RWBY: Forces of Grimm

"Alright thats fine by me. I dont really care about rep anyways"

Almost all of a sudden, Alba began to laugh. In the heat of everything, it was easy to forget that he wasn't exactly trained for combat.... Maybe it bothered him more than Penny thought? But before she could get too worried about it, it became pretty clear that he was actually relieved.

"Yeah! It's just one of those things that no one could see coming."

Phew! Good. Psychological evaluations were admittedly tricky and not something she was entirely too versed in. Rivala also chimed in by calling that creature a 'Vesper'. Penny turns to her in response. "Oh, so it really wasn't a Grimm, then? That makes sense!"

She supposed that she could see why the mistake could be made, all things considered... In any case, Glynda made a strong argument for why they should just come with her and get this all sorted out before it becomes a problem; and in so doing she also forms the agreement that nothing will happen to them.

In that case, Penny had no objections! "Right! Then let's be on our way!"

Everyone was soon ushered to the ship that would take them to Beacon, although along the way they were able to hold a conversation. "Don't worry. They will more than likely ask for a report on what happened, just leave it to me!"

... One got a sense of foreshadowing in that, for some reason. In either case, they're onboard not long after.

Now, the elephant in the room is that Alba needs cleaning up. Fortunately this is an onboard shower to make use of -- luxury craft and all that. As Alba tries to excuse himself, Penny stands up and chimes in. "Do you need me to come with you to help you clean up?"

The inevitable quick refusal and the even quicker departure of Alba should serve as the obvious answer here. Oh well. Perhaps another time.

Rivala doesn't seem to be doing so well with the flight, though... Something that Penny picks up on. Before she can comment on it though, the blue skinned girl strikes up a conversation about their combat abilities.

"Oh? Thank you! I'm fully equipped to handle practically every kind of combat scenario! You'll get to see everything I'm capable of in due time!", she replies with a smile.

But that smile soon gives way to a concerned expression as Penny leans a bit closer to Rivala. "By the way, are you alright? I've noted that your heart rate has accelerated, your breathing has become more shallow, and you seem very twitchy."

Seconds afterwards, Penny then follows up with... "Wow! I'm detecting a spike of adrenaline suggesting anger! What upsets you, Rivala?"

Not too long after, Alba finishes up in the shower and returns to the others, taking a seat. He's just in time to see that impressive sight with Beacon... It doesn't take him long to comment on it, either! Penny can't help but join in the sightseeing. "Vale and Beacon are both really something, aren't they? I've seen pictures and videos of it before -- but it doesn't compare to seeing it like this! It's even a different feeling from being in the city!"

---

Vaneera rolls her eyes. "Animals also have the digestive tract to allow them to eat raw meat. Cooking it not only makes it taste better, but it's also safer.", she replies genuinely, looking towards Motet with just a slight exasperation to her expression. "... And you know, they aren't exactly civilized like we are."

Sheesh, to say Motet was a handful was an understatement... But Vaneera was undoubtedly happy to have her friend back, even if she had been through a lot of changes and wasn't quite like she used to be. That was true for both of them, really...

Hearing Motet give her reasons as to why she wanted to try dancing was both a surprising answer and yet an unsurprising one. Vaneera had gotten used to it; just laughing it off. "Well, I can't argue with that. At least we're in a safe place so we can try to enjoy ourselves a little more."

It wasn't like they'd be able to set aside all of those wartime plans they'd been discussing on the way to Vale. But it was true enough that both of them just needed a chance to rest. In that sense, Motet had pulled off her mission beautifully by not allowing even the slightest thing to set Vaneera off back into 'work mode'.

That being said, she thought she was making good time -- but apparently not good enough time for Motet! Who raced ahead, grabbed Vaneera's hand, and dragged her along to the reception counter. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were planning something, Motet."

She jests, but then turns her attention to the clerk. "A room for two, please. The best one you have."

The clerk did raise a brow at what was essentially two young girls strolling right in and requesting a room like that -- but he wasn't going to turn away good money either. "Penthouse Suite's open, then. You got the Lien for it?"

Vaneera gives a nod and produces what they'd need to pay it off. He takes a moment to confirm the necessary funds, and then hands Vaneera a key.

"Top floor. Enjoy your stay."

BORING STUFF DONE! Vaneera braced herself because she knew that Motet would IMMEDIATELY rush for that elevator and start impatiently pressing that button. The pleasant chime and the sound of the doors sliding open is then followed by more swift footsteps as Motet keeps the pace going.

And naturally, she's repeatedly pressing that button to go to the top floor. Vaneera can't help but shake her head. "Calm down, Motet."

A surprisingly swift elevator ride sees them on the top floor, and as they're making their way down the hall to their room they pass by someone else; a woman staying at this place. That person looks them over and then calls out to them. "Hey, you two are going to be late for Beacon's official opening, you know!"

That was probably enough to prompt Motet to pause, and it caught Vaneera's attention too as she looked over to the woman. "The official opening?"

The woman calmly approaches, giving a nod. "Yeah. All of the students have already arrived. I guess you two came late -- did you think it was starting later?"

Vaneera wonders how to proceed on this, but decides to play along. "Yeah, we thought it was tomorrow. I guess the time zones threw us off."

This prompts the strange to shake her head lightly. "I guess it can't be helped. Do you two need a ride to Beacon? We can probably still make it in time."

Now, Motet was probably wondering why Vaneera was going along with this. But after giving a nod, she'd then lean in and start explaining in a whisper. "If we can get enrolled as Huntresses, we'll get the best education, the best combat training, and we'll be able to earn a good reputation for ourselves. It's a long shot, but if it works..."

The implications were clear -- 'this could help us save Nova.'

That was why instead of going to the penthouse, they were now going to the rooftop launchpad; while it might not be a high class ship like Glynda had, it was a more than worthy aircraft that could take them to Beacon in very short time.

Soon enough they'd be onboard, and on their way to Beacon. It seems that this woman was quite the wealthy benefactor, even if not up the highest rungs of society. She was in one of the penthouses and she had her own air vehicle -- none of that came cheap.

But either way, soon they'd be arriving at Beacon...

---

Weiss had the impression that Karasu should be glad that he was noticed by the heiress of the Schnee Empire -- and it was pretty hard to argue with that. Then again, he didn't expect it to come with a second girl noticing him and neither one wanting to budge an inch about what role he plays for each of them.

"I'm just saying! Weiss, you need a fourth member for your team.", he points out.

"And you need a full team too. Everyone gets what they want if we just cooperate.", he then adds. "Besides, I'm talented enough to be able to satisfy both of your needs. If you don't believe me, just test me."

Now... He meant that in an innocent way, referencing his talents as a Mercenary, not the kind of way that was more likely to be taken; that he was man enough to have two girls at once and satisfy them both.

"Surely that's reasonable, yes? Since you both think so highly of my capabilities.", he hoped this would work. "And because I'd really rather not see you two fight, or hurt."

That and... Truth be told... Having these two play tug 'o' war with his arms was kind of an awkward predicament. Especially in that they were essentially huddled up close to him, and hugging him. He was trying not to be distracted -- but how the hell do you prepare yourself for this?

He was fine with fighting. But having two girls this close to him at once? Nothing could prepare you for this kind of attention... He just takes a deep breath, and tries to focus.

And NOT on any particular sensations from the two women. Hold it together, Karasu!

"How'd I get into this again...?", he adds while staring straight ahead. For some reason he felt more weird than when Yang was poking at him earlier...

---

Pyrrha lets out a sigh of relief as he mentions that he doesn't care about reputation. "Goodness, I was worried you'd start treating me differently."

Hmm... Why was she so worked up about it, though? Sure she'd like to have normal interactions with other people. But maybe there was another reason why -- well, perhaps it was too soon to say. Her mind started to race, and only after she clears her throat does she manage to regather at least some measure of composure.

"So! Now that you're here at Beacon, do you have any particular plans?"

Mauve looked up to see a girl with white hair staring down at her coldly. Immediately she felt a surge of anger just staring at her. Even if she wasn't a Schnee, she had the same aura and tone as them. Cold, arrogant, and controlling. She heard the other girl suggesting to leave her alone, but it was too little too late.

Mauve stood up, her goldeneye regarding the white haired girl with animosity. She was a tall, imposing figure that stood at 5'9. Judging by the muscles that were showing, she was no stranger to the gym. She took the cigarette out of her mouth and blew smoke in Snow's face.

"So I need to think of the flowers then? Gotcha."

Mauve flicked the cigarette out of her fingers and into some flowers beside her. She then stopped on them with a foot, pivoting her heel and grinding the cigarette butt into the ground. When she was done, the cigarette was put out and the flowers were significantly squished. She moved her foot back, smirking at the white haired girl.

"There, now the flowers won't be hurt by my smoking."

Unknown Location, beginning of humanity



Around her were was an endless expanse of bright light and dim darkness. She knew, even then, even as the youngest of the gods that this was not what should lead them.

Humanity should not think they have to be as bright as the sun. They should not look at their ruler on a pedestal of gold. They should not have to think ‘does that being truly understand me up so high?’

The bottomless abyss, a lake as dark and deep as the space around them all.
You do not have to sink into blackness ether. Humanity should not have to be forced to try and understand something so horrid but necessary, so vile but needed.

…………..

This was what the girl believed, what the young goddess knew to be true. If they were the ones who led humanity, then it would die. Already there had been trouble as one competed with the other. A ‘blessing’ of silver light upon the humans. A scourge of wretched beasts to ‘keep things in balance’.

……

No, she would not allow that, she would not allow these beautiful beings to die out simply because her siblings chose to feud as they always did.

” I will be there guide”

… ……….. …………..

”You wish to live among the humans? Such a thing is foolish, and wholly unneeded”

”It is unnecessary, illogical, they can be managed from here”

………………… ………………………

”You would deem US unfit to do so?”

”You are still young, you do not understand what must be done”

…………………. …………….. ………………..

”We have reached a decision”

”If you want to guide the humans, you shall become there goddess. You will be stripped of the divinity you hold now…. You will be no more than a mortal”

”Yes and the only way to regain divinity once more…. Will be If this goal of yours works as you wish it to”

She was no stronger than a human girl.

She was fragile. She had not had time to fully familiarize herself with Remnant.
If it went as the others assumed, she would simply die there.

Yes, for the assumption was that humans were just another animal, to manage… to balance. It was nothing more than a job. One their foolish younger sister needed to learn the harsh truth of.
But she believed in humanity. The girl did with all her heart. She knew what she saw within them was real, Even without the ‘gifts’ they placed upon them… She knew what she saw within.

Hearts

For good

For evil

For love

For lust

For a life more pure and grand than any of them.

It was on that day she first wondered…

”Does humanity truly need us?”

………………………….. ……………… ………………

She was right of course, a young man, she would never forget his name…. Golgoth. He took her in. Of course, she did not reveal who she was at the time….. but he raised her. He helped her grow, learn to fight even without divinity. To hunt, even… to start the very fire she gave them as her own gift. Yes, even now… he was what the humans called….

”Father”

……………… ……………. …………………



Even so, for so long she kept what she was from the man, even as she slowly grew… and he quickly aged.  By this time, she had begun defending humanity herself, but she had not begun guiding it. Truly, she was unsure if they even needed her guidance to begin with.

”I’m worried about… what will become of us”

But her father had the opposite of her worries, for humanity… even as versatile as it was, was destroying itself, ruining each other….

She had seen it herself, she had to defend humans from humans before.
She only noticed once he said so herself.

It seemed….. her view was still that of a god after all….

Humans doing things they should not, destroying themselves and there home alike.
……….. ……………….

She could only calm him by telling her him what she truly was.

It was strange… he did not have trouble trusting her.

‘I always knew you were special’

Words she never heard before.

He made a request.

A request he called selfish.

A request she took to heart.

”Please… guide us, guide humanity. If there is a god we must pray to…. Let it be the one that cares”

The moment this person,when humanity placed it’ faith in her…. the goddess called 'Hestia' That was when the Divinity so lost to her was restored.

………….. ………………….

A woman snapped awake, in a building overlooking but a fraction of the land known as Atlas. This place, where she sat on the council. Where she did what she could to guide people along the proper path. She wanted to being happiness to the world her father loved, but it was not just that…. On that day he reignited that faith she had in everyone, in people as a whole.  She looked at the advancements around her, as well as the people that enjoyed their lives. She saw a beast from the brutal past of humanity slain by its present growth, and she beamed with pride.

”Mr.Golgoth…. what do you think?”

”My lady Ember! The meetings going to start soon, the others need you in the council chambers”

Ember smiled happly, turning on her heal. Yes, she was proud of the people…. She was happy for their growth.

She was a guide, that was what she had always been.

She was a goddess among humans, but that did not matter.

Humanity was the only place she had ever belonged.

”Ok ok Celicia I’m coming, so today’s business is….”

The words of a goddess were drowned out by the people they walked past.

All around she saw what she had always believed in.

And she smiled, from the bottom of her heart… a goddess smiled.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flowers are beautiful things.

That was what the pink clad girl thought.

It was not just that they looked nice, though that was a wonderful complement. Flowers, they were beautiful because of what they endure. There are few places in the world where a flower cannot bloom. It can struggle through so much, and still grow to adulthood.  It reminded her of what she strived to do.

Keep growing….

No matter what.

So that is why….

”Don’t you dare harm another one you WITCH!”

From above them came a woman spiraling with momentum, a hammer held in both hands coming down towards the one known as Mauve. But it would not, in actually hit her.

I’m not a monster after all!

Instead, it would slam down right in front of her, making a shockwave that would probably knock the woman back if she had not already moved.

Life deserves to grow, no matter how weak it might seem

She hefted her hammer over her shoulder, she stared the woman down with intent.

”Boop~ Don’t look down on flowers, witch”



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unwilling to follow it themselves….  She was not sure if that was how she’d describe her mom.

‘The most efficient, most devout must take the spot, the most compatible among us…’

‘That is….’

She shook herself from her thoughts, she did not want to fall behind again.

”Of course, Thank you Snow… that means a lot”

An observant person could catch the minute hesitation in her voice, but it was not there for long.
Besides, there was more important question to address than a NEET’s bothersome troubles.

”Understanding something and actual application are two different things, it’s the difference between a theory and a fact, or being level one and trying to wield a level ten weapon, I have to actually know how to do it as well, then my semblance can take action”

Who taught her all of this…? She could just say Atlas and be done with it, that would be a lie. Atlas did not teach her things, she taught herself them. She could not go anywhere but the academy after all. There was no other way she could learn it. She tried to put it as if leaving her home had not been a selfish thing.

As if it had not been because she was tired of being told what she needed to do.
Yes, she wanted freedom to do what she wanted.

