(December 24th, Saturday, 7:35 AM, Beacon's Courtyard)

Allen's warm breath clouded in the cold air of December as he walked past one of the many artificial ponds that were made to match Beacon's parterre. The temperature wasn't cold enough to freeze the water, but it did warrant a warmer dress code for the season. He wore a pair of long warm brown, wool trousers, a much fluffier turtleneck, black leather gloves, and a long black coat that Tukson had handed him and was at least one size too big. That and a white scarf that Tukson also bought when dropping Allen off earlier at the Bullhead to the school.

The man was taking his new role as Allen's latest surrogate father in strides. And while the teen could appreciate the sentiment, he now realized what a doting father was like. It took a long time for him to convince Tukson that he was fine living in the apartment above the shop and didn't need to move out to move in with him.

Then there was the next argument on why attempting to add another room to the second floor and having it hanging off the side of the building so he could move in instead was an even worse idea. Then again, Allen couldn't help but smile at the latest memories. The situation wasn't normal, but it was as normal as he was gonna get when compared to his entire life.

He walked among the group of applicants as they followed Beacon's deputy on the tour. A middle-aged woman with light blonde hair tied in a bun and a curl going down the right side. Her outfit consisted of a long-sleeved blouse, a black high-waist pencil skirt with equally dark leggings, high heels, and something akin to a strangely designed cape.

Allen's first thought was 'If Lavi was here, he'd already give a negative impression to her'. The thoughts after that were a few ideas on what it would be like if he attended the school with his friends. The mental image made him smile for a second before he pushed it down, remembering that it'd be impossible. Still, he kept a soft smile.

The deputy, Miss Goodwitch, explained they'd be shown around the campus for a better part of an hour and a half, an early lunch at around 9 for another hour, and then they'd be taking the entrance exams. The tour would provide an extra bit of motivation for the applicants to succeed.

Granted, Allen himself had plenty of motivation for a multitude of reasons. Beacon's dorms were provided to all the student body, both the general studies and the combat students. But while most of the combat teams were provided scholarships that gave them lodgings, warm food, and plenty of other facilities to suit their needs, the general student population would pay quite the sum for the same except for the select few.

While this may seem unfair at first, 65 percent of the student population is normally made up of regular students while the remaining 35 are Huntsmen and Huntresses in training. And that is nothing to say about the quality of the graduates that Beacon lets out into the world. That, and the fact that the education doesn't differentiate except for the combat classes being excluded. This means that all students, regardless of background or social standing, will be provided the best and will all be assisted equally to ensure their success.

That, and Beacon has the highest graduation rate in all of Vale. The high success and opportunity make it the crown jewel of Vale's education system. Such a thing is why the school had even expanded in the last 50 years, according to the pamphlets they were handed out. All to accommodate the increase in applicants. Still, that doesn't mean that they'll just accept anyone, even if you can pay the tuition. Which is why there are still plenty of schools out in the city itself. That, and there still aren't that many parents who would send their kids to a school beside a forest of Grimm.

Tukson actually begged Allen to apply to a school in the city. But he refused on the grounds that, even with two jobs, he'd barely be able to pay for the tuition to any of the schools. Both his job at Tukson's and his new one at a café called 'Hidden Rest'. On a side note, that job is a massive improvement to working at 'The Club'. Back to the topic on hand, Allen would only be able to keep the job at the Café since it was near the Bullhead docking stations that lead to the school.

One of the many requirements to even have a job while studying at Beacon was it needed to have hours that won't affect the student's education, their ability to make it back on campus before transportation shuts off for the night, or affects their health as well. And, as much as it pained Allen and Tukson, they wouldn't garner much business in the evenings and the shop wasn't as close to the transports as required.

This is also another reason why he chose Beacon when looking over schools. The dorms. He wasn't planning on mooching off Tukson and keeping the apartment above the shop in Vale when he'd only be able to stay mostly on the weekends or on school days off. Then again, he also wasn't expecting to have a family.

He shivered, and not because of the cold, but because Graz Zure, sister of Tukson Zure, was an even more doting Aunt. The minute she found out Tukson was officially Allen's guardian and not just ink on the paper, she and her husband, Ray Zure Atar, had come for a visit in early December for a family dinner.

Did Allen enjoy himself? Yes. Did he eat a lot of delicious food? Absolutely. Did he love the company and warmth? Positive. Was being put on Graz's lap, having his hair stroked like he was 10 years younger than his actual age embarrassing? Yes. Did he fight Tukson as they wrestled on the floor when he took multiple pictures on his Scroll?

