on, Ironwood then proceeded to place his scroll on the table causing the picture on it to expand.

It was an old picture taken long before Eckhart was born. There was Ironwood's team at Atlas when he was only 17. Eckhart scanned the photo, before his eyes landed on Ironwood. His eyes were less hardened but showed the same resolve that he could see in the General's stare. Eckhart then looked at the only woman in the picture. Her long silver hair draping down her back, atop her head looked to be a silver headpiece. She wore a blue and silver combat dress with metal inlays pale skin moving towards her crystal blue eyes, on her right hand was a small glove that held a dust crystal that shimmered like the sun. This woman wore no smile, but her eyes showed the same tenderness Eckhart remembered. It was his mother.

"I believe Shiva told you that we were on a team when training?" Ironwood spoke sounding like he was lost in a memory.

"She mentioned it once or twice, I mean she always spoke highly of you… even after dad…... left" Eckhart said slowly looking towards the ground, and he cupped his hands together.

"Eckhart, your father… She doesn't resent you for it." Ironwood said his cold facade was slowly cracking.

Eckhart let out a small chuckle "I know General and honestly I don't regret doing it either." a small lie as his memories replayed the moment over and over in his head.

Eckhart entered his father's study holding a stack of papers he had just pulled out of the shredder.

"Thordan Skobeloff you-"

His father eyed him carefully then saw the papers in his hand "Eckhart you know it's rude to call your father by their first name. What's that you've got there?"

"Records showing under table deals cutting some of my mother's money to a cult in Vacuo called Bozja." Eckhart spoke clearly to his father.

Thordan just raised an eyebrow "I believe you're misinterpreting those document-"

"Then explain the misunderstanding, sir" A second voice rang out from the hall. Stepping into the study was Lieutenant General/Headmaster Ironwood and following behind was a confused Shiva.

"Thordan what's going on? Why is the general saying you're planning a coup?" Eckhart's mother's tone wasn't soft like normal, it was hard… before Eckhart noticed she was wearing her weapon.

Thordan laughed, a full-blown laugh. "Well Shiva, it's true! I was planning on reshaping Atlas to a kingdom where we can fulfill the natural order of Remnant!

"Why? Why would you endanger your family for something as stupid as-" Shiva cried out.

"Family? HA! You've all just been nothing but means to an end." Thordan laughed, reaching a hand under his desk. "So, General, how did you even find out?"

"Eckhart showed me the documents while I was visiting. Listen, Thordan you can come peacefully, and I will ensure you get a fair trial." Ironwood's words were harsh, and he moved his hands to the pistol on his hip.

Suddenly, Thordan threw something into the middle of the room. A sudden flash and loud noise stuns everyone. By the time Eckhart has his wits about him again Thordan had fled the scene.

"Did you ever find him?" Eckhart asks, looking at Ironwood.

"No, we were unable to confirm any bodies were him after Bozja was raided. Someone must have started a fire specifically to make identifying them impossible. That being said, Eckhart, it's been 6 years and he's not shown up again, he's gone." Ironwood said shifting in his chair and placing his hands on the desk.

"I know that General, it's just… Mom shut down for a few months after that day and… Sometimes she still questions if he ever loved her…" Eckhart said, dejected.

Suddenly a song starts echoing throughout the room, knows it's his scroll but he lets it ring for a moment to hear his mother's voice through the speakers.

As the word wings fades out, he answers the scroll. "Hey Mom, I'm-"

"Eckhart, why is James texting me that you're in his office? Isn't it the first day?" His mother's soft voice echoes through the office.

"He was coming to ask for a team reassignment." Ironwood says loudly over the desk before prompting Eckhart to hook his scroll up to the desk so his mother could see both of them. Eckhart did just that as his mother responded

"Isn't it the first day?"

"Yes Shiva, it is." Ironwood chuckled slightly, "It sounds a little familiar, doesn't it?"

"Oh, laugh all you want James, I still think we would have won the Vytal festival tournament if I was the leader." Shiva said in a slight pout.