But it was not so straight forward as she made it sound.

Selfish….. yes, and now her sister….

”Oh I just studied a lot I suppose, practice makes perfect right?”

Amber did not correct Snow on the meaning of the word NEET. Not because she was right of course, she would have corrected Veronica. No the thoughts of Snow stepping on her merely, and noticeably occupied her thoughts int that moment as she swooned (quietly).

Oh but Vernica seemed to be on a trend of doing things that were offensive to Amber’s NEET ego, she pushed the rim of her glasses up her nose this time, giving a noticeable glare Veronica’s way.

”Anime is ANIME, Cartoons are FAR lower quality thank you! Ummm…. We could watch one sometime maybe… Snow?’

And then she sighed at the answer she got at her next words. Who did not know about such classics?

”Nope, nether of those are correct…. It seems I’ll have to enlighten you,  We’ll have to do a party meet up in my room I guess….”

She smiled at them both wanting to see her costumes however, even if it was just a small one (she was trying and failing to look cool and collected for Snow) She was still glad they wanted to see them.

”And I’ll show you them to during the meet up”

She was only grateful she had manged to get by with her slip up once again.

She to, was going to address this persons mistreatment of the flowers, mainly because of Snow, she herself still didn’t understand what was soooo great about them, but Snow liked them so…
But that was interrupted when someone cast freaking METEOR on  the area….. wait that was just a really big hammer, Amber spit the resulting dirt from her mouth. It was….. a good thing she had ninety nine more copies of this outfit, she had a hoodie to, but she’d never get to wearing that she was sure.

”I…. is this…. Guys is this a normal Vale thing?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

”Thiers just no way! Putting  miss stick up her ass on the team would make five, not four. I already have my sweet, sweet Moon after all”

She gave a whistle…. With both hands still on Karasu! Some talent that, but it would be a signal ‘moon’ would be familiar with.

”Other than that we have a grump who does not know how to have fun already, so we hardly need two, let alone another girl, after all other than me Moon is best girl”

There was no joking smile there, she was dead serious.

”And now with you I shall have the best boy, so you see, it simply cannot work”

With a spin of her heel she used Karasu as momentum and..... flipped right on to his shoulders.

"By the power of the piggyback ride!"

She gave a huff at Weiss’ remarks in the situation.

”Little girl, why Weiss, at least I HAVE a chest, isn’t that the biggest part of womanly growth?”

Ayup, she went there.

”Whatever I want….? Ok”

She pulled noticlby harder on Karasu then…
.
”Then I want MY Karasu, then. Back off icesheet!”

Yes, yes she was calling her flat AND icy!

”Weiss is correct, there is no room for teammate thieves, so come along Karasu….”

Maybe she was…. A biit more like that other Rose than she let on….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ruby blinked, and tilted her head.

She blinked again as the man talked, silent for a moment.

”Your…. You’re a boy”

Came her first reply to her words, perhaps cementing to the man who Ruby was in a nutshell quite effectively.

”Oh were you not paying attention? You really should you know! That could get you into a bit accident while driving”

Ruby….. you were not paying anymore attention than he was….

”OH your uniform…”

Come on Ruby, you got this, go girl.

”I didn’t know the academy allowed customizations!”

Swing and a miss!

Ruby backed away jussst a tad s the guy got closer, looking her down. Had she done something wrong? This was why she did not like talking to people like this! It was ALWAYS a disaster! The comment did not help, causing her to tilt her head in confusion once more.

”Ummmm yeah, my eyes are silver, so….? Do you uhh… like the color silver or something?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Motet sighed, but ultimately relented on the subject of the raw meat. Vani was always right after all. Stillll tough, maybe if she could just get her to try some….

But that would be for another time.

”Of course I am, were going to have soooo much fun Vani! You deserve a vacation and that’s just what were going to have tons of fun”

Vaneera ordered their room, and they were on there way to the time of there lived! It was going to be great, a vacation action packed with all the fun, games, [s]possible knifings or gunnings[/s] you could hope for! She could not wait! She even waited through ALLL THAT BORING STUFF FOR IT so she was going to make sure of it!

Yes, yes Motet did press the button, she even counted the two hundred times she did so, in a row.

”But I can’t wait! Its going to be so much fun!”

Well it was going to be until some dumb students interrupted them, she was about to chase them off, before they ruined there fun but… for some reason Vaneera went along with her words. Which confused her but…. Vani always had a reason for things, right?  She had just let her handle it then.

But when Vaneera gave her the reason, she understood completely. It was one of there two main goals after all. On the downside? She voiced that understanding loudly.

”Ok Vani I got it, for Nova!”

And so with that…. They went to the vehicle that would take them, and then… to Beacon itself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For now Glynda remained silent, she was more focused on getting them where they needed to go after all. Besides, those three could not possibly get into trouble now that they were safely in this vehicle.

Right?

Wrong~

Rivala on the other hand was doing as she had previously been asked, explaining just what those beasts were before Alba went off to his shower.

”There the hunting beasts of my people. Their loyal to us until…. No, that’s no important, that one was mine, it just sort of lost itself”

She was not lying about it being her Vesper, but their connection had already been broken when she left to pursue this goal of hers. But that was ok, her partner never truly liked her anyway, and it was forced on her besides.

Alba stated he had no memories. He felt bad for him but…. She could not concern herself with it. She could not ALLOW herself to. She was already off track as is. Alll focus….. had to remain on finding him.

Alba decided to go wash himself off, and Penny offered to help. This whole situation was her fault.... At the very least…

”Ah yes.. I can aid as well, you must be exhausted…..”

However when promptly denied she would simply nodded. Humans were particularly big on bath privacy for some reason, she really did not see why, but here was little point in causing the man undo stress.

Not that Penny was going to give her that same consideration, albeit unintentionally.

”W…what are you talking about? I am not! Flying is a trifle for someone like me! I… do it all the time… yes!”

Rivala, she did not even mention flying….

”Mad? I’m not mad, your mad! Just… um.. leave me alone, I’m recovering got it Penny?”

Alba came back and they all started sightseeing, It was certainly impressive to Rivala but… all it ultimately did was make her homesick. Perhaps once she finished her goal she could simply….
……no, she had to face that that was impossible now.

”Yes it certainly… looks nice”

And so they landed, and Glynda led them through Beacon, with plenty more for them to see along the way, and eventually right to the office of of her boss. Hopefully, he was not attempting to slack off.

She gave a sigh at that thought, then motioned for the three to follow her in.

Once in she handed her report to Ozpin, relaying to him the event that had transpired. Rivala herself stood to the side, arms crossed.

”Each one is certainly impressive in their own way, For varying reasons… but here they are, as requested for you and him”

Glyda then took a position to the side with Ozpin and the others, listening but only giving her thoughts if addressed.

But rest assured, she was listening VERY closely.

Alba ended up commenting on the nature of that beast that they fought -- it was true enough... If that one was meant to be tame, then a completely feral one must be quite the sight to behold. Penny wondered why there weren't more stories or sightings regarding them, though. Perhaps they just didn't hold up against the Grimm?

Well, the Grimm were the great equalizer in the world... An enemy to life itself. It served to remind her that she needed to save the world. "Yeah... I only wonder why more people haven't heard of them. I think that was the first confirmed sighting for many in Vale."

That aside, Alba quickly excused himself while refusing the offer to be washed by the two girls -- it left Penny a little confused and worried... But maybe he just needed to handle it himself? Well, she could take the time to try and get to know Rivala better, then!

The blue-skinned girl certainly seemed on edge, and the conversation didn't seem to be helping things. It was with Rivala's final insistence that she's recovering that finally gets the curious girl to back off. "Okay! But if you need any medical attention, please notify me immediately!"

Eventually Alba had returned and commented on how bothered Rivala seemed to be as well. This prompted Penny to chime in. "I asked her the same thing! She said that she was fine, and simply recovering."

... These two were going to be a handful for Rivala, clearly.

In any case, Alba then inquired about what Beacon was for, guessing that it must be pretty important. This caused Penny to nod. "That's because it is very important!", she begins her response.

"Beacon was built on top of what used to be the Royal Palace in Vale -- the purpose being to form an Academy for students to become Huntsmen and Huntresses. Here they're taught everything they need to be successful for one of the most dangerous careers imaginable."

She pauses for a moment. "Normal people can't fight Grimm. Every living thing has Aura, but it has to be tapped into and unlocked. Training is also required to acquire one's Semblance. Essentially, it is an Academy for the elite warriors -- aspiring, current, and retired! Every Kingdom has an Academy like this, along with Primary Combat Schools to cover the basics and fundamentals."

It was kind of a long-winded explanation. "It also covers the tools of the trade, such as Dust. Everything that a future Hunter needs to succeed can be found at Beacon!"

Her explanation did thankfully end around the time that they were to disembark from their ship and enter the Academy proper. Glynda took point, leading them along, and Penny was happy to follow along with Alba and Rivala. Already the students had been gathered for the opening ceremony -- and the entrance exam too.

But they weren't here to mingle with the crowds. No, they were headed up to the Headmaster's Office. A brief tour to the elevator, and one ride up later sees them to that exact location. Whereupon a conversation is already taking place...

General Ironwood was present, hands behind his back and at-ease. He seemed rather rigid, focused on business. Yet there was also an earnest sense about him -- hard to say that he came across as "evil". Eventually he speaks up in regards to the teams being selected. "Well, not that I exactly have a say in these matters... But after some investigation, I was able to confirm the Mercenary's track record. He delivers results, I think he'll perform fine on any team you place him on, including this one."

Ah, but now the conversation was starting to turn towards the new arrivals. It was rather unusual for anyone not in Beacon to be called into Ozpin's Office like this. But there was good reason for it... Even if he had hoped that Penny wasn't involved; the truth was that she is involved in this now. So all they could do was try to get through this without arousing too much trouble.

Once Ozpin mentions that Penny is perhaps already familiar with him...

"Ehm... Good morning, sir.", she says, a bit nervously.

Ironwood doesn't take long to respond. "It seems one can't take his eyes off you for more than five minutes without you taking in some stray, Penny."

Despite the strict words of a stereotypical army general, his expression was gentler, so.... There was that?

Ah, but then Ozpin asked for a detailed report, with EVERYTHING. No matter how big or small... From Penny, no less. That image that Ironwood built up took a sudden turn as he closed his eyes and smirked.

"Every detail?", she asked, confirming the request.

Here it comes...

"Well... The sky was pretty clear.", she stated. There was just enough of a pause for Ozpin to say a few words, before the report continued.

"The environmental temperature was 24 degrees Celsius in the shade and 28 in the sun but the light breeze coming from the north-east brought the actual perceived temperature to 24 Celsius anyway. Uv amount was acceptable but I wouldn't have advised staying too long to possessors of sensitive epidermis."

Holy hell, that was a mouthful. And she wasn't done yet.

"The shouting started at around 10:34 AM, Vale timezone. I was directed to the park by the vocal reaction of one of the residents with the exact words 'HOLY DUST, WHAT IS THAT?!'""

She wasn't seriously going to-

"The size of the affected area in the park resulted in a hole that eroded into the ground about 15 feet in diameter and 3 feet deep. Although the panic saw everyone flee the park despite the limited nature of the damage even by the time I arrived at 10:36 AM."

SHE WASN'T STOPPING!

"I was worried about the possibility of injured people so I directed myself to the extrapolated point of distress post-haste and managed to precede police officers both human and robot and discover..."

A good chunk of time later, and one very exhaustive report to sit through... Which even Ironwood lost his smirk for halfway through...

"... And that's when we arrived at this location."

Why.

---

The flight over was pretty uneventful, all in all. Vaneera and Motet would arrive on Beacon without incident, and thanks to their youthful appearances and their choice of garb, they'd fit right in with the rest of the students that were already gathering on the grounds. Maybe this was going to go just as smooth as Vaneera thought it would.

The silver-haired woman that brought them here then calls out to them before they head off too far.

"One more thing. If you come across any interesting stories... Come talk to me.", she states with a smirk, handing a business card to Vaneera.


The red-haired girl gives a nod. "Sure."

Just like that, the woman departs in her vehicle. Vaneera looks over the card to see the name 'Lisa Lavender'. "Interesting..."

She pockets the card for later. Could be a useful ally. That now out of the way, she turns her attention to Motet. "This should be pretty simple. We'll just blend in with them and if anyone asks, we'll explain that we arrived late, but still want to take the exam to get in."

Vaneera then takes a step forward. The attention is brought to the school grounds -- and the timely arrival of one Nora Valkyrie. Dropping in like a damn meteor and swinging around a huge hammer like it was nothing. Already... She was getting a headache. Vaneera lets out a sigh.

"Motet-...", she tried to head it off, perhaps a bit too late.

Motet's excitement was already reaching dangerously critical levels.

---

Wait, pervert? Did Karasu say something out of turn? He tried to think on that for a moment. "... Pervert?", he asked aloud, mulling it around in his head. He'd bring a hand to his chin in thought -- but his arms were a little preoccupied right now.

That and he didn't exactly have a lot of time to dwell on this train of thought, as both quickly made it clear that they had no intentions of being on the same team together. Why? He didn't know. "I think you two might get along if you really tried..."

He kept trying to calm them down. But how do you even deal with two girls that are this amorous? He couldn't get upset with them -- jeez, if they started crying... Or worse, trying to hurt him...

Oh hey! He didn't have to worry about that anymore! Because Sapphire just hopped onto his shoulders. He could safely say that he never expected this; getting this intimate with a woman seemed to be the sort of thing that should be reserved much later into a relationship.

Here he was, though. His face dangerous closely to her thighs. Her lithe, feminine legs draped down his body. Of course, we cannot forget that due to the nature of her 'seat', she's pressing her crotch against the back of his head. Karasu tries to stare ahead, and not focus on any of that.

But truly, how do you ignore something so delightfully soft and warm? Well, he did get the chance to focus on one other thing -- the sudden nature in which she hopped onto his shoulders did throw him slightly off balance, so he tried to steady himself, especially so as not to bring Sapphire along for a fall. Seems like he managed to do it, until...

A sudden tug on his arm from Weiss. That's enough to start the tumble to the ground. His reflexes kick in, and he moves his arm to grab Weiss, and uses the other to hopefully stop all three of them from hitting the ground -- and it worked!

One slight miscalculation, though. The girl riding his shoulders, and the gravity that would soon be hitting the back of his head.

Karasu's face; meet Weiss's chest.

All three were now on the ground, and no real injury to speak of, thankfully. He did a good job at stopping them from hitting too hard. But he WAS stuck between two decidedly womanly areas.

Sapphire on one end, Weiss on the other.