...Yes. Honestly, the whole situation made him rethink about constantly putting off getting a haircut. He wore his hair in a ponytail now that went halfway down his back.

Regardless, there were a lot of things Allen didn't expect. But he enjoyed them. Still, he tried arguing with Tukson when he said he'd be trying to move most of his belongings to Beacon and even promised to give the key to the apartment back when he left. That was when he endured an hour-long scolding. And then another hour when Tukson called Graz and then had her scold him too.

Allen, reluctantly, accepted keeping the key even when he left. Back on topic again , Allen quickly realized he had completely blanked out while recalling the recent events as the group was now in Beacon's library.

"Out of all main Academies in each Kingdom, Beacon's library houses the largest collection. From recreational to education, fiction to non-fiction." Goodwitch explained. "This is due to our desire to offer every student the ability to search and build their foundations. Almost every book under the sun can be found here."

Allen stifled a small laugh. If Tukson heard that, he'd be arguing about plagiarism and copyright with the deputy. Would he have won? From what he's seen of Beacon's Deputy, no. Would Allen have loved to see it? A big, fat yes.

But, Allen had to admit, Beacon's library was a sight to behold. Second only to the library on the Ark. He could imagine himself getting lost in a good book on a nice evening with a cup of hot chocolate. Definitely with marshmallows.

Miss Goodwitch went to one of the many tables and pressed her hand on one of the square compartments. The group watched as the square raised itself, flipping over to show a glass screen that lit to life and a keyboard extending out as well.

"Not only do we house the biggest collection of recorded knowledge of history, but we also have the largest, updated record and research system second only to Atlas. Current events, politics, and footage of the great war that was repaired and converted for lessons. Not only are you capable of studying what you like, but you are also capable of researching what you need. This terminal system is also designed with lesson plans that will allow you to study ahead of the lesson plan, which I greatly encourage you to do if you get accepted."

She took out her scroll and presented it to the front of the screen. Both it and the terminal had Vale's insignia appear until both screens mirrored the same date. "We even allow the ability to copy the material onto your scrolls. This allows you to study on the go as well. Granted, you'd need to download the proper application and would still require authorization."

Allen raised his hand. "Question."

"Yes, applicant?"

"What's the point of the authorization if the information is also mostly public?"

The Deputy sighed. "Two reasons. The first is that, despite all of us working toward the betterment and improvement of the next generations of the kingdom's citizens, other schools in the kingdom have attempted to copy lessons from us. What they fail to realize is that Beacon's teaching material and textbooks are personally made by the staff with the final authorization of printing being granted by only the Headmaster."

Allen nodded along. He could sort of understand. It'd be like trying to present a project you weren't remotely involved in completing. You can say what's written down but you can't explain it so others could understand. "And the second reason?"

Everyone took a step back when the Deputy glared at them all harshly. "Originally, students had the ability to simply download the information they needed. However, some students had... questionable materials on their scrolls that carried a virus once upon a time that led to the faculty using previously saved data from 5 years prior to the event until we burned said virus out of our systems."

Allen blinked in confusion while a few faces in the crowd of applicants blushed or looked away, seemingly understanding the meaning behind questionable materials.

"Moving on," Goodwitch demonstrated a perfect about-face movement in high heels and began to resume the tour. Allen took one more look at the large library before following the crowd once more. Their next location was the Cross Continental Transmit System, as Goodwitch began explaining the history behind it.

"It was after the Great War that we pursued the idea of long-range communications. This was due to two factors. One was the dangers of the Grimm that expanded to the couriers we entrusted messages to. Can anyone tell me the second?" She looked around, everyone's expressions are thoughtful for a moment until her eyes landed on a single, gloved hand raised. "You there, in the back."

The crowd split, showing Allen with his left arm raised and his right arm holding onto the strap of a cross-body bag he brought to store any papers and pamphlets, along with a copy of his application. "The second was the fact that many of the Kingdoms were still recovering and trust was barely holding on. It's stated many of the citizens of the kingdoms still held grudges and that anyone could intercept, infiltrate, and plant false documents during this time thanks to the espionage training multiple kingdoms invested in during the war."

"Very good," Goodwitch complimented. "And can tell me why the tower's construction was built into the academy?"