"Well, we can't change the past but we can look to the future, and right now your son is making the same mistake you did. Not trying to work through the problems he has with his team. As well as learning that the best leaders must first know how to follow" Ironwood said leaning back in his chair

"General, are you sure there is nothing you can do to have me change teams?" Eckhart said slightly pleading.

"No, and my decision will be final." Ironwood said firmly.

"What about reassigning me to be leader of Team VIEW?"

Ironwood shook his head before starting to speak when he got interrupted by the woman on the scroll.

"The only way to get a team's leader to change is two scenarios. Firstly, is the death of the previous leader which is not normal. The second is the leader voluntarily abdicating their position." Shiva said confidently.

"Shiva." Ironwood said, narrowing his features into a scowl.

"I was simply stating the facts James, besides it's now his leader's decision." Shiva says coldly. Eckhart knew she was on his side; she was always on his side.

Ironwood simply sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Eckhart simply sat in silence thinking. He now had his goal. Viralious had to abdicate his position! He could easily make him do that by showing his team would be in better hands with Eckhart as the leader.

"Thank you, General, for this meeting. If you'll excuse me, I would like to excuse myself so I can get a decent night's sleep before classes tomorrow." Eckhart said in a fake polite tone. He then turned to his mother on the screen. "And Mom, thank you for answering the scroll and providing support, I will not bother you outside of-"

"Eckhart I'm your mother you can call me anytime, in fact please do it gets so boring doing these recitals over and over… That being said, please call me. I like to hear from my child." Shiva's voice echoed the same warmth that he was used to.

Eckhart rolled his eyes and tried not to smile "I will, Mom, I will." he said before turning the call off of his scroll.

Ironwood gazed at Eckhart before sighing "Eckhart, please try to understand my reasoning for making Viralious the leader. I am sure it will make you a better candidate for general in the long run." His voice is one of simple exhaustion.

Eckhart froze for a moment before turning around and walking towards the elevator. Before he turns back to his uncle, "General, I don't try to understand other people's mistakes, I correct them." his tone dripping with intent.

Climbing back into the silver elevator, Eckhart took in the view of Atlas behind him. Speaking to himself, "Someday, I will be sitting in that office. Looking down at this city and keeping it safe from every threat… Nothing is going to stop that… Nothing."

Character Change:Eckhart Slate- Ifiral Phenrix

Location Atlas Academy: Team VIEW dorm common room.

Ifrial opened the door slowly taking in the common room. He had expected to see at least two of his teammates there, but it was empty. Cursing slightly, he tried to remember where they possibly could have gone before his mind circled back to the night before.

"As a heads up we're going to introduce ourselves to the members of Team CARD tomorrow after class, they live right across the hall"

Ifiral shook his head before stepping out of the room and knocking on Team CARD's door. After a few moments of waiting no one came signaling that it was empty. Ifiral shook his head and walked back into his dorm. Shifting slightly, he enters his suite and changes out of his combat outfit and into a more casual outfit, a simple pair of black shorts and an orange tee shirt. After changing he grabs a protein bar from his bag and begins eating it slightly cursing himself for skipping dinner to rock KNGT's shit.

Suddenly he hears the front door open. Getting up expecting it to be Viralious or Winter he exits the suite before coming face to face with Eckhart.

Both of their eyes wide in shock at seeing each other, and truth was neither one really wanted to see the other after what had happened earlier that night. Both stood in silence for an awkwardly long time before Ifiral broke the silence.

"Eckhart… I'm… fuck… I'm sorry about punching you earlier." Ifiral stammered out. This caused Eckhart to raise an eyebrow before Ifiral continued "Look I get it, I'm not the most patient person in the world but I shouldn't have resorted to decking you in the face after…"

"It's fine… I…got short and lashed out. If anything, I deserved it" Eckhart said, lowering his head.

Ifiral looked at his partner in shock, he had never expected this from him… that was until he noticed the look in his eye it wasn't one of remorse. He was lying.