Weiss had a very pleasant smell, obviously she used perfume, but even setting that aside, hygiene was obviously an important factor for her. In this kind of predicament, he had little choice but to take it all in. Still, it wasn't all bad. Being pressed against soft, milky-white flesh could be taken as a blessing by many.

Some might argue the size is important. But this was soft and inviting in it's own perfect way. Try as he might, Karasu was still a man, and ending up this intimate with women was bound to cause it's issues. It leads to him adjusting his position very carefully. As much as he can.

Not like he could move his head, though. Until both Sapphire and Weiss agreed to work together to make it happen.

Oh, uh. One last thing. Not like he was planning it or intending to take it any further, but given the scenario he's found himself in, he's basically kissing Weiss's breast on top of it all.

"... Mmph.", was about the only sound he could make right now.

So that was the situation that any newcomers would walk in on; one girl riding a man's head right into the chest of another girl, all three on the ground in what could be easily mistaken as some form of sexual deviancy.

Hell of a first day at school.

Mauve’s false smile grew even bigger. “Why bother? I don’t have the money or fame of a rich girl. Good manners aren’t all that useful out in the real world. I think hunter’s school will be too much for you, so why don’t you just fly back to your castle and let the professionals take care of things?”

Mauve saw the growing shadow below her feet before she heard the voice shouting out at her. She immediately leaped away, her hand grasping the hilt of her sword. She looked over to where she stood to see a girl with a gigantic hammer. She stood out with her pink her and rather strange passion towards the flowers. Mauve’s steely eyes studied the potential opponent.

“She’s a close-range fighter with a weapon like that. Even if that hammer can fire ammo, its size means that I can get off a shot long before she can.”

Mauve fought to herself. She glowered over at the person who had tried to slam her hammer into her. “I’ll keep looking down on flowers all I want! That includes the ones that people will put on your tombstone if you try that shit again.”

Her commander had told her to keep a low profile. Threatening a student right out of the gate wasn’t the best way to go about that. But she wasn’t going to walk away with her tail between her legs. She had her pride, damn it! She wasn’t going to let a spoiled rich girl and a hammer-wielding hippy push her around.

---

A shadow would suddenly cover the three students tangled on the ground. A cold, detached voice spoke down at them.

“Lady Sapphire, I must inquire as to how you got yourself into this type of predicament. Did either of them assault you?”



If all of them looked up, they would see a girl with monochrome hair staring down at them crossly. She sounded calm and collected despite seeming to think that some type of attack had taken place. She was clutching what looked to be the hilt of a sword in one hand, but it had no blade in it. In her other hand were two vials of blue dust. Despite appearing impassive, she looked ready to strike at the Silver-Eyed girls command.

“I also must insist for you not to call me by that nickname. And inquire into what you meant by best girl.”

---

”U…..underage?! I am not! Do these breasts look underaged to you?! If anything, YOU’RE the child here? And who’s Moon? Oh you ignorant girl, she’s the other member of my team! The best girl for the best team that MY Karasu will be a part of!”

High atop Karasu’s shoulders Sapphire’s irritation would grown as Weiss had the NERVE to even steal her naming gimmick! Did this woman not have an original bone in her body?! It was truly pathetic, and truly annoying to witness!

”Hmph! Are you always so immature? You cannot even face your own bodily faults~ And, you are wholly unoriginal!”

And then Weiss, as if to cement her idiocy pulled on Karasu’s arms which… caused all of them to fall, Karasu to his credit managed to prevent any harm to them but now….

His face was in Weiss’s chest! That was completely inappropriate because he was hers!

”Hey! What are you doing?! Kiss MY chest, its way better than that ice witch’s!”

With that…. Sapphire had begun to fiddle with the restraints keeping her outfit, namely her chest, bound together. She had every intention of showing this upstart rich girl just who was the superior woman here.

And that was just what she would have done… if not for the timely arrival of best girl.
Yes, for best girls arrival made her pause, as well as come to her senses (until Karasu complimented her again anyway) The girl gave a cough as she readjusted her straps to bind he clothing together once more.

However just because she was no longer in that over romantic state, it did not mean Weiss was safe…

For Sapphire was a spiteful bitch for sure!

”Ah there is my best girl now! That is correct this woman did assault me and the person I claimed for my own! She deserves no less than a top level beat down if you ask me”

Sapphire had a confident grin on her face, yes that was no less than the interloper deserved after all.

She however shook her head at her ally’s request. It was simply impossible for her to comply with that. Moon was hers, anything that was hers was the best. More than the title Moon simply was. She was clearly the strongest of her kind, as well as the strongest girl aside from her, a woman to stand above all others and CERTAINLY the Weiss girl before her! That was simply the truth of the matter, there was no denying it.

”I cannot do that Moon, you know that, you are called that because you are the greatest of woman besides me. The greatest in your field. You are mine, and you are the best girl, why would I call you anything else, understand?”

There was no hesitation as she said these things, whether to Weiss or Moon, she clearly believed everything she said to be true….

What a world….
………………………………………………………



“Really, do you really think any of you are more worthy of keeping the treasure than its maiden?”

“Haha! Truly you are all the most foolish of fools, I am the great Witchhazel, remember that name well…. And hand over what you have no right owning!”

To stand against a maiden was foolishness, a true disaster for those who tried, truly even worse was to stand against the great Witchhazel! For she was a true master of her craft, and the wielder of the power of spring.

That is to say, the wind currently blowing away the rather disappointing hunters coming her way.
She would not have anyone claiming them to be weak however, no that just would not do. She would make sure when she recounted the tale that everyone knew the brave fighters before her gave it there all. But what were you supposed to do against the wind itself?
For anyone who was not this woman this was a disaster.

For anyone with a bit of knowledge could tell you not to let anyone in the vault.

But ney, they would also tell you not to worry too much, for no one but the maiden can unlock its contents.

And a maiden would never do this surely?

No, it is not that Haven academy was weak.

It is not that they were not prepared.

It was that for those who were in the know… they never thought something like this would happen.

“it’s only natural is it not? For a maiden to have their treasure…. It’s as normal as can be~ now piss off please!”

As if the wind was not bad enough when they were able to strike at the woman, when they resolved themselves to hoping the next cycle was going to be better….

Her body simply vanished, and another appeared. And then more of her appeared. And more….
It was like the maiden was her own army, blasts of wind….

No, was that fire to?

Water…

It was like whiplash, they were tossed aside. The floral pattern ticked at the touch of her hand.
Those who could go did, but the end was at hand.

Before her was her prize, a lantern so perfect for her, it even had a ring, to hang from her skirt!
Each copy of the maiden giggled, happy to see her prize.

Each copy of the maiden blew away the poor hunters.

They were not weak.

They were strong.

She had not had to use her full potential in so long!

But in the end, they folded, they had to give in.

And it was just as good, she was just about spent!

This maiden of spring, a teller of what was to come…

She took that lantern, for she had won!

“Yes, the maiden of spring deserves her treasure most! This is mine now, and your all toast!~ ehehe!”

Why had she done this you may ask?

Why that was so silly!

She had said it so many times already.

“The Lantern is mine, I’m the maiden who guards it, so why shouldn’t I always have it?”

Because she wanted it, that is all.

One treasure short, the academies were. And as the girl skipped out of the academy and went away on the wind…

She gave only a wink, the end.


……………………………………….
”Wow you think so? Yang says I miss things a lot, especially in conversations, this will show her!”

She had a moment of confidence, her hands on her hips.

Yes…. Very observant indeed. Though he did not drive? Well, she was sure he would end up driving, so the advice would be useful to him regardless! Well…. She hoped it did anyway. That was part of being a huntress right? Helping people… if she were going to be the best, even better than her mom… she would have to do that a lot.

Even as worried as she was about talking to people……

She did wish she could avoid it though, the nervous red clad girl rubbing the back of her head practically screamed that, though not exactly what it was bothering her.

In any case it seemed she was right, his uniform was of a special design. Wow she hoped she could do something like that! Better yet, maybe she could just wear her huntress uniform AS her school uniform, then she would be ready for a mission any time! She gave a genially observant nod as he explained these things to her. Though on to her eyes…. She was still a bit weirded out by how observant he was of them, but she supposed it was a pretty odd eye color. Like, who had silver eyes? And more than that the only ones in their family that had them were her and her mom. It was so weird, like recessive gene.

”I guess they are pretty rare…. Still did you have to get so close…? We’re not even dating!”

Oh, he had to go? Thank goodness he could get back to Yang, and away from all this… socializing! It kept happening back to back, like she set it all up or something! Well, in any case she supposed she DID need to introduce herself… now that they were talking and all… besides it’s not like they were going to meet up on a daily basis, totally a one time occurrence.

”It’s Ruby, Ruby Rose”

And with that…. She would attempt to move on, past the guy she was definitely not going to meet again anytime soon. Though she did have to admit, he looked like a really stand-up guy. He was nice to her! Still, this time she would definitely make it back to Yang and out of all this talking to people business!

And she was off once more….

…………………………………………………….

”Oh if you need a story theres a huge….”

She paused, almost letting slip the info about the beast, readjusting herself, she gave cough as she confidently nodded.

”Pancake, a giant pancake back where we came from!”

She was sure she would find the beast if she went look for giant pancakes eventually… right? Yeah, she would have to, that thing was huge!

Vani had the best ideas though, that is why she was the leader. The boss girl! She always knew just what do to. She was sure she had an elaborate plan if people questioned why they were so pale to, probably something cool like being vampires immune to the sun or something!

”Yeah lets do this vani! Nothing will stop us!”

Vaneera was correct.

Once they stepped into the school grounds it was already to late.

The contained squee on her face said it all. It said everything that needed to be said about the excitement she felt. Yet still despite that there was no stopping what came….

”Ahhhhh! Vani that was so COOL, is this the kind of stuff you meant? Yes yes yes I already love it here van van! Ooo ooo can I get a hammer like that, can I do that shocky thing shes doing now?

She points to Nora, and the energy that seemed to coursing through her body,praticully surging naturally through the plates on her body if one was close enough. Her hand lay against a local light pole that was rapidly flicking out.

”Wow she seems REALLY happy about all that energy to! We should congratulate her don’t you think?”
……………………………………………
”Oh, I didn’t explain that well did I? That’s right, it’s my semblance, and….. yeah… Atlas would want to use it like that… “

More hesitation as she adjusted her glasses nervously.

”I’m sure mother would feel the same”

It was lucky for her the subject did not remain stuck to this for long. She did not want to talk about home right now, she was not a fan and besides… it hurt. Though… perfection huh? If you asked the neet Snow looked plenty perfect already… she could understand wanting to get better though, Amber herself was always trying to beat her previous high scores, get a bit farther than she did before in her games.

….And Veronica wanted to join them to? Ugghh! How was she supposed to raise her support rank with a third wheel around?! Sigh… well it WAS her sister… though she was so ignorant of true culture! Well… She would just have to show them both her collections and enlighten them!

”Well ok, you can both visit my dorm once I have everything set up”

It would take a bit, setting up her systems, organizing her manga and anime collection… her games… She should be done before nighttime at least. She gave a confident giggle as she pushed up her glasses once more at Snow’s comment. Funny enough the confidence seemed to go straight to her glasses as well, causing a glare to come from them.

”I’m certain it will Snow, Of course I have full seasons of all my favorites we can binge watch together..”

After the impact of the pinkette Amber got her answer. This was not normal. So then would not she get in trouble? Though she did not really want…. Wait Snow respected this woman?

”Ahem…. You know I could create a system to scare off this woma…. Is that electricity?”

The light pole went dim as the one called Nora Valkyrie began surging with electricity. Was that… her semblance?
…………………………………….
”You know, if I’m being honest, you remind me of flowers Nora

”Huh? What’s that? Ren are you hitting on me? Cause like, that’s nice and all but…”

He didn’t miss a beat, no even that young…

They were inseparable.

”Of course not, flowers are strong, stronger than anyone gives them credit for…. You remind me of flowers Nora, because you’re the same way, understand now?”

Her hand went to the nearby light pole, and it immediately began to flicker as she grabbed the wires, and the energy went into her. In the process… it might have also made Mauve reconsider a few things.

”Try me witch! You have no idea how hard these flowers struggle, how any flower struggles! I will not let you look down on them, or anyone else. You think your so big and tough? Well how about we see how tough you are when I knock you clear over the academy walls!”

Energy surged into her hammer, through her body, even her thighs! Nora had every intention of following through with what she was threatening. Jerks like this woman should not be here ANYWAY! People who did not care who they hurt…. What they hurt.

Those were the type of people she hated most!

”Last chance, or I’m knocking you to the next kingdom over!”
………………………………………
Yes, the beast was loyal to her.

But once you turned against your kind well….

All bets were off.

No….. she did not want to focus on this.

Not right now.

Ah he did not seem to want assistance washing. Well, that was ok, She would simply have to find another way to repay him later, perhaps he could fashion a better outfit for him, something from hides.

Oh god he got out and such a bad time.

”Grrr…as I said I am not! Not at all! I am not even remotely mad!”

As for why they weren’t seen very often? The horned girl flinched. Sighing. She had to say something right?

”They tend to stay around my people… we raise them. There are of course some in the wild but… they tend to b smaller and are much rarer to see. I’d assume there often mistaken for normal animals”

At least Penny was backing up what she was saying.. jeez this was a much bigger strain on her mood than she thought, they were… such a handful.

An academy for Hunters… that made sense she supposed, there would need to be something to teach the humans and faunes to defend themselves. Well good, perhaps they would not be as defenseless as she thought then. Not that they were any of her concern to begin with.
Just one.

Alba was not exaggerating, this whole place was gigantic. This place alone outnumbered her people. Humans had so much… she could not help but marvel at it all, the majesty of the buildings themselves.

”I have to agree… it is quite the sight to behold, it is… a lot different from home as for who were meeting. Eccentric and… rich as hell. Hmmm though, it is usually cowards who hide themselves away in towers…. I will try to reserve judgement”

They arrived to this man just as he finished talking to another, a busy man it seemed, but he wasted no time in moving on to them once he finished. She noticed for a moment he seemed… displeased to see them, more likely her if she had to guess. She had been warned in the past that humans were not fond of them. SO far that had not been the case, but she guessed it was just a matter of time.

A shame it had to be the leader who did, that made things more difficult for her. The other man, Vanta she had heard more about however, from the stories scouts told when they returned. He was a truly impressive man, especially for a human.

”Vask Vanta… I’ve even heard that name back in my village, greetings”

Of course, skill was something that impressed her greatly.

The other one… Ironwood, she did not know much of him, other than him being a big figure in Atlas.

She assumed that, as the stranger in this case she would be asked to explain her story, and so she stepped forward to do just that…

…but Penny was asked instead.