Allen thought for a moment. The question not only seemed off to him, but he was also struggling to figure out why. A few people watched curiously until he gave a bright smile that showed he figured it out. "That's a trick question. The Tower wasn't built into the academy, both were built at the same time, with the tower's construction finishing first. When the King of Vale founded the Academies in each Kingdom, he found a suitable compromise on the location when the Kingdoms were trying to find a secure place for their own."

"Instead of the towers being constructed in the capital cities, he proposed them to be constructed with the Academies. This offers the best defense due to highly capable Huntsmen and Huntresses and those training to get to such a caliber practically living right beside such an important system. This was proven to work when Grimm attempted to destroy the tower in Shade Academy around 15 years after its founding."

The applicants stared at Allen, who looked a little nervous from the attention, and then turned toward a shocked Goodwitch who quickly composed herself. "Very good, Mister..."

"Walker." He answered, politely smiling. "Allen Walker, ma'am."

"Mister Walker." She decided on. "However, some parts of your answer are incorrect and missing a few key details. You were correct on the timing, but the locations of the towers weren't what originally was proposed for the capital cities, but for the Academies themselves. You see, the CCTS towers were originally made to be constructed with a military installation in mind to be built around them. However, every Kingdom's forces had dwindled during the war, and the towers seemed to attract Grimm for some unknown reason to top it off."

Goodwitch pushed back her glasses carefully, her attention now turned to the large tower behind her, a bright green glow shining at the top. "With these two in mind, all the Kingdoms had already planned on their own CCTS towers being constructed outside the city and away from the general population. The problem was they could not divide their forces between the defense of the cities and the defense of the towers. During this time, the placement of the huntsman academies in each kingdom was also argued."

"So, the King of Vale then offered the compromise of building the main Academies around them, which would give both proper defenses and teach how to combat Grimm with an ample number provided. Granted, this was also possible thanks to the original faculty of each Academy comprising of war heroes and legends, making them both schools and fortresses, much like today."

Allen winced. "Drat. Almost had it."

"A minor mistaking in detail, Mister Walker. However, I applaud the fact that you've learned such advanced history." Goodwitch praised. "If you ever find yourself in Vale's public library, you'll see a similar design and brickwork to much of Beacon's older structures. Even a plaque with the first building number under Beacon. All the other buildings on the premise are numbered after it. However, I am impressed you knew as much as you did. Most Primary Combat and General Schools don't cover such topics in as much detail as you've described. And even less teach the history of other Kingdoms in detail either."

"Ah, I've actually preferred to know as much as possible from history as a whole instead of just select parts." Allen explained, scratching the back of his head embarrassingly. "History can show us our roots, the mistakes we should avoid repeating, and sometimes can be the key to solving a future problem."

Goodwitch let out a small laugh. "Well, if you make it through the exam and are accepted, I recommend seeking out Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck among the staff. I believe you two share similar ideas when it comes to the past. As for the rest of you, I do encourage you to ask questions and answer anything you can." The Deputy smiled as if she knew a secret. "It might even increase your chances of being accepted."

Multiple eyes widened as the applicants looked at each other and then back at the Deputy. From then on, all of them began to question even the smallest things and attempt to answer questions, regardless if they got them right or wrong.

As they walked past the tower, Goodwitch quickly stopped and turned her attention to the front entrance as the doors slid open. Out walked a man with silver hair, brown eyes, and black spectacles, wearing an attire consisting of a dark green suit over an equally dark button-up vest and a green turtleneck. Allen, along with the other applicants, went still for a moment. Such an iconic look, and the fact that Goodwitch went even more upright, quickly gave way to the realization of the man's identity.

"Headmaster Ozpin." Goodwitch spoke everyone's thoughts out into the cold air. "I thought you'd be joining us later after the entrance exams."

"I still will, Glynda." The Headmaster answered. "But currently, a situation has required my presence. In the event I am not able to return by the afternoon, I trust you can manage?"

The Deputy sighed as if this was a common occurrence. "I am capable of delivering the speech in your absence should it come to it."

"Excellent." Ozpin turned to the applicants. "To the many of the students-to-be in this group, I apologize ahead of time if I am not able to properly address you all later. But there is no one else I trust to run things in my absence than Glynda, should the situations ever require."

And with that, the man gave a polite smile to them that seemed to ooze off charisma before he began to walk in the direction that they had been coming from. Allen momentarily felt his left eye twitch, but his attention was on the cane the Headmaster was carrying. He knew from most magazines that Ozpin was a powerful Huntsman, but no records exist of his weapon.