"Eckhart, I'm serious…" Ifiral started before stopping noticing Eckhart's unchanging expression. "When you're ready to listen to my apology just say the word and I will give it to you." Ifiral said in an annoyed tone.

"What do you mean? I'm listening-" Eckhart feigned cluelessness

"You're lying to try and avoid the problem. I can read it in your eyes Eckhart… If you need me, I'm going to try and find Viralious and Winter. They said they were doing some team bonding event with Team CARD if you remember… You're welcome to join if you want." With that, Ifrial left the room shutting the door behind him.

Eckhart stood in the common area of his dorm alone. He silently stood there for a moment before clenching his fists…

What did I do to deserve this team?

Ifiral wandered around the floor for a few minutes but had yet to find the rest of his team. He was about to give up the search when he heard a small shout.

"No, Whitley is not a secret child between Ironwood and my mother, and I don't appreciate you insinuating it, Russet!" Winter's shout echoed throughout the hallway signaling that it was coming from the floor lounge.

Shaking his head slightly, Ifiral walked towards the noise before entering the room. As the door opened all eyes turned to Ifiral and he stared directly at his teammates before saying two simple words, "I'm sorry."

A/N + Short story:

This chapter was surprisingly harder to write then the previous one considering they were supposed to be the same originally. I had considered cutting it entirely and just skipping to the next one, but something Nagged at me that I needed to finish it. Eventually I was able to get it into a state that I felt was good enough to publish, I will still probably make tweaks to it though. Now then Let's break down what happened.

So Ifiral's pissed off and decides to rock Kris's team's shit in. So, Team KNGT is the CRDL of this story and three of the four members don't have names. So, if you can come up with punny names for them please do. They are bullies who rely on strength to get everything, a very unga bunga strategy. This is shown in Kris' semblance which just increases his muscle mass using his aura for a short amount of time. Overall, the reason I had Ifiral beat ALL of them up was to show that Ifiral is in a league of his own compared to his peers. He is 100% the strongest fighter in the first years. He stopped a FREAKING BROKEN EXCAVATOR as it was flying towards Winter! That, and I wanted to drop some hints about Kris possibly buying his way in.

This leads us to the lovely pink haired Professor Kaine, There's the mouth you were probably looking for when I said she was loosely based off of Kaine from Nier. Now, in chapter 9 it was little surprise that Kaine and Ifiral knew each other, and we finally found out how! More will be revealed in time, and I just wanted to give Ifiral someone to sound his thoughts out to (This is the most he's spoken in the whole story so far). He has barriers but once they come down, he's more than willing to share his mind. This plot point you can stick a small pin into as it will continue throughout the arc+story.

The Eckhart section of this chapter was the reason this chapter was almost scrapped. Normally, if I sit down and focus I can get a rough chapter out in 4-5 hours depending on the length (9 was a monster so I took about 10). This Eckhart section took 4 hours on its own… then I scrapped the first draft almost completely. Before the picture on the screen is where the first and Final draft split off. This is the first time that I haven't reworked/retooled a section and just straight up removed it. It ended up taking me 3 hours to finish the rest of the chapter from that point. I will say this now Eckhart is probably the Main character that is the hardest to write for me so it's not surprising this took longer but I wasn't expecting to spend THAT much longer on one third of the chapter. Overall, I do think this draft is leagues better than the old one and I was able to throw in some glances at his background. So, his mother is based off of FFXIV's E8 Shiva, specifically the song for his ringtone is Return to Oblivion by Masayoshi Soken.

FFXIV music has honestly been a great source of inspiration and more pieces might find their way into the story as we go but that's a later problem. This section just gives you a small look at what Eckhart is like under the pomp and circumstance. It is also important as it gives the drive for the conflict of this arc. It's pretty obvious so I'm not going to spell it out.

Lastly the room/hallway scene is just supposed to nicely tie up the chapter, so it flows into the joint-team bonding in the next chapter. That being said, the points about Eckhart lying about accepting Ifiral's apology will come up later.