And that human grinned… what did he know…?

……………

………………….

…………………..

W…were they sill alive? What year was it? Did she really have to mention every step they took in Glynda’s aircraft… every time one of them moved a body part? D…did Ozpin truly need to know they opened the door to his office?

….she felt like she aged half a century…

”Ugh….. i…is it over?”

A rather serene giggle from the doorway would turn attention to it once the explanations were finished. Looking in that direction one would see a rather short young woman, hands in her sleeves. The most prominent thing of course being the horns on her head, the scales around her neck… and the tail jutting from her back side.





”Oh my this is rather adorable isn’t it? That young woman sure knows how to go into every last detail~”

Wait was she… completely unphased by Penny’s million-year explanation?!

The first thing she did was walk over to the trio and, pushing her arms through her sleeves to reveal fully scaled and clawed arms… picked up the trio in one big hug.

Yes, that included Penny, the hell was this woman?!

Another giggle escaped the woman’s lips even as a growl came form Rivala at this turn of events. She casually turned to face Ozpin. It seemed the strange appearance of two of this trio did not phase her ether.

Of course not, what good did judge by appearance do?

”Oh Ozpin please tell me these three are new students here! Ah there just so unique, the more variety the better I say~ Oh that reminds me, there are some minor scuffles around campus. I suppose you’ll be taking your usual approach?”

She gave a sigh, already knowing the answer to her question, but asking it none the less.

“Let them resolve it among themselvessss!”

The man was so hands off it was painful, He was a smart man, Minti trusted him for the most part, but dam if he did not need to take a more personal approach when it came to his students. Oh well, she would just need to fill the void he did not.

”I would introduce myself as well, but I do believe I deserve an intro like Mr Vanta received, wouldn’t you say Oz?”

Of course there was one other subject that needed addressing, and so dramatically Minti leaned against the pale boy, with a wide smile on her face.

"You know, he's right Oz, you DO give off that Overlord vibe, that Kingpin do, why, you have the outfit and all don't you think?, yeah he definitely does"

She gave a nod to the trio in her arms, as if confirming it prematurely.

Oh yeah… during all that? She hadn’t put the trio down yet… not once….

In another place far away from the safety of men, where shadows dwell...A mysterious figure cloaked in black watches a man through a glass orb. Several other figures stand in the darkness watching the meeting occurring before them. The man was none other than Haven's headmaster, Leonardo Lionheart.

"P-please my lady, you must understand! None of us could have anticipated that this would occur! It happened so quickly, I...I assure you I did all I could to defend the relic!"

A horrible, spine chilling smile crosses the dark figure's face as she watches him panic and plead his case.

"So the Spring Maiden has become a rogue element...Do not fear my cowardly friend, I will spare your life...For now. You are still far too useful to me, and I would be so very sad to lose a wonderful friend such as yourself...Simply explain to me what happened."

Lionheart proceeded to explain exactly what occurred, how Hazel had effortlessly blown through entire squads of trained huntsmen. How she broke into the vault in such a brazen way...The dark figure let out a terrifying laugh. A laugh that sounded so whimsical...But to those fully aware of who this was, they knew there was rage hiding behind the calm facade.

"So our little spring maiden has gone rogue then. Though I am quite displeased we have lost the relic, it is but a temporary set back. I am certain things are far worse for Oz and his little tower of cards. We must take advantage of this situation, wouldn't you agree Leo?"

The cowardly man is quick to reply, fearful for his life should he say something to cross her.

"O...Of course my lady! In moments like these we simply have to make the best of a bad situation! Yes I will do everything in my power to-"

"SILENCE! You have already done quite enough...All you must do now is report to Ozpin. Keep up appearances for the sake of our goals. I shall see to it this matter is resolved. Watts, there has been a change of plans, the matter of Vale's CCT will be handled by Dr. Merlot and his assistants...I want you to take the twins and go to Mistral. Find the Spring Maiden and befriend her, we should take this chance to win her over to our side."

One of the figures standing in the dark bows respectfully, however it seems he has a question...

"And if she doesn't comply?"

A bone chilling chuckle comes from their leader, it was such a difficult question for the rest of the figures gathered in this room, but for her, it was simple...

"Then bring her to me. She will BEG to join us when I've finished...Negotiating with her."

The man known as Watts bows once more, leaving the room silently, off to see his mission through to completion. Once he leaves a second figure speaks up, one wearing a mask and carrying a disposition that makes it clear he may not be as loyal to her as the others are.

"First most of your arcana go rogue, then the silver eyes goes off plan, and now you've lost one of the relics. Seems to me like you need to keep a tighter leash."

A third figure stands up in shock over the bold words that have been uttered, he slams his fist into the table the shadowy organization surrounds, clearly outraged by this.

"Insolent FOOL! You should never dare to question our great leader. If you were not part of her plans I would sever your corruption from this world permanently!"

The third figure draws a glowing red sword that cuts through the darkness, prompting the masked man to draw his own red blade in retaliation. However, rather than reacting to this tension poorly, their dark leader simply laughs, raising a hand to get their attention.

"Please children, there is no need for conflict. All of these things are well within my plans. Sapphire's loyalty to me is unquestionable, I am her mother after all. As for the rogue arcana...Let them believe they have freedom. They will come home again when the time is right. Besides...I have felt the awakening of the final component. The Tower has returned to this world as I had anticipated. The plan which I have sown for countless centuries has almost come to fruition. And you my loyal followers...Are going to have the honor to witness it with your own eyes. Tell me boy...What of the white fang's operations."

The masked figure nods silently, sheathing his sword and glancing over to the other man, watching as he does the same before the masked figure chooses to speak.

"Everything's going exactly as planned. The dust operation is taking the brunt of the public's attention, and our grimm capturing operation is going off without a hitch. I don't see why someone like you needs my people to capture grimm, but as long as you hold up your end of the deal I'll make sure it keeps going smoothly."

"Of course boy. The death of your white fang leader will come soon enough...But there is no victory in haste. We must see to it that Ozpin's grand aspirations crumble to ash. Only then do you have my permission to act."

---

Huntsmen and Huntresses...A career Alba wasn't familiar with in the slightest, most of what Penny said went right over his head. But...Her explanation was so thorough that he still managed to glean a lot of useful information from it. This academy used to be a palace...It explained so many things, both in the scale and style of the place. As for the hunters, the so called "Most dangerous profession"...While he didn't know what they were, nor what grimm were, he was still able to piece things together from all that he had heard today. Grimm must have been a threat to humanity in this world...

And Hunters were those who fought to drive them back. What's more, it seems like there's a huge gap between someone like him and the people learning at Beacon. It wasn't surprising, he didn't feel like much of a powerhouse...Still, a concerning thought crossed his mind - Were all of these hunters like Penny? He'd have to make sure not to get on their bad side...Something told him that not everyone would be as friendly as the ginger warrior. What's more, apparently there were several of these academies, and even smaller schools which prepped people for coming here. Penny's thoroughness became a valuable source of information for him. Even more so now than before.

None of these things were familiar to him...No spark of memory, nor vague familiarity was apparent, however learning more helped him cut through the haze and understand this strange world better than ever before. Even if he lacked memories, simply understanding where he was and how this world worked would be important to carry him through until his mind could piece itself back together.

"Dust huh...I can't imagine why someone would want that gritty stuff that collects in places you forget to clean. Maybe these 'grimm' have really bad allergic reactions?"

... His hypothesis was like shooting an arrow in the opposite direction of the target. But he could only grin as Rivala commented on the tower and the person who owned it, it seems she had her own idea of what they were like, even though she partly agreed with the eccentric comment.

"Definitely rich. Although I'd be cautious about messing with somebody who has this much defense on their side."

Regardless, their time in Ozpin's office was...Interesting to say the least. Both Ozpin and Vanta made note of Ironwood's recommendation of the mercenary.

"Quite thorough...I must admit even I had failed to check such a thing."

Vanta simply had a knowing grin, he knew his assumptions were correct in this situation and that was good enough for him. And yet...He was visibly surprised when Rivala stated that she knew him. He wasn't exactly aware of just what type of being she was, nor what her village was like, but given her choice of clothing he could only surmise they were...Unique.

"Well uh...I'm flattered my name's spread that far!"

Of course, Ironwood's comment on Penny's habit of taking in "peculiar strays" wasn't lost on the amnesiac. He shook his head, responding to that statement.

"In her defense sir, she's got a strong sense of morals. I don't think she could have left me there even if she wanted to."

There was little time to process all of this however. Penny went into a several hour-long description of every. single. detail. of the trio's morning. From the moment Penny woke up to now. It made Alba feel a little self-conscious when she mentioned - In exact measurements of time, how quickly he went through his meal...But worse than that his head was spinning by the time she finished!

"I see. Thank you for your exhaustiveness miss Polendina."

The headmaster managed to follow all of that without breaking a smile?! He really WAS a professional...

"HOW?!"

... And there's the attention of the entire room on Alba now. The headmaster simply clears his throat, continuing to speak without addressing that earth shattering shout.

"Now then, mister Mars. Have I surmised correctly from miss Polendina's report that you have no memory of yourself nor any awareness of Remnant as a whole?"

He managed to piece together that longwinded story into something coherent?! Even Ironwood stopped following along around the one hour mark judging from the look on his face! Is this guy some kind of magician?!

"... That's correct. I only know the basics. I know what's socially acceptable, what morality is, how to breathe and the necessities of keeping my body functioning. I don't know anything about Remnant aside from what Penny's told me, I don't even know my own name."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, responding calmly.

"Then I take it Alba Mars isn't your real name?"

Alba was quick to shake his head, clarifying what he meant when he said that.

"For all intents and purposes it's my really real name. I just mean that whatever name I had before I lost my memories...I can't seem to recall it at all. What's worse is it's not like I don't have my memories. - it's like someone put them in a box and locked it up tight. I know they're THERE. But every time I try to recall them my head starts to hurt like someone's stabbing me in the brain with a hot knife. Besides all that, before I woke up in Vale today I wasn't aware riding crops could beat giant monsters so easily."

He glances over to a likely unamused Glynda Goodwitch, adding an addendum to what he said in the hopes of appeasing the terrifying woman.

"...It's totally rad though."

Ozpin again doesn't humor his odd statement, only taking in the relevant information he provided.

"And what is the last thing you can remember that doesn't cause this sensation of pain?"

That was...An interesting question. It was something Alba had yet to actually consider. What WAS the last accessible memory he had...? He thought this one over very carefully, being sure that he didn't trigger the searing pain that came from trying to access his "Forbidden memories"...And the first thing that came to mind was a strange dream he could only vaguely recall.

"... Well, before I woke up in that park I remember having this odd dream...It felt like I was weightless, and then all of a sudden I was hot, completely burning hot like I was caught in a fire. And then before I knew it, I woke up. It feels like I'm forgetting something really important about it all though...And then that's when I woke up in the park, and some lady screamed at me!"

With his side of the story told, the attention of everyone in the room was immediately drawn to a giggle that came from the direction of the elevator. Their appearance was...Peculiar, even by the standards of the adults in this room. It prompted a blunt statement from the amnesiac.

"What's up with this...Sassy lost child?"

Vanta held back a chuckle from the suddenness of that boy's statement, but what's more interesting was...Just like ozpin she was completely unfazed by Penny's tirade! Just what were the people around Beacon made of?!

"Quite."

Alba was not prepared in the slightest for what came next as he suddenly found himself being hugged by this small dragon! This was happening again! Two times in one day he was being hugged by a behemoth of strength stored in a small body!

"Can't breathe...Need air...Nice to meet you...!"

What was perhaps even more strange than her grip strength was her insistence that these three should be students here...Ozpin gave a silent nod, that WAS his plan all along, but...Theatrics.


"Yes well Miss Snapdragon, I suppose you'll be happy to know that was indeed my plan. The situation both Mister Mars and Miss Rivala find themselves in is not something that can be solved in a single day. So if it is quite alright with the three of you...I would like for you to stay here in Beacon."

To say Alba looked surprised would be an understatement. This was the last thing on his mind when the three of them were brought here. He never would have expected this result.

"For real? You want us to stay here at the school?"

This fact was likely of great concern for the general considering what Penny was to Atlas. And Ozpin was quick to take notice.

"Miss Polendina is the first bond both Mister Mars and Miss Rivala have made thus far. Without her kindness and familiarity I fear they may struggle in an enviroment like beacon, not to mention Mister Mars' peculiar condition making fitting in quite a bit more difficult than it would be for most. More than that however, should his memories return to him, it will undoubtedly prove to be quite a shock. Miss Polendina is a vital anchor to this world for him in this case.

He didn't give the general even a moment to contemplate his words before he continued, explaining further.

"I understand you're worried about miss Polendina's interactions, however I would surmise that Beacon is a far more controlled environment than Vale, wouldn't you think so?"

But he wasn't done there, even if the general began to see his point he still had more to say.

"Unless of course there's something else about miss Polendina you're not sharing with us. Such as an unforseen impediment. Beyond that I don't see why she shouldn't be allowed to attend Beacon the same as the others."

... The tension in this room rose rapidly, it was like two chessmasters locked in a battle of wits... Of course, before any of that could be taken further, there were a few other matters that needed to be addressed. Ozpin nodded in response to Minti mentioning the scuffles on-campus.[/i]

"The pacification field we installed last semester will handle that situation should their arguments come to blows. But just to satisfy your concerns...Miss Goodwitch, would you mind monitoring the students in my stead?"

Ozpin almost looked annoyed for a second when Minti insisted he introduce her just like he did for Vanta. But he quickly smiled, nodding.

"Of course, where are my manners? It would be uncouth of me not to introduce you. Children, this is Miss Minti Snapdragon, another of the teachers who will be watching over you at Beacon. She is quite famous in her own right for her efforts in faunus human relations, as well as her felling of a great dragon grimm. Mister Mars' amnesia notwithstanding, you may know her as the "Ashen Phoenix". Her accomplishments are as storied as mister Vanta's own."

Ozpin tried his best to ignore the "overlord" comments...He tried. It seems this was going to be a particularly long semester...The sound of a woman screaming pierced through the silence of the tower's office, prompting Alba to tilt his head in confusion and speak up.

"I dunno what a 'dolt' is but it sounds like a cheap horror flick outside."

---

Both Veronica and Snow were of course excited to be invited to Amber's dorm room. ... Well, as excited as someone like Snow could possibly be anyway. But such matters were sadly being interrupted by the ensuing chaos, and as much as Snow was enthralled by the idea of having training information to go off of with these..."Animes" of Amber's, she would have to acknowledge it once this situation had passed.

"I assure you I'm far from famous."