As the group began to resume their tour, Allen took one more glance at the man and their eyes met. Brown met Silver. For a moment, he almost saw something close to curiosity in the man's gaze, before turning around and resuming the tour with the rest of the applicants.

Ozpin watched for a few more moments before resuming his walk. Soon enough, a small crow landed beside the man's feet and walked alongside him, the shadows on the concrete ground showing the bird's shape change until a man began walking alongside him. Only slightly shorter, with graying black spiky hair, red eyes, slight stubble, and wearing a red tattered cloak over a grey dress shirt.

"Qrow." Ozpin acknowledged the man's presence but continued walking. "Anything to report?"

The Huntsman shrugged his shoulders, his pace matching right behind the headmaster. "Amber's run off again. She was moving between villages in lower Vale when I lost track of her. Summoned a damn mini-hurricane and I couldn't even get my bearings in time."

Ozpin sighed. He wished that Amber would at least understand the reasoning behind having Qrow guard her. He was fine with her traveling and fulfilling her duties as a Huntress as long as she didn't gather unwanted attention to herself and had at least another trained Huntsmen or Huntress along with her. She even seemed alright with the idea of Qrow guarding and only assisting when the situation was dire.

"She was fine with you being around originally." Ozpin turned to the man, an unamused expression on his face. "Please don't tell me you did something untoward in your drunken stupor."

"Hey!" Qrow looked somewhat offended. "I am 80 percent sure I did nothing to make her run away."

"80 percent?"

"About double the alcohol percentage in my flask."

Ozpin sighed. "Do you at least have some idea of where she's heading? I can at least inform Theodore so he can keep an eye out."

"She mentioned something about visiting some family in the villages bordering Vale and Vacuo. I think it was an Aunt and Uncle?"

"Mr. And Mrs. Apricot. They raised Amber when Mr. Apricot's brother, Amber's father, fell to Grimm during her childhood." Ozpin filled in. "I'll still contact Theodore and have him inform any Huntsman or Huntress in the general area to at least keep an eye out but not to intervene. Everyone deserves to be with family, especially with a New Year coming up."

"...Does that mean I can head to Patch for a week or two?" Qrow asked curiously.

Ozpin chuckled. "Yes. You can go and enjoy your time with your nieces, Qrow."

"Great. I was not looking forward to getting hurricaned again."

The Headmaster of Beacon watched him shiver, a faint smile on his face. "Just in case, is there anything else to report."

Qrow thought for a moment, going quiet before letting out a sigh. "Well, Amber and I did come across a small group of White Fang earlier in the week. We didn't confront them, though." He amended quickly when Ozpin turned and raised an eyebrow. "We were in a bar, and they seemed like simple recruiters. But I'm sure they didn't notice us, considering the place was mostly empty and they were talking loudly enough that I caught an interesting bit of info."

Ozpin waited expectantly as Qrow paused, either to be dramatic or because of the information. Perhaps both. He looked around for a moment. "Adam Tauras was mentioned to arrive in Vale soon."

The wind was the only sound that for a moment as they stood there. "The Butcher in Black?" Ozpin questioned.

Qrow nodded. "Yeah. He'll be leading a group here in Vale. So, chances are, we'll probably be seeing some trouble in the future."

Beacon's Headmaster sighed. "I was afraid of that. Hopefully, none of the students will come across the White Fang during their time. Gods know the dangers of even a first-year team facing such a ruthless man."

"Come on. Who'd be dumb enough to challenge a guy who's described to a have blade 'painted by the blood of his enemies'." Qrow questioned. Ozpin raised a single eyebrow at him. "Again, those White Fang recruiters were loud and drunk out of their minds."

Ozpin looked to Qrow, and then to the applicants that Glynda was touring. She apparently finished showing them the recreation center. The building was full of multiple forms of entertainment for students. Game room, a small theater, and a lounge. Unfortunately, enjoying such things was not part of the tour, but it did have a habit of motivating the applicants once they got over the depression of not being able to test out such accommodations.

"Why does she always get their hopes up like that?" Qrow questioned. "I swear, sometimes I think that riding crop isn't just a weapon she uses with her semblance."

Qrow waited for a moment and turned around when Ozpin didn't respond. He saw the man staring at the front of the group, at a white-haired teen with a strange scar on the left side of his face and...

Silver... Eyes...

