"Alright, now I know that's a tough act to follow but we have time for one more sparring match" Though Professor Goodwitch was about to continue, she was interrupted as Jackl's hand shot into the air.
After a brief exchange of words, Jackl began his bout with a visiting student from… I can't remember where. The fight only lasted a few seconds at most, before the visitor forfeit. Much to Jackl's disappointment.
The professor saw us off with a reminder that the dance was on Monday along with a reminder that we had our first missions soon as well.
I was sitting on my bed, trying to make my shield wrap around my body like aura does. It would be hard enough as is, however Griffith had given Jackl the bright idea of throwing a pillow at me whenever I lost concentration on my surroundings. So far I hadn't made much progress, aside from a pretty half baked shield that only covered my hands.
Soon it was time for something I had been dreading, mainly since Jackl got me the suit for it, the Dance…
With an overly dramatic drumroll, and as Leon hogged the bathroom, I was presented with the suit. Primarily black, with a dull grey waistcoat, white shirt, and deep purple tie. Jackl wore something similar, but with distinctly more spikes… and the smell of explosive residue. Leon, as always, looked like a prince. In a white suit, with an almost gaudy gold trim and green detailing. Then there was Griffith, who wore his full plague doctor attire, except instead of a trench coat it was a pure black suit, the only splash of colour being very thin stripes of gold running diagonally down the tie.
The dance itself was pretty mellow, though that was because I seemed to be the only member of my team without a date. Even Leon had a dance partner. I quickly found myself at the sidelines, where I heard the back half of someone speaking to themselves out loud.
"... Stupid. Lady. Stilts." Ruby stomped with each word. "What?" She asked, almost defensively as I laughed."Stilts?" I joked, "Are they that uncomfortable?"
The conversation continued along that vein, though one could more accurately describe it as her complaining about having to wear fancy clothing.
"It's not every day friends get to come together like this. Time has a way of testing our bonds, but it's nights like these that can keep them stronger than ever." I nearly jumped out of my skin when Ozpin suddenly appeared, sharing his words of wisdom.
As I stood there, I noticed teachers were also taking part in the festivities. Professor Goodwitch especially as she began to dance with someone I only recognised from Jackl's ramblings and relentless weapon magazines, Ironwood. He brought a chill to my spine that reminded me of my earliest memories, the cold, the biting wind, the constant fear for my life…
I snapped out of it when Jaune suddenly appeared, "I see you're hiding at the punch bowl too." He clinked glasses with Ruby, "To being socially awkward." The two exchanged a few words I didn't pay attention to as I got myself a drink.
When I came back from my struggles with the punch bowl, both Ruby and Jaune were gone. This didn't last long however as laughter soon spread out from a particular spectacle, that being Jaune in a dress, then the sudden dance routine of team JNPR. I wonder how long they practised that..!?
After a short while I felt a sudden spike of negative emotion from somewhere in the crowd, like it just came in from outside. Following the feeling I noticed a latecomer, the same girl from before… strange.
Other than that I had fun, though I mainly sat to the sidelines and watched the rest of my team dance with their respective partners.
As the dance came to an end,we headed back to our dorm early. I practically threw myself on my bed, being almost immediately claimed by sleep.
"Quiet! Quiet please. Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin." Professor Goodwitch stated as Ozpin took the stage.
"Today we stand together, united. Mistral. Atlas. Vacuo. Vale. The four Kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom, but about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons, one of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression. And as you are well aware, that was something many could not stand for. As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: colour. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither were the generations to come. And it was a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together, united. But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work to uphold it. As first year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional Huntsman or Huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the Kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best."
Soon I stood to the side of my team, Griffith reading through the lists of jobs. After a few minutes, he decided on our mission. We were to shadow Professor Port on an investigation to the Emerald Forest regarding an unusual Grimm spotted in the ruins there.
Eventually we reached the ruins. Three bridges connected to a central tower, all located over a large chasm deep enough that you couldn't see the bottom. As we broke the treeline and began to walk down one of the bridges, Professor Port reminded us to keep our eyes peeled.
There was a sudden sound. It was some kind of rough approximation of a scream, as if the creature attempting to make it had never heard the sound before. The next few moments were a blur, gunfire and dust explosions quickly eliminated all other sounds. At some point I was hit by something and sent flying, pain racking my stomach as I lost consciousness.