... Rather than take offense to Mauve's biting remark, Snow simply clarified that she wasn't famous - If anything her last name was a mark of infamy. One that she was going to work hard to blot out. Mauve hardly struck her as professional however, leading her to take a logical response... ... That just so happened to sound insulting.

"Really? There are professionals here aside from the school faculty? Quite an interesting observation. Perhaps you can show them to me at some point."

What was likely very infuriating was how the insults seemed to roll off of Snow as if she were completely unfazed by even the harshest of remarks. Veronica was still cowering behind her older sister, only occasionally peaking out to see the chaos between the three terrifying girls that had gathered here. One was experienced terrifying. Her eye patch and many scars showed just how much she had seen in this world. The second was regal terrifying, her sister had always managed to be intimidating when she wanted to be, and her cold exterior let nothing slip. Lastly there was bubbly terrifying, this "Nora valkyrie" girl and her thunder thighs exploded with energy, threatening to sweep everyone here away...Amber's comment about being able to make machines to scare Mauve off was not lost on Snow.

"Really now? I wasn't aware you were so bold Amber."

The elder merlot sister gave a sigh as Mauve persisted in in her act of misguided anger.

"Are you truly going to make trouble for yourself just to hold onto your pride?"

She raised an eyebrow however immediately becoming guarded as she witnessed Nora drawing electricity into herself...What was this girl about to do?!

"...Amber, stay behind me, this is going to be...Quite devastating."

Despite what the horny neet might have been thinking in this moment, Snow wasn't making a pass at her.

---

"I don't know who "Yang" is but I get the feeling you should listen to her more often."

... Annnnd the false praise was gone. Why was this girl so proud of herself...? He shook his head, trying to focus on other details. Bowie watched in silence as this girl was lost in her own world, completely oblivious to whatever was going on around her. He assumed she was probably thinking of something stupid.

"... Hello? Are you still alive?"

He attempted to startle her back into the real world and out of her daydreams. He just looked...Baffled as she took in his fake "special uniform" information as if it were completely true. Just how gullible was this weird goth?! But at least he wouldn't have to lie his way out of this situation..."Rare" was putting it lightly, Bowie had only seen one other person with silver eyes...What the hell was she going off about now though? "Getting too close"?

"You're right, we're not."

Was all he had to say in response to her statements about "getting too close"...He really was a strange guy who didn't seem very talkative. Though it was obvious his lack of communication was for reasons entirely different from Ruby's own reasons. He didn't have normal knees and didn't want to.

.. And yet, this encounter bore fruit pretty quickly...Ruby gave her full name, confirming the target he was supposed to observe. A smirk that could almost be described as "evil" crossed his face as he stared at her silently, nodding as he took in the information given to him. He quickly excused himself with a wave as he passed by her.

"See you around Rose."

---

Weiss sighed in frustration as Karasu displayed genuine confusion at her pervert comment. It was clear that he just didn't get it...But she still was flustered by his comment whether he meant it or not!

"J...Just...Nevermind that! Come join my team AWAY from her!"

The heiress began to pout as he suggested they could get along if they tried. To her that was simply impossible! Sapphire was rude, condescending, judgemental, and...And she had no right having curves like that when she was clearly younger than Weiss!!!

"I couldn't possible get along with a dolt like her! We're simply not compatible!"

The heiress scoffed at Sapphire asking if her chest looked underaged. She nodded with a smug smirk on her face.

"I wouldn't use the term underage to describe them though. I think "underdeveloped" is far more fitting for you!"

She gasped in shock when of all things - She was called unoriginal!

"Un-I'll have you know I designed everything about my fashion sense on my OWN thank you very much! You however look like you got your clothing from the halloween section of a discount shop!"

... And then the fall occurred. Weiss's tugging and Sapphire's wild rocking back and forth could only cause so much instability before it all came crashing down like a tower of loose blocks in an earthquake. Weiss was dazed for a moment as she came crashing to the ground first... But when she came to she saw none other than Karasu latched onto her chest. Her pale white face immediately turned a deep shade of crimson as it sunk in just what was happening here. She could hardly speak from shock! A few muttering squeaks came from her mouth before finally...

"Yo-Yo-Y-Y-You..."

"YOU DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLT!!!"

Her shouts of embarrassment echoed across the entire campus...Bowie walked over, sighing. This girl had already caused a scene...If Moon hadn't already interrupted Sapphire's sudden undressing, Bowie made sure to kill that desire entirely.

"Hey queen dumbass, get off the poor guy's back. We're not here to play games."

He looked over to moon, completely unamused.

"And you're supposed to be helping me keep an eye on her."

Weiss's embarrassed silence gave way to half-anger flustering as she tried to defend herself against Sapphire's accusation!

"A...Assault?! I did no such thing! I was merely trying to defend Karasu's honor from this...This...Runt!"

Bowie crosses his arms, staring down at the three of them.

"It's pretty obvious she didn't do anything. Looks like she got the worst of it honestly."

Weiss nodded in agreement!

"S-See?! I'm completely innocent-"

... But Bowie spoke up again, interrupting her.

"She looks like too much of a pushover to hurt you Sapph."

... Weiss was now glaring daggers at the blonde boy in the black cap.

~~Before the Office...~~

Rivala explained that the untamed and younger of those creatures were much smaller, and could be easily mistaken for normal animals... Penny gives a nod at that, agreeing with the assessment. Out in the wilderness it's not like people were really going to try and think twice on sightings like that, not when they had the Grimm to worry about. "I see. That makes perfect sense."

Alba also took a wild shot in the dark, with a dramatic miss... Yeah, he didn't even know what Dust was? Wherever he came from, it sounded wildly different from the world they're in now. ""Dust" is a type of crystal found on Remnant. We've learned how to work it into a variety of forms to function as fuel, or to produce certain elements that we need."

Penny explains. "For example, if you have some Fire Dust, it's possible to -- as the name implies -- conjure fire! That's just one of the most basic uses, too. I can tell you more about Dust later, if you'd like!"

~~At the Office...~~

General Ironwood only smiled calmly at what Alba had to say in reference to Penny. "Worry not. It's not that I doubt her character."

He replied. So it seems that he wasn't the distrusting sort either. At least not for those that had earned their way into his good graces. He might have been a Military Leader, but it didn't seem like he was particularly dense or incapable. Which... Makes a lot of sense for someone that seems to have as much prestige as he does.

One very long, detailed report later, and now it was Penny's turn to listen silently. Hearing more about what Alba was going through was important for her... Though she did wonder why everyone seemed to be reacting so shocked to her detailed report; was that not exactly what they asked for? Even Rivala seemed taken aback!

Still, there was one comment that Alba made earlier that Penny wanted to address now, before she forgot. "You know, Alba! You're right about the Overlord thing! The only thing that's missing is the Dragon-"

WHOA, BEAR HUG. Or... Dragon Hug? Either way, all three of them were scooped up into the arms of a comparatively smaller girl. At first, Penny was surprised by the circumstances, and thus was caught up in the moment same as everyone else.

... But slowly, she got her bearings, and as she took in what the serial hugger looked like... "... So.... Cute!"

All of a sudden, Penny wraps her arms around Alba, Rivala and Minti, and gets onto her feet! The tides are suddenly turning as the freckled girl displays her own strength and mastery of hugging! "And group hugs are great too!"

... Poor Alba and Rivala, though. They'd be stuck that way a little longer, as Ozpin also brought up that he wanted them to stay at Beacon; suffice to say that was a dream come true for Penny!

"Really?!", she couldn't help but express her surprise.

Ironwood was surprised as well, as he was about to comment on that, the Headmaster provided a sound case for why she should stay... Needless to say, the General didn't seem the most pleased, but he relented.

But finally, Alba and Rivala would be able to breathe fresh air once more as per Ozpin's introduction of Minti. Yeah, people like this were famous the world over! Penny acts out of respect, lowering the three and relenting on the hug. Even the Ashen Phoenix might end up surprised by Penny's display there...

But before one could really focus on any of that, there was also a loud scream outside. "Huh... Those are some strong lungs to have sound travel that far..."

---

Ugh. Of course. Instead of getting normal students, Motet had to go and see some bad examples like this. Now she was going to think this is just what school was like. Vaneera lets out a sigh. "Motet, please don't follow their example..."

Still... Maybe information was going to help them, and as much as she REALLY didn't want Motet getting the wrong lessons, it's not like she could seriously try to get her to ignore it. "Let's go see what's going on, I guess..."

Vaneera then said, feeling a little apprehensive about this idea already. But nonetheless she led the way and stopped at what she deemed to be a safe distance. Just in time to overhear that last remark by Mauve, too.

"That would be a monumentally stupid move on your part. Aside from how asinine it is to kill someone over some flowers -- much less go out of your way to be a prick TO flowers --  you're also calling down all kinds of attention right now.", she shakes her head.

"So I'll put this in simple terms. Knock it off, or I can knock you out. This isn't the place to be fighting between yourselves. You got issues, settle it in sparring under supervision by the faculty."

Seems like Vaneera didn't mean that for just Mauve, but rather anyone getting the bright idea to escalate this any further right now. There were a few reasons for this. Namely that the energy could be spent on much better things, but also, she really didn't want to be at ground zero of a place that was sure to draw attention to herself and Motet.

And Motet was already starting to get the wrong idea about Beacon, so the damage was done attention-wise unless she brought this down to a reasonable level. For once, it'd be nice if things were simple....

"Got it?", she adds.

---

Karasu really was trying his best to keep his balance, but when dealing with two girls as rowdy as this -- there was really only ever one way this was going to play out. Both of them adamantly refusing to even try to make peace with the other, and Karasu caught right in the middle of it all... Jeez, if this is what being popular is like, it must be exhausting.

... However, it's not like he could exactly complain about where he ended up. He was, after all, still a guy. Even though this was all an accidental occurrence, being pressed between two women was still an exciting prospect. He just really, REALLY tried to not have that show.

He did hope that Sapphire might now ease up so that he can lift his head, especially given Weiss's misunderstanding of the situation, but it seems that she was instead starting to double down on it and undoing her own top. He couldn't see that happening, but her words gave that away.

(Un)fortunately the timely arrival and intervention of two individuals put a stop to this, and Sapphire stopped removing her top, and got off of Karasu, which in turn lets him get off of Weiss. "I'm sorry. I tried to keep you two from getting hurt, but I miscalculated the landing..."

He averts his gaze from Weiss after delivering his apology. Which also does the part in turning him towards the two sticks in the mud. Moon and Bowie. "It's fine. No one was assaulted.", he explains.

"They just ended up very eager to have me on their teams... I tried diffusing the situation, but that only seemed to make it worse.", he then adds.

"They're both fine, I think. I managed to keep them from getting hurt in the fall.", a surprisingly concise report of what happened. Considering he seemed to be the most level-headed here, it was pretty hard to deny that he must have been telling the truth.

Karasu then proceeds to cross his arms. "I'm also not going to let any 'top level beatdowns' occur, so... I think everyone should just calm down, now."

He seemed pretty serious about that.

"You have no idea how hard these flowers struggle, how any flower struggles!"

Mauve visibly recoiled, her eye widening in shock. She  had been in many, many fights. She had gotten her fair share of injuries. And there were moments in her life where an opponent angered her. So she was used to pain and frustration in a fight. And yet all of that wasn't nearly as painful as the verbal blow the pink haired girl landed on her.

Images flashed through Mauves mind. Whether or not Nora meant to insult her didn't matter. A burning, seething rage ignited itself within her. Her aura flared up around her. It was shimmering, transparent energy that enveloped her entire body. She drew her sword, narrowing her eye at the pink-haired girl.

"Flowers have it easy. Don't you dare talk to me about struggles. I've been through shit you wouldn't believe. I don't like bitching about my problems, but I want you to know why I'm about to bury you."

At the sound of a new voice, Mauves's head whirled. She found herself looking at a strange individual. Pale skin and red eyes. Was it some kind of condition? Was she a race she didn't know about? It didn't matter right now though.

"I only take orders from certain people, and you ain't one of them. No one is dying today. But I'm teaching her a lesson, and it will only take a second."

Mauve realized she couldn't have a prolonged battle with this many people zoned in on her. Likewise, she knew that if she hurt the pink haired girl, they would all likely engage her. But she wasn't going to leave here without suffering repercussions for her stupid mouth.

Mauve’s transparent aura turned green. That was the only warning before she suddenly thrust her blade forward. The tip wasn't pointing directly at Norah though. It was aimed at the juncture where her hammer head connected to the staff. If nothing got in the way, a burst of wind shot out and cut through the joint in Nora's weapon, sending her hammerhead crashing to the ground.

Even though she was over there, this was going to hit its mark. She manipulated the wind around her sword to extend her slash. And it could cut through almost anything. She couldn't physically hurt Nora right now: she had been ordered not to use deadly force and not to go all out unless she had to. Nora's pride was a different matter entirely though.

---

The woman that Sapphire referred to as Moon peered at the silver-eyed girl. Then she looked over at Weiss. She then strapped the empty hilt to her waist, and placed the vials of dust in a pouch that was also clipped to her waist.


"I see no evidence that she assaulted you. Don't remove your clothing in public again."

She said simply. The white haired girl's embarrassed shout ended up attracting the attention of Bowie. She glanced over at her second team member on this mission.

Bowie was qualified for the mission, but he presented his own flaws that could attract attention. This compounded with Sapphire meant that she had her work cut out for her in reigning them in. She scoffed at Bowie's comment, looking at him with annoyance.


"I'm keeping an eye on the both of you. Both of you can get into trouble at any given moment, so I'm only going to intervene when necessary. I could tighten the leash, but I doubt that would make either of you happy. I am tempted to do that with her with all this best girl nonsense."

And there it was. Bowie had a tendency to speak his mind. It was actually a trait Moon liked about him. She never had to guess his intentions or opinions, and it made things easier in their strategy meetings.

Unfortunately, there was always a chance he could piss someone off with his bluntness. Like what he did with Weiss just now. Well, he was who he was, for better or worse. Moon walked over so she was standing over Weiss, extending her hand down for her.

"I apologize for the trouble my teammates have caused you. They can both be a bit… eccentric."

She said simply. After she helped Weiss get up, she turned to Karasu, her icy blue eyes studying him. Sapphire seemed to take an interest in him. She was going to have to nip this in the bud.

"Sapphire can be forceful when she wants something. I regret that her excitement had caused you this much trouble. What team you join should be up to you. Right, Sapphire?"

She narrowed her eyes at the Silver-eyed girl. This was their first day here and she was attracting attention. She stood out enough as it was with her silver eyes. This wasn't helping matters.