The veteran huntsman looked surprised for a second, turning back and forth between the Headmaster and the student until the applicants disappeared from their sight. "But... I thought that... W-wasn't it just Summer and... I thought we couldn't find anyone else."

"We couldn't." Ozpin confirmed. He turned around and began walking in the opposite direction, Qrow quickly catching up with ease. "The boy does have silver eyes, but they seem somewhat... dull. Like they're missing the power behind them. It's strange. He seems like an applicant for the general studies instead of the combat course, but he has a strange sense of... power ? No, that's not the right word either."

"Thinking about trying to put him into combat classes anyways?" Qrow questioned. "Maybe even failing his acceptance and offering to take him in as a Huntsman-In-Training? Try and catch him as quickly as possible?"

Ozpin paused and glared at Qrow coldly, causing the man to stagger a bit. "I will not crush a child's dreams or sabotage his future just to use him in such a way, Qrow. The reason we fight is to protect the citizens and their peaceful lives. Not to pull it from under them, tie them in strings, and move them like marionettes. Our morals, our souls are what differentiate us from our enemies and the Grimm."

The two maintained eye contact, Qrow breaking it first. "You're right. I'm sorry. It's just... I thought if someone else took the place of a silver-eyed warrior, I could at least spare Ruby the fate Summer went through."

"You simply want to protect the family you've found yourself in. But such a deed doesn't excuse tossing another to the wolves. The difference between your niece and that boy is that one has been training to fight monsters while the other has not. To force such a thing on someone so unprepared would make them into an enemy instead." Ozpin's gaze softened. "You mean well, but do you think your niece would appreciate you sacrificing another? Especially when she'll still be targeted by the forces we fight?"

Qrow stared down at the grown, hands clenched into fists before relaxing. "No. You're right. Besides, if we did do that, it wouldn't take the attention off Ruby when she becomes a huntress but instead paint a target on both their backs."

Ozpin nodded, resuming his walk. "Come. I'll need your help making preparations to mitigate any damage Taurus or the White Fang might cause. We'll need to send out warnings to any Huntsman and Huntresses in any of the outer edge settlements, preferably port towns and the like. We'll need to also inform the Council and the authorities not to engage without proper backup if he slips through our fingers outside of the city."

"Wait, why do you need me for this? And why not do all of this in your office?"

"Other than a breath of fresh air on a nice day?" Ozpin watched as Qrow's face wore an expression of disbelief and then one that showed he was unamused. "Ahem. James has been attempting to contact me to acquire Timcanpy. Last month, a new material that Atlas had discovered scattered around had a strange reaction. A glowing green light was recorded sometime during the night that day before fading again. The entirety of Atlas' science division is stumped to the point where they'd have better luck spending their time unlocking the secrets of Dust and even researching an artificial form of it instead."

"And... he wants the golden ball with wings... why?"

"Because, as I had unfortunately revealed to him in a show of trust, Timcanpy has records of a world unlike our own. The material is most definitely from there, as I have seen from what the golden creature has shown me. And it is most definitely powerful. Just the recording alone, I've seen even some of these... ' Innocence' weapons rival the most advanced weaponry that Atlas could develop." Ozpin explained. "Bullets that continuously get faster and change directions until they hit their target. The ability to change the landscape and summon giants. Swords that could cut through steel like butter. I want to be absolutely sure that if I share this information, I won't be releasing weapons that could rival the maidens- No... More that they can completely overpower them."

Qrow shivered. "Okay. Point made. But Jimmy can mostly be trusted, right?"

"I do trust James, Qrow. And I'd trust him not to abuse such power. But Atlas is another story. The Kingdom's council thinks with Business first, their approval rating second, and a long list of anything that could show their superiority with the safety and wellbeing of their citizens only somewhere in the middle."

The two of them arrived in the main school building soon enough, walking through the halls. All the classrooms were empty, however. Most of the students were already home with their families for winter break, with only a few groups staying behind either to catch up on training, studies, or simply because they didn't have a place to go back to. Those students were the exact reason Ozpin convinced the council to approve a budget that could go into adding recreational additions to the school. If they had no home to go back to, he'd at least give the idea of Beacon as a second home.

"Still, that begs the question, why don't we do this in your office?" Qrow asked before his expression turned to disbelief. "Wait, you aren't just doing this to skip out of doing that speech you always do, are you?"

