"Grayson, what the hell?!" Jo yelled from the dorm floor.
Gray lowered his crackling taser. "It is Gray. You were not awake at our agreed time."
Jo checked the clock and groaned. "I'm not used to waking up so early, okay? And why a damn taser?!"
"Oh, be glad he didn't actually tase you." Phil rubbed his back. "Do that again, and I'll shove it in your ass."
Gray modified Phil's personal profile in his mind. "Noted. If that is all, get changed."
Gray switched his taser back to his energy pistol. Apart from that deviation, everything was in order. His black suit with golden accents and blue vest were spotless. He'd ironed his white shirt meticulously yesterday. Not to mention, his red tie was tied symmetrically. He glanced at Jo, almost tripping himself to wear his black trousers. Given his previous statement, his sluggish movements were expected. However, Gray expected his teammates to adapt to their new arrangement. There were a few tactics available if they didn't.
"This is ridiculous. Only you're ready so early," Jo grumbled.
"On the contrary, Ron was ready thirty minutes ago."
Ron stood by the door, glancing at the hole in the door. He followed the dress code well, save for his green hoodie and long hair.
Jo rolled his eyes. "Oh, good. TWO people are ready. Praise the Gods."
The toilet flushed, and Phil left the bathroom with a loud yawn. He didn't spend any effort tucking his wrinkled shirt or wearing his suit. His sleeves were rolled up, freeing half his furry arms. Besides his vest, his tie was also absent. He didn't even button his collar buttons.
Jo sighed. "Philip, there's a limit on how much you can break the rules. I don't think yours would fly."
"It's hot. I have furs, you know."
Jo massaged his temple and followed Phil out of the room. But not without grabbing Phil's suit first. After nodding at Gray, Ron headed outside as well. Evidently, only Jo adhered to the dress code like him.
Gray gazed at the blank whiteboards, ignoring his teammates beside him. He rubbed his finger against his thumb. His schedule was supposed to be flawless. He'd considered all potential delays, break time and many more. But the current situation was far from ideal.
"Are we even in the right room?" Phil asked.
Jo lifted his face from the table. "Yeah, the timetable says so. I think we're just the first ones here."
"Just like the cafeteria." Phil sighed and looked at Gray with half-opened eyes. "Do we have to do this every day?"
"It is crucial to maintain a habit," Gray replied. "However, I expected the teacher to be present."
Jo chuckled feebly. "Well, you're in luck. If the things I heard about Professor Port are right, he only arrives on time."
"So, we have over half an hour. Wonderful." Phil slammed his face on the table as well.
Ron let out a faint smile. He'd been quiet for the whole morning. His profile indicated he was an introvert with low self-esteem. Yet, it wouldn't explain his prolonged silence. Gray must investigate it further. But before that, he must rectify his mistakes.
"I will review our schedule today," Gray said.
Phil and Jo murmured in agreement. After a while, the students started to arrive. Their expressions upon seeing them ranged from confusion to curiosity. They funnelled themselves behind the brown fixed campus tables, sitting as per their team assignments. When the second needle pointed at the top of the classroom clock, Professor Port emerged from the staff door. He pushed a blanket-covered cage to the side and sketched different types of Grimm on the whiteboards in detail. However, it soon became apparent that he greatly valued his personal stories.
Port continued, "Monsters! Deeeemons... Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey! Ha ha!"
Gray sat with his straight back. His eyes were focused on the professor. Jo propped his head against his hand and took sips of water from his bottle. His face suggested extreme boredom. Sitting beside him, Ron leaned against the chair with his arms crossed. His posture indicated he was still awake. However, he'd pulled his hood up after a few minutes into the lecture. As for Phil, he'd stopped banging his head against the table and fell asleep instead. His snoring was marginally less distracting.
Apart from Team RWBY and Team JNPR rushing into the classroom midway, there was nothing remarkable of note. Gray continued screening and organising the professor's words, dividing them into categories of useful knowledge and personal trivia. Unhelpfully, most belonged to the latter.
One of the students stood up. "Ayy-yep!"
Phil stopped snoring sharply. "...Wha?"
"Don't worry. You didn't miss anything," Jo replied with a weak smile.