Flowers had it easy? What an insult! Flowers were alone from the beginning. All they had were themselves, and the bee that chooses to pollinate them. Like her and Ren, it was just him and her vs the world. They had it easy? Flowers suffered more than anything.

She… flowers had to rely on another.

She…. flowers had to struggle just to grow.

She…. Flowers had to go against the world just to live.

”That’s right, think its that easy don’t you? Your WRONG”

The energy she built up surged over her body. Through her hammer. If Mauve thought it was a matter of applying her own power…she would be wrong, especially once things got under way.
Fierce wind met surging lighting as Mauve made her move. Unfortunately, it would not be with the result she wanted. If Mauve was a tornado lashing out, Nora was a storm about to hit the ground. At the moment Nora wasn’t concerned about Mauve’s problems, not when she acted like this. Like a bully who should be able to do whatever she wanted.

Storm lashed against storm, and then Nora begins to charge, right towards Mauve’s blade with her hammer, slamming it down! Whether she connected or not, what happened next would be a sight for everyone involved, because at this point… the school’s Pacification Field kicked. And for a moment, went full brunt on Nora, in fact…. It stopped her movement. One would be forgiven for thinking she was in the process of being knocked out. At least, they would think that until they saw the energy beginning to seemingly die down… and start surging through her body.

They would think that until they saw her making a flexing motion, with her arm, only making the energy flow through her more, and until they saw the big grin on her face.



”Hehhee! I’m the queen…… OF THE CASTLE”

And then she struck down upon Mauve once more, likely also affected by the field but… probably not doing as well as Nora was at the moment. The fields energy kept pumping into her as she charged at Mauve,  seemingly unphased by what the field was supposed to do. Her impacts caused surges through what she hit, ground, trees, whatever, she was on a warpath right on Mauve. Whether she dodged the hammer or not…. It would likely be difficult to dodge the effects of the energy pouring from it.



”Home…RUN!”

One last build up came where Nora attempted to… quite literally knock Mauve out of the park, or in this case school. However the fact it wouldn’t go quite as planned would mean whether Mauve dodged or not, she at least wouldn’t be knocked to the next building over. Because now one would be able to see, through the energy constantly coursing through her, that she was being affected by it, there was only so much she could take in…. and it was starting to exhaust her. So instead of hammering her foe…. She slammed it right down at her, causing a STRONG energy wave to pulse out from the point of impact as a result!

After she did so Nora simply stood there for a moment. Unmoving with a grin on her face

”I told you…. Don’t underestimate… flowers…”

And then Nora Valkyrie was planted face first into the ground in front of her. Thunder thighs had spoken!

……and needless to say, hadn’t heeded Vaneera’s words as a result…
…………………………………..
Even as Vaneera tried to warn Motet not to let the fighting figures influence her Motet’s eyes were already marveling at what was going on. Make no mistake, she heard what vaneera said, she even nodded her head in acknowledgement.

But… it was so cool right?! This school WAS SO COOL! Wind and Lighting clashing! Grinding against each other to see which could get on top first, she practically wanted to get on all fours and howl in excitement, what stopped her was that vani would not want that, and of course, vani taught her she should not do that.

BUT STILL This was all so awesome! And then Van Van got involved herself which only made it more awesome! Though the wind girl started talking back to Vani which would result in her taking out her knife, moving forward…. And promptly both also getting a small pacification surge, and being held back by Vaneera.

….Who probably also got it by proxy as a result.

”Hehe… wow toasty…”
…………………………………..
Step One, Complete!

Step two, get out of this situation!

Step three, get her new friends to her room, when she got one, and enlighten them to the wonders of anime and manga!

And finally step four, somehow convince Veronica that anime is awesome but definitely not for her, or get her to go back to her room, so that she could raise her support level with Snow!
Step five:My life as the Empress’ servant, chapter three!

…..but for any of that she had to get out of this…. Insane situation first.

The one insulting her future domina…. Friend, and the woman who had come crashing down, and still was crashing around…. Everywhere.

”O…of course I am! Bold…Amber… absolutely”

For a moment, Amber did in fact take a pass at her with her comment. Face red and body shaking.

”Oh this is so soon um, our support isn’t even C…”

….Oh, oh she meant to just get behind her do to the thunder thighs charging towards Mauve.
Wel…. That made much more sense…

”Ah, yes mam, moving now come on Veronica!”

She moved herself behind Snow and, just for good measure used her semblance… and her precious laptop (thank god it was all backed up to Storm!) to create a makeshift barrier between them and the possible fallout that was coming.

Said horny neet wasn’t very eager for her, or her new friends to get fried like the rest!
…………………………………………………………………………………..
”We actually agree, on something, I could not possibly get along with this little ice princess”

Oh poor karasu… he really had his work cut out for him.

And then Bowie came on to the situation as well,  the combination of which meant Sapphire was now thoroughly back in her normal element as she dressed herself back properly. She crossed her arms with a huff at his comments shaking her head. Her voice had even gone back to its usual deadpan, the excitement of this situation having left for now.

”That’s some nerve from you, I was simply getting MY last teammate, hmph, this is not a game, I’m aware we have practice later”

Practice, ie plans, ie  ice bitches who didn’t need to know.

That being said, Bowie did make a good point. Sapphire had the best training imaginable thanks to her mother. She did not even need a semblance as a result, she was simply that good.

No it was not because she hadn’t been able to access it, shut up.

”Well, that is a good point, she is clearly far below my skill level, I admit it”

Ah but her Karasu was still so manly in this situation, it was something she enjoyed, he WOULD be hers, she would make sure of  it.

”Ah Karasu~ I will refrain for you~”

It was still in that monotone, normal people would find it creepy really…

She then gave a glare Moon’s way, followed by a brief silverish glow in her eye that would probably go unknown to most, but definitely not Bowie and Moon.

”You are NOT my boss Moon, I’m the team leader here”

That being said, she had gotten her back on track, they needed to focus on there goals, Though, she was still going to make Karasu hers, there would be no stopping that inevitable result in her eyes.

”Hmph, Bowie is enough of a pushover you could leash him certainly,  but you know better with me yes?  Your mine, after all. Why does that even bother you? Being my best girl means you are the greatest woman besides me, is that not a great thing? …..but yes, I will not embarrass myself that way again”

Around anyone but Karasu anyway. And then she added one more bit at the end to make sure she stayed on track. She did need it, she could see she got out of hand… maybe a little.

”Fine, Karasu can choose his team, I am sure he will choose the clearly superior one anyway”

She approached Karasu and, firmly pulling his collar, and by proxy him down to her she gave a confident, flirtatious grin as she stared him right in the eyes.

”Isn’t that right, Karasu?”

Again, all in that monotone that should probably be considered creepy… well as long as your name wasn't 'Karasu' anyway.

Afterwards she let him go and returned to her teammates side, dusting herself off and standing firm. Now in her normal stand she had a pretty cold approach to her, perhaps even colder than the ice queen herself.

”Very well then, we should get to work shouldn’t we? We have our own things to do while we wait for Oz Wipe to do his job”
…………………………………………………………………………..




”Wow that Lion is, like, pathetic, he should totally get a name change to a mouse”

”Weak, easily abused… I like it, a perfect little tool”

Two figures came out of the shadows as Salem called for there use. They for the most part looked the same, but with different color palettes. One clad in blue and white, the other dark and pink.  The one in blue always boar that same seemingly dumb tone to her voice, but she was far from an idiot. Perhaps that just made her all the more annoying to ally and foe alike. She could act this way, talk this way, but she could just as well take off your head before explaining to those nearby just how she did it.

Her sister was no different in that regard, arrogant and sure of herself. The twins walked into a room sure of themselves, sure of what they were and knowing just how much better than everyone else in that room. They were made by Salem, and unlike many of there kind were proud of just what they were. Unlike many of there kind Salem did not have to force them to accept the conversation, no they came willingly.

Why wouldn’t they? They were far above any other human anyway, it was just the next step.
The twins held no love for what they used to be, nor humanity as a whole. No they would consume a human as soon as they would there own kind, and most knew that, even there own allies. Yes, if not for their own loyalty to Salem they would all be targets, even Watts, no one was an exception.

If one needed any proof of that they need look no further than the twins reaction to Salem’s solution compared to everyone else. Unlike them Elisha, the girl in blue giggled, and Elsi, the girl in pink gave a satisfied grin.

”Perfect, We’ll see it done mother”

”Do we really like, need that gruff human though? He’ll totally slow us down, for REALZIES!’

”He is rather weak isn’t he? Oh well, we can use him for a meat shield if nothing else”

Elisha giggled in response once more. This was not them complaining about bringing Watts along, no they were very prepared to do so. But as usual they still voiced there opinions on just how useless the human form was. Really it was only good to sustain them, and even THEN! Despite this they followed behind Watts, with all the feeling of safety that  monsters like them  poised at your back would entail.

Their target? Well she wasn’t exactly hard to track, but she was hard to keep a gauge on.
Like now, she was currently using her wind magic to skate across the water back to her partner.

No, really, right now!
………………………………………………………………
”Overlord….? He just looks like a scholar to me”

Rivala, perhaps due to her ignorance of these types of the things was one of the only ones that did not end up giving Ozpin a hard time about his appearance. Though one got the feeling her calling him a scholar was not never meant to be taken any better in this regard. Yes, it was the tribal version of calling someone a nerd after all. She gave a simple nod in Vanta’s direction, she was only stating what was true. It was not her intention to praise him, though if he took it that way it did not really bother her.

”Of course, I doubt there are many that have not. Such deeds of valor can’t help but spread throughout the land”

Or be easily heard by spies,but potato patato.

As far as that speech of Penny’s went, she was still waking up from it. Her eyes were half open, her limbs were tired. Yes, were they even sure it was still the same date? It couldn’t be right? She had to have missed at least three birthdays.

Meanwhile Glyda gave a sigh at Alba’s outburst, Minti only giggled, they really were an adorable bunch.

Rivala listened as Alba and penny spoke with Ozpin, but did not yet have anything to say herself. Alba had lost his memory…. Well, it did not seem to have affected his combat abilities at least. Being able to defend himself meant he would be able to rediscover himself with his own hands.
Well, not that she cared, OBVISLY.

Glynda was in fact very unamused by Alba’s statement, even more so by the rad part, and so Alba received another sigh curiosity of her. That would, very likely end up being there relationship in a nutshell it seemed.

”Please refrain from referring to my weapon as ‘totally rad’ in the future, thank you”

Meanwhile Alba would find, he got a bit of an extra tightening to his part of the power hug, if he could not breathe before, he’d be hard pressed to remember what it was now. But then, that was what you got for commenting on a girl’s age, he knew social cues, he could only blame himself.

”Now now, I can hardly help what my Semblance does to me can I?~ No more than you can help being so pale~ You should really be more considerate of a ladies feelings~”

She released the vice grip right after, the smile not ever leaving her face as she did so. It wouldn’t due to have him faint after all.

Meanwhile, Penny got a very different reaction, for, she seemed to know how to choose her words carefully.

Unlike Alba…

”Why thank you little miss~ It seems you were raised very well weren’t… oomph!”

Penny returned the favor with a giant hug of her own, causing Minti to giggle in delight. She just knew, she was going to adore the year with students like this around.

”Yes oh yes, they certainly are! Hugs are the optimal way of showing affection to all!”

Rivala could only groan in the distance as she was roped into a cereal hugging session, human reasoning continued to elude her.

Once let back down, Minti was in fact delighted to here they would be coming to the school, giving her nod of approval to that notion. Rivala however was not, not even remotely.

”Hey now…. I didn’t volunteer to all that, I have things I need to do, and they don’t involved staying cramped in a school all year!”

Yes because…. She had to find him, even if she had no idea where to look now, she had to. There was no reason for her to be here right? Things were stable, Alba already had Penny. She had to find the person she cared about.

And warn him, before it was to late.

When Ozpin asked that Glynda handle it, she gave a nod but… did not move oddly enough.

”While you were having this rather long exposition I began handling it roughly five minutes ago, the field. Along with our other… favorite teacher should be handling the problem as we speak”

She then turned to the trio, seeming to glare speciclly at Alba in the process.

”You should know, that should you attempt any… rough housing outside of specified areas, the same will happen to you, well, unless you enjoy a different jolt of electricity to the spine. But I can’t imagine who would frankly”

Ozpin gave her introduction, and Minti gave a confident smile, despite the likely unenthusiastic tone with which she was introduced. She put her hands to her nonexistent hips, even breathing a small plume of fire as he finished.

Rivala gave an impressed nod but, refused to comment as she did with Vanta due to previous hug related crimes almost killing her off early.

”That’s me~ and I will be your Aura teacher, so be excited, I’m going to whip all of you into shape~”

A rare giggle came from Glynda at that, knowing exactly what was implied with that comment.
She almost felt bad for them, almost.

Rivala had a rather…. Different take away from the scream than the rest, being a tribal and all.

”Assuming you do not allow mating rituals on campus… I believe that woman may be trying to assert dominance”

Ironically not TO far off from the truth…..

Oh yeah... Penny was strong. As if being reminded of that fact, the Android loosens her grip so as to not strangle the life out of her friends. Although Minti seemed fine with it, all things considered. Either way the collected group would soon find themselves relinquished from the hug, and thus that allowed conversation to continue normally.

She tilts her head at a comment that Alba makes in regards to Glynda's weapon, and then she looks at the woman and her riding crop for a moment. She seems rather focused... Eventually that stare and silence is broken as she turns her attention to Alba with a smile.

"Actually, Alba. I am not detecting any irradiated content in the materials making up her weapon!"

... That was certainly one way to take "That's rad!"

In any case, Penny continues to listen to the goings on between everyone, and brings a hand to her chin as she thinks about the whole 'scholar' thing. "Humm... Well, scholars can be overlords, right?"

This group was going to need some special attention to stay on track, perhaps... Glynda seemed to be the type that would do just that, even warning them not to get into any scuffles in the Academy, else they would be sharing the fate of that electric shock. Well, she'd probably be just fine if she was on the receiving end of that, thanks to her unique nature, but... It's not like she had a reason to go fighting anyone either!

Less said about all that, the better anyway. So with all of that finally out of the way, that brought attention squarely to their acceptance into the Academy. Vask Vanta had a bit to say regarding Alba's inclusion in particular. Though Ozpin had it pretty well covered, Penny felt the need to add just one last remark.

"Besides, if he wasn't allowed to stay, I'd just stick with him.", she comments, and despite the cheer behind her, she said it so matter-of-factly that it looked like no one could really stop her if they wanted to...

Rivala seemed a little more hesitant to accept this offer, all things considered... But Penny hoped to make it an easier decision with her next words. "If we stick together, we can help you too! There is strength in numbers, after all!"