Ozpin looked over his shoulder and gave Qrow a knowing smirk, leaving the normally drunk huntsman shocked. Like he saw something he shouldn't have and needed a drink to forget. "It's a nice day, regardless of the cold, Qrow. Besides, I think Port brought in some Boarbatusks and Beowolves for the First-Year students that remained. Perhaps you'd like to see how well they fair to large numbers?"

"...You just want me to step in and show off when things get out of hand so you can pass me off as a positive role model, don't you?" Qrow surmised. Ozpin gave him another grin that sent a terrible shiver through him. The polite smile was normal. Smug grin like that? Not so much. "I retired from the teaching gig, remember?"

"True. I just thought it'd make a nice story for your nieces about how you were important enough to be called to Beacon and, if it comes to it, helped save some poor students and show off your skills."

…

"Now see, I know you're playing me. But you're right."

Allen didn't know what to make of the entrance exam. On one hand, he can fairly say that all the studying and practice made an impact. On the other, he was extremely nervous. He, among the rest of the applicants, sat in one of Beacon's lecture halls, eyes glued to the test in front of them. Some let out groans, some cried, and others passed out. Those reactions had sent him into a worry about whether or not he was really prepared.

He began to think that he was being overconfident as he answered, leading him to second guess a few questions and change his answers. Remnant's history gave him the most struggle, but nothing could be done about that. He only had a little under a year. The only bright side, if you could call it that, was that most of the Kingdoms censored a large portion of their history to avoid negativity sinking into children who would come to know of their leader's mistakes. They basically pushed such subjects into later on in life when they were more emotionally stable. Granted, he couldn't help but wonder how teenagers were 'emotionally stable'.

There was also the fact that a majority of Remnant's recorded history was lost during The Great War. Granted, even that was a small fraction. They didn't have a properly recorded history until the founding of the Kingdoms, and most of it was for the capital cities and a few major settlements that managed to develop enough. But, even with less history to study compared to Earth, it still shook Allen a bit.

Math was a lot simpler. He could thank his Master and the constant dept he managed to build up and run away from, leaving him to figure out how to pay from scratch. That and the Science Division taught him some more advanced mathematics when also teaching him science. The two subjects go well together after all. And Dust was actually the easiest to understand. Granted, it was mostly classifying the type of Dust in certain machines, like scrolls or cars or stoves, and how much is needed to power what without causing any danger to yourself or others.

There were also Reading and Writing questions. Simple in his eyes. Although, he did put together that he was getting ahead of the other applicants as the one to his left grabbed his exam, crumbled it, and tossed it at the front where their test coordinator, a burly man in camo pants and a short-sleeved black shirt by the name of Professor Harold Mulberry, caught it and simply motioned for the applicant to leave.

When that happened, he finally looked up at the clock on the side of the lecture hall and noticed that only half an hour had passed, or that he was a little over halfway done by just the pages alone. And the time they were given was 3 hours as well. Naturally, the fact that he was almost done and not even a third of the test time passed made Allen even more nervous. By the time he did finish, he had close to two hours left and spent half of it double-checking and changing answers before he handed his test to the coordinator.

As he walked out, he tried his best not to look at the other students who had given up earlier on and were waiting. He simply passed by them and walked to the bathroom down the hall to splash some water on his face, not noticing that a small group of three teens were following him.

'Okay,' Allen thought, feeling slightly better at the cold water that touched his skin as practically drenched his face in it. He'd taken off his gloves as well and had them hang over the side of the sink. 'There's no need to worry. I'm not the first person to finish and I'm not the last to. I double-checked my answers, spent hours studying each day while working, and practiced until I got at least a high 80 percent score on the mock exams. There's no need for unwanted worries dragging me down.'

He looked at himself for a few more minutes in the mirror, water dripping down his chin before letting out a tired sigh. 'Being an Exorcist wasn't as mentally exhausting as this.' He resumed attempting to drown out the self-doubt thoughts with a cool splash of water, not noticing that the group that followed him finally came in.

"Huh. If it isn't the know it all."

Allen paused, face covered by his hands before lowering them to see three kids dressed in designer brand clothing and smug faces in the reflection of the mirror. They basically looked like a generic bully on some of the TV shows he's binged. Then again, maybe he's judging them too quickly. So, putting up a polite smile, he turns to address them. "Hello. How can I help you three?"

"You can start by being less of a kiss-ass to the teachers. All of us are trying to get accepted to the school, but your little shows around the tour have been setting the bar up high. We're doing the other applicants a favor and giving you one last warning to knock it off." Two of them nodded along to their supposed leader on the front as he unfairly blamed Allen for simply being curious and answering questions that were asked instead of just waiting for the tour to move on.