Port surveyed the class. "So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"
"I do, sir!" Weiss growled and raised her hand.
"Well, then, let's find out! Step forward, and face your opponent!"
Weiss stepped to the front of the class with her rapier. She gazed at the blanket-covered cage and prepared herself. The professor lifted the blanket, revealing it was a Boarbatusk, a self-explanatory Grimm. Her teammates expectedly cheered for her. But that only irritated her further.
"Allllright!" Port lifted his weapon, an axe-blunderbuss hybrid. "Let the match...begin!"
The lock opened, and the boar charged at Weiss. She was ready, but she continued to struggle. The Grimm even managed to knock her rapier away. Her fighting form was standard, as expected of her upper-class background. But evidently, she didn't perform well under pressure. She yelled at Ruby again, forcing her to remain silent. After a while, she finally landed a killing blow.
The professor looked at the fading Boarbatusk and declared, "Bravo! Bra-vo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training!"
After he announced the class was over, Weiss stormed past her team and out of the classroom. Ruby immediately chased after her, followed by Gray. His profile on Weiss couldn't explain her overreaction. He must confirm it wouldn't affect his plans. He stopped when he found Ruby and Weiss arguing in the hallway. His teammates soon came to a halt beside him.
"What's happening?" Jo asked hurriedly. He frowned and opened his mouth, but Gray stopped him from calling out to them.
"Well, we have to help them." Jo watched Weiss stomping away again and turned towards Phil. "I know Weiss better. Can you check if Ruby is okay?"
Phil took one look at the motionless Ruby. "Not really my business."
"But…"
Phil had already left. Jo let out a long sigh. He twitched and looked at the hand on his shoulder. It was Yang's. She gave him a nod before heading towards Ruby.
As Jo chased after Weiss, he passed by Ozpin. An unexpectedly convenient timing. If Gray could use this chance correctly, he might be able to gather some information.
"Ron, head to the next class. I will join you in fifteen minutes."
Ron tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. Nevertheless, he headed away without a word.
While Yang was consoling a sobbing Ruby, Gray shadowed Ozpin from a distance. Ozpin hummed softly, tapping his cane as he walked. His path indicated he was returning to his office. His relaxed posture suggested he wasn't suspecting anything. When he turned around a corner, Gray followed suit. Only to find himself staring directly at Ozpin.
"Can I help you, young man?" Ozpin smiled.
Gray straightened his back. "No."
"Is that so? From how you followed me, I thought you wanted to ask me something."
Gray exhaled slowly. He'd been too careless. However, Ozpin had no reason to suspect him. He could still salvage this.
"Your leadership style differs from General Ironwood," Gray said.
Ozpin stared at him for a moment. His face revealed nothing. Then, a light chuckle.
"I must say, I didn't expect you'd know about James."
"My parents worked with him before. They mentioned him."
Ozpin hummed. "I see. I take it you prefer his?"
"I have never attended Atlas Academy. I lack the data to compare."
"Another surprise, considering how well you did during the Initiation."
"My parents taught me the basics. The rest only required logic."
Ozpin's smile faltered. He sipped his coffee again and gazed at the still Gray. There was nothing more he could do. This new information should be enough to satisfy him for now. If not, Gray still had a few trivial details to distract him.
"…In that case, Beacon Academy is lucky to have you," Ozpin said.
"Am I dismissed?"
Ozpin chuckled. "Yes, you are."
Gray nodded. He barely left Ozpin's sight when he called out to him.
"Mr. Moore, one last thing. Why did you enrol in Beacon?"
Gray pondered for a moment. "My father disagrees with General Ironwood."
"Why?"
"I do not know," he lied.
"…Very well. Have a good afternoon."
Gray watched until Ozpin disappeared from his sight. In hindsight, he shouldn't be surprised Ozpin was vigilant. This complicated his investigation. However, he still had over three years. Sooner or later, Ozpin would leave an opening. An opportunity that he could exploit.
Author's Notes:
I try to limit dialogues from the show as much as possible. No one likes seeing the same scene repeated in a written form. Fortunately, this will happen less frequently as the plot diverges further from the canon.
See you next week.