The classroom was furnished with bright blue walls and white wooden furniture, little carvings in the corners and undersides left to remind of all the other students who at sat at those very same desks. Unlike other classrooms, the rows of desks were all on the same level instead of layered, something about being on the same standing. 'Impractical as the class itself', Ethan had complained.

ERGT was seated at the back, which is what prompted the complaint. It was anyone's guess why CRDL had been seated at the front. 'He could've at least put the mace down', Teph had quietly added. It was probably the only time the two had actually agreed on something.

"Ge-Gemma!" Teph groaned bashfully, slouching over and burying her face into her arms. Her attempt to go unnoticed only went and attracted more attention to her from the team infront, a 'self-fulfilling prophecy' Ethan had called it. Only one member of ERGT knew why JNPR kept looking back at them.

"But it's true, you should ditch those baggy pants and just go full mil kit stealth suit" the bright eyed, redhead giggled, clearly enjoying her friend's embarrassment.

Ethan hit the girls with a sidelong glare, "What are you two talking about?" He asked, sounding almost disinterested enough to make you think he didn't join the conversation voluntarily.

Gemma answered quickly, excited to have someone to share her plans with who's face wasn't buried in their desk, "Don't you think Teph would look good in one of those tight full bodysuits with a-"

"What's a 'mil kit stealth suit'" he clipped, straight to the point and interrupting his teammate mid-sentence.

"I wo-I would've told you in literally… like… five words!" Gemma stammered, exasperated at her leader's interruption, "It's one of those skin tight suits with all the tactical pouches, and belts, and buckles, and gadgets, and stuff that the Special Forces people wear in games and movies like…"

"You've gone over five words" Ethan's second interruption is met with a hollow glare from Gemma, "Also I don't play video games, consider your audience" he continues dryly, not even looking at her as he goes back to another class's homework.

"Rye…" she groaned with a tone of exhausted desperation as she turned to look past her hiding partner to the mouse faunus her the other side, " you at least know what I'm referring to right?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean" the blonde lies through his teeth, having not listened to a word of his team for the past ten minutes.

"HA! See! Come on girl, I bet you thought about it too… you're just too shy to show me aren't you?~" Gemma teased turning to Teph, invigorated with (what she thought was) the killing blow of her argument.

"Is something the matter Ms Rillo?" Asks the semi shirtless substitute teacher, Mr Nochtli. He wore layers of thick blue belts with gold buckles that went up diagonally, hanging at his waist and covering his belly button but exposing abs. He also wore a slim harness over his muscular shoulders and chest, that didn't cover much. Everyone knew it was just the bare minimum to let him sheath his weapon. Underneath the belts and harness he wore baggy green pants that ended in a pair of old makeshift sandals. On his shoulders, knees, and elbows were ornate gold armoured plates, decorated with rigid, straight lined but still picturesque designs of animals of myth and reality.

"Oh-uh no sir" she stammered back, her posture shooting up straight, "Good, then I'm sure you can tell us why the Ciane v Nave case ended with a complete pardon for both parties" the black haired substitute said with a hint of smugness. Gemma could build a paintbrush gun whip, she knew every vein and artery of the human body, and she was even doing dust physics at beacon level back in signal… anything outside of that was beyond her though.

Teph just prayed to the gods, spirits, brothers, and all the deities that had some mix of the three that the teacher didn't recognise them, or at least the him part. It really just had to be a friend of their dad's teaching their Law, Morality and Judgment class didn't it?

"You're from Mistral, surely you'll know this!" Gemma cried out, to her faunus teammate.

Rye had to suck back his true reaction but even with a lifetime of playing whatever part as the con man's apprentice, he still struggled to handle the frustration of such a stupid statement, "H-I wouldn't know the… Gemma, do you know why Vale's economy managed to hold up during the great war?" he retorted back.

"No bu-"

"But you're from Vale, surely you'll know that"

Their black knight team leader chimed in next. Not so much a chime, more of a monotone, bored, annoyed grumble from over at his own table on the other side of the room. Separate from Gemma and Rye's who had moved them next to each other on Rye and Teph's side, "The project was given at the start of the term on our second lesson, have you really left it until its due in…" he looked at his scroll, "thirteen hours?"