'I can't believe this is happening outside of TV.' Allen let out a small groan, grabbed his gloves, and turned to them. "Okay. I'll stop answering the questions. But that won't stop me from asking questions, because, unlike some people, I actually prepared them and I'm not trying to half-ass my way to getting into the school."

The group frowned at those words. They glared at him for a moment before one of them looked at Allen closely and grinned. The same teen approached him, but Allen did nothing since it didn't seem like he'd attack. Instead, he was surprised when that same teen grabbed his left arm and raised it as if to show the limb off. "Look at this. The cocky jerk's just a Faunus. And his traits only one arm to boot!"

The other students looked at the offending limb and then at Allen's shocked expression. "Ha! That explains the hand-me-down-looking clothes he's wearing. What, your parents couldn't afford anything except for the back of a thrift store?" One of the teens yelled.

Allen's fingers twitched, his eyes covered by his bangs, and a frown set in.

"Honestly, it'd be a waste for him to even get into Beacon. He'd have better luck learning more at a zoo, am I right?"

He twitched again but remained silent.

"He's taking up a spot while someone else who can actually succeed goes and loses his chance so some idiot Faunus can brag about going to Beacon for a bit."

Allen took a breath. The insults weren't too bad. He dealt with the occasional racist customer. These were basically small-time and unoriginal. Practically poorly made.

"With a scar like that, he's probably a delinquent that carved it on his own face. But I mean, what else is new? Faunus are thugs anyways. His parents are probably disappointed in him, if not themselves. Or maybe they're thugs! Ha. Probably has some asshole dad who gets drunk in his free ti-"

The mouth those words came out of was quickly punched. Hard. The owner of said offending feature found himself happily acquainted with the floor. The two other teens looked down at their friend, who lay there in shock and clutching an already red and bruised cheek, and then toward Allen, who stared at the teen on the ground with wide eyes and a blank expression on his face before saying two simple words.

"Get up."

Glynda Goodwitch was a patient woman, despite what others may believe or say. She believed in giving people the benefit of the doubt. It wasn't her fault that most people seem to take it as a challenge to drive her up the wall. No, it was the fault of idiots with the pattern recognition of goldfish that she had to deal with.

And so, as she looked at the empty cage in front of her one more time, she turned her attention to the teacher beside her, who was nervously trying to avoid making eye contact with her.

"Peter. What was in this cage?"

"A s-simple Boarbatusk! I assure you; I have the situation handled. I've had every student that was training originally scour the school and even have the additional help of that Qrow Branwen fellow that was with Ozpin!"

'Ah, yes. Qrow and Ozpin.' Glynda thought to herself. 'Ozpin, who said he had business to take care of and wouldn't be back for the speech. Ozpin, who was simply watching the students train and had Qrow intervene randomly as a teaching experience. Ozpin, who is currently sipping out of his mug patiently beside her.'

"Peter. How did the Grimm escape?"

Said Professor putting a hand over his grey mustache and clearing his throat. "I might have numbered the cages improperly when I set the automatic locks on my scroll and accidentally... released an... extra... Grimm."

He quickly went quiet from the harsh glare Glynda sent him. Her riding crop was bending dangerously in her hands as well. "Call Professor Mulberry. Tell him to move the applicants out of the lecture hall safely and have him promise them extra time to finish their exams. Then tell the students that are currently armed, and Qrow, to head there right away."

"Wait, but that lecture hall is on the other side of the campus." Professor Port pointed out. "Why would the Grimm go there? Wouldn't the negativity be more focused on the dorms nearby for any of the students who aren't able to go home or, well, don't have one to return to?"

"Normally, yes. But think of this. There is a large number of teenagers nervously taking a test, second-guessing themselves, doubting their decisions, and wondering if they have a chance to pass. All crowded together." Glynda pointed out. "And Harold Mulberry isn't a combat teacher!"

Port let out a gasp and began running. "We must save them! I'm coming, potential students!"

Glynda watched him run off, turning into a red dot as he got further away. "He forgot to take his weapon, didn't he?"

Ozpin stood next to her and hummed in confirmation.

"How are you not more worried, Ozpin?"

"Glynda, the second I learned what happen, I already sent Qrow off with a small group of students with their weapons to take care of the danger. The applicants will be perfectly safe." Ozpin smiled and calmly drank the warm brew in his mug.