Overall, I personally think this chapter is a bit weaker than some of the other ones, but I still stand by it. So, this is the point where I thank my editor, AmeobaHewdraw, for checking my spelling, grammar, and proper English so this doesn't read like a 1st graders essay. He even looks at the author's notes.

I've also noticed that I haven't included any short stories for a while, so I decided to include one about the two professors whose names are a reference to the color green!

Basil was pissed, Ironwood was too blinded by that "secret project" to take her suggestions into account. She slowly breathed in trying to recenter herself as she walked to her office.

It's fine, I will get more evidence and pitch it again. For now, I'm just going to take care of Tsubi and the rest of the plants in my office then might as well check over the new edition of dust diffusions monthly.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she noticed a particular green haired professor about to knock on her door. He then turns and addresses her.

"Ah Basil, I was just coming to talk to you! Do you mind if we converse in your study?" Beryl said in his typical theatrical tone.

"Oh uhh… I-I think that would be ok B-B-Beryl." She replies meekly, slightly intrigued.

She moves to open the door and steps into her office. Beryl follows closely behind and ends up taking a seat in the chair sitting across from her desk. Basil doesn't immediately sit and ask him what he wants, she instead grabs a small watering can and begins to water some of the plants in the office, giving special attention to the large white flower in the back. After finishing she takes a seat at her desk and looks Beryl in his green eyes. "So, what d-did you want t-to talk about Beryl?" she says with an inquisitive tone.

"Well Basil, you have a naturally green thumb, and I was wondering if you could help me grow a specific plant. Unfortunately, I am not a botanist and I have little knowledge of how to get plants growing in Atlas." Beryl speaks a little quicker than normal.

Basil at first smiles slightly, her co-workers were taking an interest in something she LOVED, but something nagged at her. He specifically wanted help with one specific plant and normally starting out you would pick at least 3. "Beryl, what plant do you want me to help you grow? If I know what it is I could give you a more accurate explanation."

"Ah, well I'm sure just basic instructions is all I need." he responded a little too quickly.

Basil cocked an eyebrow; he was definitely trying to avoid the topic. This only made her more curious. "No, different types of plants have very different instructions when it comes to growing them. So, I need to know exactly what it is so I can give you proper tips." Her voice hid her skepticism well.

Beryl shifted uncomfortably in the chair before meekly speaking "It's… Cannabis sativa."

Basil facepalmed… She honestly should have expected this after all. It wasn't the first time someone she knew asked her for help or if she could grow weed for them. She straightened her posture before looking her colleague in the eyes. "No, I'm not going to give you instructions on how to grow weed! Beryl, do you have any idea what Ironwood would do if he found out you were growing the stuff!?" her voice rising to a level she didn't think was possible. Beryl simply looks on in shock.

"I… Um…" Beryl then claps his hands together and bows "Please don't tell him about this… I need this job."

Basil blinks twice surprised by Beryl breaking his normal facade. She then breathes in slowly and then out slowly. "Look I'm not going to tell him… after all it's just weed… No, I'm not helping you grow it."

Beryl thanked her and began to leave the office before Basil called out to him "Two things: first this conversation didn't happen; second go check out a store called Puffs of Remnant and ask for the puffin cigar." She said while winking slightly.

Beryl's eyes bulged slightly before thanking her and quickly left her office. Basil stared at the empty spot in her office where Beryl just exited. She sighed slightly and decided that the magazine could wait. She then stepped outside of her office and started walking towards Makoto/Cinnamon's office.

This is slightly based on a true story. It's just an idea that came to me after my editor mentioned that Beryl was a really good humanities professor, and it reminded me of the freshman history major straight up asking me where to buy weed on campus… while I was on shift working at ITS. So that is where this story comes from.

AmoebaHewdraw's NOTE: As a former humanities student, I know at least one of my professors has done psychoactive drugs in the past. In fact, they even sponsored a study abroad trip so they could do a traditional drug experience. Needless to say, that trip (pun intended) wasn't offered again.

Next chapter is going to be Team CARD and Team VW getting to know each other a bit.

Until then Xcom Out.