It would certainly be hard to deny that after the showing they had earlier with that Vesper. Still, there was the concern that Alba didn't have Aura at the moment... Penny had an idea on how to fix that, but it would have to be saved for later. It wouldn't exactly be proper to do it right now, in the middle of such an important meeting.

... Ah, but now we come to the topic of mating rituals. Alba didn't seem to know what they were. So once more, Penny is on the scene to explain!

"Mating rituals are a term used for habits and actions that one takes for the purpose of attracting another person romantically and/or sexually. Usually as a 'mate', hence "mating ritual.""

She processes the scream from earlier. "There does seem to be a hint of dominance mixed with shock. Apparently this relates to a Mistrali Anime term called "Tsundere.""

---

The situation on Beacon's courtyard continued to escalate. But whereas everyone was either drawn in by the fight with admiration and awe, fleeing from the chaos, or else wrapped up in that combat... Vaneera kept her distance. Mainly because things went pretty wildly different from how she predicted.

Mauve was fast, but not fast enough to escape Vaneera's notice when she was on guard. The Magician prepared several cards and was just about to toss them in order to take control of the field in one fell swoop, all without drawing attention to herself... But Nora moved just as fast despite her weaponry, and as a result that made it all unpredictable. Another factor in all of this was the timely intervention of that pacification field.

She could still have acted, but at this point it would require an entirely different plan that would bring the attention of everyone squarely onto her. Vaneera glowers, lowering her arm and pocketing the cards she had prepared.

It was too risky for her to jump in now, and her original plan wasn't going to put a stop to this anymore.

"Sheesh... Well, that serves as a reminder not to underestimate anyone. I don't know what that idiot was expecting.", she remarks, a pointed glare at Mauve -- wherever she had ended up as a result of Nora's counterattack.

Nora initially seemed to be unaffected by the pacification field. Which suggested some kind of immunity to being shocked, or.. A partial one. Because eventually she hit her limit and dropped hard.

In the end, Vaneera counted herself lucky, even if she acted just to prevent the fight, she might have gotten wrapped up in the field's effects. Keen to move on before anyone came by, she turns to Motet. She briefly considered trying to leave the scene behind -- but just about anyone would have noticed all that. So... Perhaps it was better to just 'blend in' with the gathered crowd rather than risk standing out.

"Just follow my lead."

Vaneera begins to move casually in with other students, taking at least a little bit of a berth from the main area of the incident.

---

Karasu sighs, shaking his head.

"If I had to, I'd make you two get along... But we'll leave that hypothetical situation for later.", it was a bit ironic for him to say that considering he preferred to work alone. But he did know firsthand that division was a quick way for bad things to happen.

Regardless, everyone seemed to have their own idea of how things should work and what actions should be taken in regards to teams. It's about at this time that Karasu simply shrugs lightly. "Well, I haven't really put any thoughts into a team. Some jobs I worked just starting off involved partnering up with others, but now I just prefer to work alone, less hassle, easier to predict how things will go."

... Considering he was decked out in combat gear, and certainly looked like he was an active warrior, that was quite the bold claim; he made a living all on his own, no team mates or support. Even if he mostly stayed in cities or caravans, that meant he carved a pretty hard path in life and even preferred it that way. There's not many in Remnant cut out for that kind of thing.

Not that it would deter Sapphire, of course. If anything it would probably egg her on, as she grasped his collar and pulled him down to eye level, flashing a flirtatious grin in the process.

Karasu couldn't help but blush just a bit. He had already gotten somewhat physically intimate with these two girls, and this one was DEFINITELY shooting for more.

Rather than saying anything that might escalate the situation, he opts to remain quiet, and is eventually released. He straightens out soon after.

Weiss isn't sure what to make of the proceedings that have just occurred, and comments on the oddity that the team presented... "Perhaps it was just a case of starting off on the wrong foot?"

He muses aloud, but then turns his attention to Weiss. "Listen... Sorry about earlier, I didn't mean to do anything untoward. Are you sure you're alright?", he then queries.

"No, not really" I replied "I was just thinking about getting my hunter license then get a job somewhere down south. I'll plan ahead there"

“I know damn well that it’s easy for them! They don’t think or feel anything! They just grow and look pretty! They don’t even feel it when they’re withering!”

When Mauve was deployed on this mission, she was told to not go all out and that no matter what, no one could find out what she truly was, apart from the people that already knew. It was necessary for the headmaster here to know about it. She was also told that she was never supposed to fight on campus due to the pacification field. She had actually been pulled aside and lectured on this by her superiors directly.

“The pactification field applies electric shocks, which can interfere with your equipment. That includes your hearing. So unless you want to end up deaf, I’d advice not getting into an unsanctioned fight on campus.”

Mauve had blown him off. Mostly because she didn’t see herself getting into a fight with any of the students. Especially on her first day. But she didn’t count on running into someone who completely lost her shit when she stepped on a flower. Plus, there were just some things she couldn’t let go. She expected to get shocked after she threw her attack. But she counted on being able to endure it. Besides, embarrassing this naive airhead would be well worth it.

Even in her anger she had the presence of mind to tone down her abilities a bit. She could do much more than throw out a low level blade of wind to extend her melee range. She figured this amount was enough to defeat the average first year student.

So when the short haired girl used her aura and semblance to repel the attack, Mauve couldn't hide her surprise. She looked at the other student disbelievingly. Sure, this was far from what she was capable of. If she wanted to, she could have launched an attack that could cut through anything. The girl's face paled as she realized her gamble did not pay off.

"Shit!"

Mauve managed to hop back to avoid the hammer strike, but the pacification field was another matter entirely. And it was as damaging to Mauve as it was helpful to Nora. The shocks themselves were painful, but she had felt physical pain before. What really hurt her was the high-pitched ringing that her mechanical ears were transferring as sound.

"AGGGGHHHH!!!"

She was beaten before the Shockwave of Nora's attack sent her flying. She lay in front of Snow and Veronica, sprawled over and clutching her ears. Mauve winced as Snow and Veronica spoke to her, clutching the sides of her head. She looked up at them, glaring at the two sisters. She was sure it was some sort of taunt from the both of them, even if she couldn't understand them.

"Shut the faaagh!"

Her own voice compounded matters. She grit her teeth, clutching the sides of her head as the static and ringing persisted. This was so much worse than she had expected. She had never taken this much electricity before. She had been warned about this, but it didn't really click how bad it would be. Now she was paying the price for underestimating everything and everyone around her.

---

Moon considered Bowie's words, her concentration showing on her face. "You might be right about that. Our master didn’t exactly make social skills a high priority. But I've still got to keep the both of you in line. Although she has a point too. The school is going to assign us a fourth member if we don't have one by the exam."

Moon regarded Weiss as she talked to her, but didn't respond to her again. Perhaps it was because what Sapphire said caught her attention. There was no arguing with the girl and her weird talk on "best girl" and other things of that nature. But she couldn’t just let everything fly. She folded her arms, looking at her teammate sternly.

"If the school decides you're the team leader then I won't have objections. That being said, it doesn't mean I'll let you do as you please. Being in a team means considering how your actions affect the others. Trying to add a member without permission is something that should be discussed with me and Bowie. If any of us does something to jeopardize the team, the others need to call them out on it. I suspect I'll be holding the leash the most out of all of us."

Moon turned to look at Karasu and Weiss, lowering her arms to her sides. "You shouldn't underestimate anyone, Sapphire. Remember what our master told us: this class of recruits is one of the most talented ones to date. As for you two, hopefully you can move past this incident and have a good rest of your day."

Moon pivoted on her heels and walked away, her posture upright. She expected the others of the team to follow her. There would be plenty to discuss with her teammates later. Right here was not the time.[/color]

”Even if no one else will, I acknowledge you, My friend”

The hooded woman stood in the rain with a smile. It was such a contraindication, but she did enjoy the rain, it was calming, soothing… It reminded her of her friend.

…….

The image of an emerald haired girl crossed her mind, crossing mud filled roads under the rain, delivering a message to that clown of a maiden, that time bomb waiting to happen. A message to spark chaos, a message to spark change. A message to turn heads and make things happen.

”I’m sorry, to put such a dangerous task to you…. It’s shameful, what we must do, but we must, so that one day… our dream, our collective dream can come true”

It wasn’t something she could say readily in front of her friend, for it would be to show weakness she could never show again.

She wondered a moment, if she knew anyway.

She trusted no one but her, she hated everyone but her.

They grew together, they trained together… there was no one she believed in more to get the job done, no matter what.

She looked up to the moon, as the rain began to settle down, a rare smile settled on a girl who was always filled with fire.

”Come back soon Emerald”

Together, she knew

They would make that dream a reality.

A wildfire through the world.

…………………………………………………….

”See? Moon gets it, as expected of the second best girl, of cour….”

But then Moon directed her attention to her, and Sapphire crossed her arms with a blank stare.

”I’m the best mother has to give, of course it’s going to be me, there is no doubt of that, you don’t have a delusion you will be made leader do you Moon? That would be a foolish choice, you’re a blade, not a leader”

The words weren’t said with hate, or malice, simply Sapphire’s usual near emotionless matter of fact tone, in fact, Moon would be very much used to this manner of speaking about her…. Unfortunately, she had to deal with it a lot.

That did not mean she couldn’t see what Moon was saying however, she did know her protégé was correct on this. She scoffed, hands on her hips.

”I… am aware of that, I was simply… trying to get us the best ally possible, that is CLEARLY Karasu, you don’t want some weakling brat to be placed with us do you?”

As for Bowie, he got a silvery glare from the rose, her arms crossed.

”I’ll thank you not to spread slander about me Bowie, less I tell everyone about the time you let a monkey beat you in sparring practice”

In response to Bowie’s next statement, and as if to confirm of the second part of it Sapphire gave a ‘hmph’

”I shall simply have to eliminate the ice queen as what little competition she is, it is simple”

The statement was said both in response to Bowie, and Weiss’ comments on her. After these words she nodded to Sapphire and, without much word she’d be doing so followed behind them, but pausing in front of Karsu once more she grabbed his chin, licking her lip briefly.

”Besides, I already know, your mine right?”

Because the answer was obvious to her she didn’t give the man much time to respond as she continued to walk off with her team, to a more secluded, private area they could discuss there business….

………………………………………………………………….

Amber watched the battle unfold before her, watched as Nova toppled to the ground in exhaustion. Watched as the other woman fared no better. It wasn’t a long fight but it was an intense one. It seemed that despite the power on display the biggest fight was displayed in the mental scape, like some kind of anime season finale or something. It was pretty cool if she was being honest! At the same time she hoped her storyline could avoid that kind of dramatic, life changing tension, way too stressful for her taste!

”Thunder Thighs, thunder strikes, thunder everything! Let’s not be tommorows meal plan

Though on the subject of Snow wanting to learn more about this, Amber made sure to use her semblance to create a small recording device to take in the remainder of what was going on. She would present as a gift to her later and BOOM bonus points! Compatible gifts always work great like that!

The compliment from Snow of course resulted in a blush on the neets’s face. Snow was complimenting her, HER! If she wasn’t holding up a barrier to keep them from getting barbecued she would have fainted right there!

The fight ended and the group move forward, as Snow commented Nora gave a thumbs up into the air… before promptly fainting out completely. As for Amber she had begun analyzing there surrounding by redirecting what devices she had to work with, get a chill down her spine as she observed things…

”Mist…Snow, Veroncia… we should probably go… there’s a teacher coming, I don’t want detention my first day, do ya’ll? I still haven’t gotten my team yet!”

The statement was loud enough others nearby would be able to hear as well…. Well, if they were conscious anyway.

……………………………………………………………..

Motet was doing something Vaneera was likely trying to stop her from doing now.
And that was running around, play dodging the lighting that strayed off during the fight. Hopping, skipping, ducking, spinning. She was doing all these things. Meaning that when things did calm down she gave a notable huh of annoyance.

”Ahhhh that’s boring!  The hammer girl ran out of juice! Vani can we squeeze more out of her? I wanna play more! This is fun!”

She then giggled nodding her head in agreement with Vaneera, though that was nothing new, she often did as to her Vani always knew best! She was the hero and Motet herself her badass sidekick! She was going to ask Vaneera what to do upon hearing the boring glasses girl make her announcement, but it seemed Vaneera already had a plan in mind herself. Blend in huh…? They were going to need more school uniforms later then! Motet waved to the others, despite having not talked to them much of all the entire time

”Bye bye! You all look tasty, so lets meet again sometime ok? See ya!”

After saying these words she proceeded to blend in with Vaneera, into the crowd, asking her
friend a simple question

”Soooo where do we go next Vani I wanna STAY this place looks so fun!”

………………………………………………………………

Minti quite enjoyed having another around with strength comparable to hers, Rivala however did not. For her it was annoying, though she did respect the strength itself, to her it was wasted on playful games like this. The teacher however gave a wide grin.

”My my I do very much like these three already, I can’t wait to whip them into shape~”

A grin that somehow instilled the joy Minti felt and the dread it caused for students school wise was given. Meanwhile Rivala in response to Alba’s words gave a genially confused blink. Thinking on what he said for a moment she shook her head in denial.

”Alba what’s to stop scholars from being evil, or having a lair? I do not remember them having an inherent alignment to themselves, or anyone else having one for that matter”

Indeed, she had taken that completely seriously, and yes, she had overlooked the part where he was joking… and the part where scholars didn’t really need evil lairs to begin with… Yes, even the part where this was originally about Ozpin being said evil lair ruler. In response to Vask’s description of her Rivala gave a scowl, but nodded in agreement none the less.

”As I said, all the more reason not to drag me into this, our goals clearly conflict”

Latent potential Alba may or may not posses aside, it seemed Ozpin had no intention of giving up on keeping Rivala here, assistant? She wasn’t any dam assistant! With a huff Rivala began barging forth, claws out, fury in her eyes.

”Now listen here you four eyed pompous control freak,  I am not a fucking faunus and I told you I’m NOT….”



The moment Rivala came within a few inches of Ozpin Minti had moved, quick as a whip. To a point it was likely the other staff would not even have seen a reason to move themselves. With callous efficiency her knee jabbed right into Rivala’s gut, immediately taking the breath out of her and causing her to topple to the ground, in the process also giving a very clear reason not to cause trouble in the process. If not the pacification, then they could very have this small woman striking them down.

She spoke, with the same sickeningly sweet tone she had with Alba earlier.

”Now now, he’s just trying to offer you some help, if you would bother to listen. Now be a good girl, and hear him out before you decline, or I WILL be putting you in detention myself”

The fierceness of a serious Minti was enough to make even Rivala pale, as she returned to her feet, now listening to what the man had to say. Hearing him out she gave a pained sigh. As much as she hated to admit it he had a point, made him with Minti hadn’t stopped her a second ago, she could have torn him apart before he could make it. Rather than fully acknowledge him however, she simply gave a nod, giving the bare minimum she could due to her annoyance.