"We'll still have to explain the whole situation to their guardians. Gods, I can already feel the headache from the paperwork."

"That's a problem for us to deal with later."

"You mean a problem I have to deal with." Glynda corrected.

Allen walked down the corridor, head looking down and trying very hard to stay small. In the moments after he lost control of his anger, he got into a scuffle with the three applicants in the school bathroom, bruised them black and blue, and then stayed behind to wash the blood off his knuckles after giving one of them a bloody nose. They ran off quickly after that, leaving Allen without a single mark or injury on his body.

He could already tell he'd be called to the side to explain himself, with those three spinning the story against him. So, chances are, he just lost his shot at Beacon. But he couldn't help it. He could accept insults to him. He could accept insults on his scar. His arm. He was understanding each day the discrimination Faunus faced, but it felt no different from how he was treated back on Earth outside the Black Order.

When ordinary civilians saw his scar and arm, they kept their kids away and glared at him. On Remnant, such traits were more commonplace and much more socially acceptable. But when they started insulting Tukson like that? Even indirectly insulting Mana too? He simply lost his temper only on that first punch, only reigning it in after he told the teen to get up. The fight after that was him holding back. Not one of them was a challenge even remotely close to what that Neo woman gave him.

Even though he barely fought back, they managed to end up more injured than he hoped for. He was not looking forward to the conversation he was about to have, let alone what Tukson would think. As he stewed in those thoughts, he barely registered footsteps until a familiar teen came down the hallway to his right, screaming.

Before he could register what that could have meant, another scream took his attention and he set off to the general direction it came from. There, he was met with the sight of the second and third teen that he fought earlier, one pulling the other away as he crawled on his back away from a Grimm that looked equivalent to a demented boar, with bone plating surrounding it. A Boarbatusk, if he remembered right. Only barely, considering that he hasn't looked at that 'Grimm Identification' booklet he grabbed back at Glenn.

Looking at the situation more, he noticed the teen on the ground bleeding badly from his arm and a bit of bone sticking out from his leg. Chances are at this Grimm landed a solid hit on him. The creature made to charge at him again, the boys screaming at the fact that they couldn't possibly move out of the way and avoid getting their bodies slammed into a bloody paste. They simply closed their eyes as if to avoid reality and prepared for the incoming pain.

When no pain arrived, they nervously looked toward the Grimm, only to find Allen standing in its path as he held it back with a firm grip on both the beast's large tusks, grunting. The two stared at the situation, yelling out the only thing that came to mind.

"Know it all!?" They both exclaimed.

"It's Allen!" The annoyance of that nickname made Allen buckle a bit. He turned to the two and motioned to the least injured one and looked down at the teen bleeding. "Get him out of here and get help! Now!"

The teen nodded quickly, slinging the injured guy over his shoulder and quickly running. The Grimm tried to pry itself away from Allen and chase after them, only for Allen to deliver a knee into the unarmored area under its head to gain its attention.

And it worked as it twisted back and forth before prying Allen loose and launching him down the opposite end of the hall that he came from. He watched the Grimm pace slowly, preparing to dodge it tried charging at him. In a normal situation, he'd simply transform his arm and destroy the creature. Simple as that.

However, he noted earlier on in the tour that Beacon had a variety of security cameras around, with barely any blind spot that could be big enough to hide his transformed form. This meant he had to last until the Deputy, who he knew was a huntress from her interview on 'Huntsman and Huntresses Daily', or until one of the combat students or teachers arrive. Or just help in general.

And just when it seemed he had a proper plan down, the boarbatusk jumped into the air and began spinning at high speed, sparks flying off its bone as it scraped on the floor and it launched at him. Allen narrowly dodged, taken aback by the sight as it seemed to bounce off the walls before landing on its legs.

So... he now had to hold this creature back, not attract attention, make it look like luck for the security cameras, and try not to get maimed as it turned itself into a giant, spinning buzzsaw and launched itself. Things were not looking good...

A/N

Wooohoo! Two updates a week apart! Now we're talking. Now if only I can correct my sleep schedule too. Oh well! Anyways, I was actually wondering something as I wrote this chapter. Should I do an Ice Queendom side story involving this fic as well? It'll be separately updated, and more like a filler anyways, but I kinda wanna have something to go back and forth between. Y'know, just so when I hit writer's block on Remnant's Clown, I can work on the side story version to regain my footing. Let me know what you think!