"Oh isn't that a funny situation to be in, tell me buddy, what are you working on right now!?" Gemma called back. The only response she got was Ethan breaking eye contact and scowling back at his own work, "Yeah, glass houses pal and you're the biggest rock slinger round these parts" she continued with a sassy shake of her head.

Teph just watched them, their own desk tucked into the corner, close to Gemma and Rye's but far away enough to be private. They hardly cared about the homework, they were booked for an impromptu session of internal screaming, pulling at their hair, mini panic attacks, and overall dread. Just what the doctor ordered. They were sure they could've had a great evening panicking over leaving their first Beacon history project to the last minute but of course the famed huntsman, social-religious-political figure and close friend of their parents, Ohli Nochtl had to turn up all the way from Shade Academy to substitute at Beacon for one day, in one class, that they just so happened to have.

" Why?! How bad of a roll could I have gotten?! spirits and brothers I knew this whole thing was stupid I shouldn't ha-" Luckily (although to their irritation), Teph's mental death spiral was cut short by the whining of their first Beacon friend and current primary tormentor, Ms Gemma. .

"Teeeeph, do you know the answer?"

"W-wha-no-maybe-what's the question?" they stammered out, ripped from their thoughts like someone had pulled their chair out from under them.

"Ugghhhh, what is with you today? Have you managed to get up to question eight yet?"

"I-no, not yet" Teph answered, looking down at the three words on the first question. When given the choice between; the potential of being sent home disgraced, having your chance of a new life stripped from you, and locking all the doors you've wanted to open, or the first semester's 'baseline' examinations, Teph would probably choose the former to focus on.

"Can't we just go to the library or something? Use the internet even?" they suggested, trying to at least keep a semblance of presence in the real world.

Gemma stopped for a moment before her mouth opened slightly with a look of realisation, "Oh my gods you are dam-sure right we can. My sister is literally a history professor who graduated from the top of her class, she'll be able to help!" she squeals, overjoyed to have found the ace up her sleeve to get her out of this personal hell of hand cramps and guesswork.

Two rings, three rings, one missed call, two missed calls, "What? It's eleven Gemma, don't you have school or something…" grumbled Gemma's esteemed sister in a groggy haze, "god's know I do" she whispered to herself.

"Hey sis, how're you doing? You know history right?" Gemma excitedly asks.

"I-I'm fi… are you shitting me? Yes, maybe, I don't know? History is a big topic but yeah, I know more than anyone on this side of Sanus. Is that all you called me for?"

"W-well it's a check-up call too, but me and the rest of team ERGT needed some help with…"

"ERGT? Like the fungus? Is that the team name he gave you?" the grumpy sister interrupted.

"Yeah, like the fungus! Oh, guys this is Amy, Amy this is my team" Gemma called out to the room excited to give an audio introduction, Rye was the only one who responded although it's not like Amy would hear anyone else from this distance anyway.

"Ozpin is naming teams after diseases now? How's team CNCR doing?" Amy scoffed humourlessly.

"They're just below us in rankings. Did you know someone on their team or something?" Gemma asks genuinely.

"W-uh-right… so can we just get this over with? I… have had a particularly shitty day today and would like to be kept far from more huntsman shit"

" You're not the only one" Teph thought to themselves grimly, zoning out as Gamma got her ace in the hole. They rested their cheek on their fist which was propped up by an elbow on the desk, their gaze vaguely focussed on their notes, if nothing else it was a distraction. It didn't take long for them to give up, putting the pen down, taking off their glasses and rubbing their forehead.

They noticed the new habit was back again, tugging on the hem of their skirt. They didn't know how they felt about that, the habit and the skirt. On one hand they found it uncomfortable and made her hyper aware of everything and overall just on edge, exposed, paranoid might be the right word for it. On the other hand though it felt nice, in the physical sense and the sort of comfort it gave her.

"And that's why the Vacuoan council needs to demand reparations from those Atlesian bastards for what they've done!" Teph caught the end of Amy's rant, she knew it hadn't been long (despite how long it felt) but she didn't know how the hell they'd moved onto whatever they were talking about, although the list of reasons is pretty long.

The conversation ended shortly after with a "Thanks sis" and a "Seriously, don't call me this late again"

"Did you get your answer?" the now calmer girl asked Gemma.

Gemma opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out, she stared at nothing in particular. She realised she hadn't got a single answer out of her sister, "well, shit" Rye broke the silence.