”Fine fine… I’ll stay… do you lot at least have something for pain, she’s got a freaking mean knee strike… bleh… stupid tater tot teacher…”

A simple glare…

”What was that?”

”Nothing!”

Minti only gave a wide grin in response, and when it came to Alba’s comment on not having an aura well, Vask unfourntlaty didn’t save him as Minti gave that same smile his way, followed my a rather concerning giggle.

”Heeheh oh don’t you worry Alba theres plenty to learn, and plenty to draw out, why who knows by the end….”

One could swear, that for the briefest fraction of a second her smile turned almost…. Blood thirsty? No not that but… there was definitely a more feral joy she took in her teaching…..

”You’ll find you just needed a little push!”

Rivala would have given a smart comment to Alba’s obliviousness about mating ritual, but she was currently in a little to much pain to be a smartass, instead stating simply.

”God you’re hardheaded, help me to healer hardhead… Or you penny since you want to help”

At least Penny explained it….

It…. Was going to be a long year…

Glynda wasn't the only one to take note of Alba's rather informal comment regarding her choice of weaponry, the inquisitive redhead noticed as well, making a comment on it in very typical fashion of her. ...Although it seems she...Didn't entirely grasp the meaning behind his words, assuming it was much more literal.

"Uh...Not that kind of rad Penny... Wait how are you able to tell how irradiated something is?"

Despite his lack of general knowledge regarding this world he was almost certain regular people couldn't naturally detect something like radiation, even if he didn't fully understand why he was sure of it - It seemed to be one of those things that registered as odd almost instinctively. He blinked silently for a moment, dropping that line of inquisition once Penny mentioned that Scholars can have evil lairs if they so choose.

"I guess you're not WRONG...It's not like there's some villain rule book... ... R-Right?"

Rivala's input only made him wonder about that even more. What had started as a joke spiraled into something that made him question it seriously.. Sure there wasn't inherent alignments, anyone could be anything they wanted to be...Probably. But for someone as absent minded as him the present conversation had gotten far out of hand as he rubbed his chin deep in thought... ... And then opened his mouth to speak.

"... Do you think villains have workers' unions?-"

Ozpin cleared his throat impatiently, stopping that line of thought dead in its tracks before it could continue into a spiral of insanity and questionable ethics.

"I believe that is a question best pondered in your spare time children."

It was clear to everyone - Even Alba from the slightly impatient tone of voice the headmaster had taken on that he was essentially telling them to save casual discussions for later when they weren't being interviewed over far more important matters. The amnesiac felt a slight shiver down his spine from the subtle power enforced by the man...Was every adult here just a terrifying hidden pool of power? Minti, Vanta, even the Headmaster himself, they all clearly held fathomless levels of power that they were only casually drawing from in order to maintain their sense of authority. He was certain of one thing - Alba didn't want to draw that authority to the surface if he could help it.

One thing that surprised him however was Penny's insistence that she would simply continue to follow him even if he wasn't allowed to stay here. To the authority in the room it was a surprisingly bold claim...To him it was rather endearing. He had only known her for half of a day now and she was already prepared to walk to the ends of Remnant alongside him in a quest to recover his memories and hopefully relearn who he is. The headmaster...Really couldn't create an argument for that statement, instead simply nodding...

"...Erm...Quite."

Still, Penny's enthusiasm was so contagious that he couldn't help but agree with her on most matters. Especially in things he already agreed with from the beginning - Such as the matter of helping Rivala. He gave a nod, smiling to her.

"Yeah I guess after coming this far there's really no way I can let this go. We beat down that beast like it was nothing and you've got me really curious! With us around you're bound to find the person you're looking for eventually."

The calm atmosphere faded instantly as Ozpin used a word which triggered berserker rage in the more feral woman in the room. However as she lunged at him he simply...Stood completely still. Vanta stood up from the desk reaching for the axe on his back, but Ozpin simply raised a hand, motioning for the trained huntsman to wait. His reasoning for doing so immediately became clear as Rivala was assaulted by a flying knee kick. Minti had been lightning fast, so much so that the amnesiac boy wasn't even able to keep track... Was this the true power of a fully trained hunter? Alba felt his entire body go numb momentarily as he watched the exchange. A single kick was all it took to completely topple Rivala and stop her assault...

He shook his head, trying to shake away the terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. It wasn't as if this woman was his enemy...He knew he simply had to relax, and as much as he empathized with the blue girl given the immense pain she had been dealt, he could do no more than cringe slightly. But even so, there was something almost primal in him raising alarms in his head. He elected to try and put it in the back of his mind...Maybe his nerves were simply frayed from the exhaustion of the earlier battle he put himself through with that Vesper. The fight already concluded, and Ozpin having said his piece, he smiled once Rivala agreed to the proposition laid out, listening as she barely managed to ask for medical assistance.

"Of course miss Rivala. Mister Vanta shall escort you to the Medical Wing."

Alba intervened, raising a hand to interrupt.

"Actually we can take her there. I feel a little responsible anyway 'cause I kinda brought her here."

Ozpin was about to interject by explaining that it was actually Glynda's actions that brought Rivala to this place when Alba continued bluntly...

"... Well no technically it's that big blue monster's fault. But then I wouldn't have been there if not for this really nice cafe so maybe it's the cafe owner's fault? ... But then I woke up in a park, and Penny found me, and she wouldn't have if I hadn't been placed there so maybe whoeve-"

The headmaster cleared his throat again, interrupting for the sake of everyone else.

"I'm certain it's quite an interesting theory of blame Mister Mars, but I believe your friend needs medical attention."

Alba paused for a moment...Looking over at Rivala who was still hunched over on the floor in pain... ...It took him a solid moment of registering the situation to realize before...

"... Oooh yeah! Thanks Headmaster! I guess that might help her!"

The amnesiac walked over to Rivala, prepared to pick her up when Minti's comments aimed at him sent another chill down his spine...A little push? He swallowed roughly, not even looking back at Minti as he began to speak again.

"I just hope it's not a push like Rivala got."

Thankfully Penny's well-timed information dump shook him out of his fear of the tater tot teacher by providing something he sorta knew and sorta didn't know. However he found it so interesting that he listened silently to the ginger's summarized teaching on the meaning of "mating ritual". With an added comment about "tsunderes" to boot, it was really quite eye opening! He smiled brightly at her, staring silently before opening his mouth to speak.

"That's great Penny!"

... And then without missing a beat he scratched his head in confusion, still staring at her with the same bright smile.

"... What the hell's an "anime"? Is that some kind of bug? Bugs are pretty cool. They taste bad though..."

That last comment was likely to floor everyone in the room save for the tribal. And in fact for Vanta it almost literally did as he temporarily lost his footing from surprise at just how...Absurd that was to say. He finally stepped over to Rivala amidst the confusion and began to pick her up as she reminded him that she needed to see a doctor of some sort for her particular condition...

"Hey! My head's not hard! It's just...Extra durable!"

... He struggled to pick Rivala up after that comment, and if she cooperated, she would find herself in a very poorly aligned "princess" style carry that was...Pretty uncomfortable to say the least.

"Well daylight's burning! C'mon Penny let's go get Riv fixed, then we can tap into my latent hidden powers that I didn't know I had!"

Alba slowly carried the tribal girl to the elevator, waiting for Penny to follow along and - Once she entered as well, the doors would close, carrying them down to the tower's lobby once more, freeing them from the oppressive atmosphere of the Headmaster's office.

Ozpin sighed once they had left, rubbing his forehead. Vanta himself was trying to piece together that entire exchange, wondering if the headmaster had lost his mind.

"Oz...Are you sure about this? I know what you're thinking from the way that kid looked, but honestly...I don't think it's what you think it is."


Ozpin turned and walked to the window behind his desk, gazing out at the school below.

"Perhaps you're right Mister Vanta, but I can't take the risk that he might be part of HER legion...The resemblance is uncanny. There is always the chance that he may only be acting the part of a clueless innocent. I cannot afford to let something like that slip away...The only way to be certain of my hypothesis is to study him."

The experienced Hunter shook his head, sighing.

"I get it, you're still bitter over her. And I even know she represents some great danger, but I think you've got way worse problems. That...What'd she call it? Vesper? That Vesper thing sounds like nothing I've ever fought. Maybe Minti could take it in a fight but most hunters only ever prepare for fighting what they KNOW. If that Rivala girl's got some connection to these creatures I think following her up on this would be a better call. Besides if you needed a capable teammate for the orphans I could line up some former pupils of mine. I trained a lot of great people personally. Those Merlot sisters are only a couple of the aspiring hunters I've trained.

Ozpin continued to stare out of the window, not turning to face any of them.

"Do you know WHY I've been increasing my obsession in her affairs as of late? Do you know why I've decided to bring orphans into the school when before I had kept them strictly separated?"

Without waiting for a response he continued to speak.

"She has started moving again. Decades of dormancy are once more gone, and this time I fear there will be no more periods of silence...She has always grown ever closer to her goals with each period of activity...But this time it is entirely different. You've all heard the rumors. Creatures of grimm that are nothing like the mindless unthinking beasts that rend hunters asunder. We have lost several of our most skilled warriors in the past year. Worse yet two of the maidens are gone now. One went rogue some time ago and we haven't heard from her since, the other...Well..."

Vanta looked rather somber, lowering his head as he nodded.

"That poor girl. If only one of us had been there to protect her at the time. ... So what's your plan then? You're not gonna keep it secret from three of the people you trust the most right? Surely the great and powerful oz has an answer for this."

Ozpin smiled as he turned to face the others.

"That is where these orphans come in. They will simply take up where the Fall Maiden has failed."

Even someone as experienced as Vask can have their moments of surprise, and this was just one such moment as he opened his eyes.

"You're kidding Oz...I may not know much about magic but even I know you can't just...Give it to someone who doesn't have the right spark from the beginning. None of your orphans are magic.

Ozpin continued to smile, although this time it was...Different. It was as though he had secrets to keep even from his most trusted circle.

"I'm afraid I can't reveal anything more yet. I have to be sure my plan will work before I can unveil them to you. But to satisfy your curiosity I will leave you with one simple statement..."

He turned to gaze out of the window once more, his reflection shining brightly against the glass surface.

"Magic may be more malleable than we once believed."

---

The tension between the two fighters continued to escalate. Even Snow was starting to see the futility of continued hostilities. What made it worse for the three girls standing on the sidelines was that the pacification field's strike on both Mauve and Nora had sent arcs of electricity right towards the barrier Amber had constructed... ... And subsequently blasted through all of them, just stopping short of striking Snow. She remained calm even as she watched it almost hit her...But a sigh of relief escaped her lips as it finally ended. She watched as Mauve screamed, falling to the ground unceremoniously. The ice cold noble's expression didn't change at all as she looked Mauve directly in the eyes... ... Veronica on the other hand was now cringing heavily and had a look of fear and deep concern on her features. It was clear to most that Veronica had been deeply painted with empathy, while Snow...Wasn't phased either way. Instead she wondered where the third participant had gone as she scanned the area. She sighed, shrugging her shoulders and assuming she would see them again eventually.


Snow gave a pert nod to Amber.

"I have to agree. I would rather like to avoid being hit by the pacification field if possible. I had heard the rumors, but I didn't ever suspect I would witness it for myself. And on day one no less..."

Veronica couldn't stop gazing over at the two combatants who had been utterly devastated by both their fight and the field's effects. She murmured a few words under her breath before finally speaking up...

"S...Shouldn't we help them first?"

Snow glanced over to her sister, shaking her head.

"They're training to become hunters. Taking pain is something one must learn in the pursuit of this career. Besides, the field is entirely non-lethal. I'm certain staff will arrive momentarily to take care of them."

And then as if right on cue, Amber mentioned that there were teachers making their way here, insisting that leaving would be for the best if they didn't want to risk detention. Snow couldn't agree with that assessment more, nodding calmly in response to Amber's question. She didn't seem to notice the accidental slip of the tongue from Amber, she assumed that perhaps "Mist" was either a nickname, or she was referring to someone else Snow had yet to see.

"I would rather avoid complications on my first day. Especially when I'm trying to create an image for myself. Let's find somewhere...A little more quiet, shall we?"

... Of course this choice of words might have stood out to Amber in a way entirely unintentional, as Snow was merely suggesting they find somewhere with no active chaos to enjoy their time waiting. But this was a horny NEET. A horneet if you will. Taking words in an entirely different direction was inevitable. Made all the worse by Veronica's response...

"Well, I guess that's a good idea. It will be better if it's just the three of us!"

Snow walked away with Veronica not far behind...Although the shorter, more timid sister turned to look back at the two incapacitated fighters, a timed smile formed on her face as she called out to them apologetically.

"S...Sorry! I hope your day goes better!"

And then the two sisters' scrolls let out a beep, notifying them both that they had received a message...

---

Bowie sighed, shaking his head. Moon didn't have to worry about "keeping him in line". He was already perfectly within his boundaries right now. As for the fourth member? Wellll...It wasn't something he could talk about openly without risking prying ears listening in. He simply chose to lean in closer.

"Our Fourth is something I can tell you about later. Let's say I have a...uh...Hunch and leave it at that while we're around people who don't need to know any more than that."

He really didn't like the way Sapphire boasted so much when she still had a long way to go. It reminded him of people he once knew. People he would rather forget. Still, he wasn't about to burst her bubble when it didn't matter to the mission. He also happened to roll his eyes as he watched Sapphire...Toy with that poor guy. She really wasn't good at flirting at all...

"Who the leader is doesn't matter. It's all for show. Don't forget why we're here Saph."

He crossed his arms, following behind Moon as she walked away.

"Still, Moon's not wrong. If we go off the beaten path too much it will make everyone else's tasks more difficult. I'd rather finish this job as soon as possible so we can go. I get a bad feeling about this place. I swear something's not right with Beacon."

He considered Moon's words for a moment, mulling them over in his head silently as the trio walked along...

"If they're stronger than ever then we'd be wise not to mess with them. That old man and his lackeys are the only ones we need to worry about dealing with. These chumps don't need to get involved and hopefully you won't give them a reason to Saph. Remember what our teacher taught us; It's not cowardly to pick and choose your fights. Just means you'll live to fight again."

Contrary to the abrasive way he spoke to Sapphire, the truth was...He considered her someone he could trust. However to the others this was simply who Bowie was - He didn't take time to choose his words. He spoke bluntly with every sentence, saying exactly what was on his mind. He knew his place in this circle, but there was no way to change his manner of speaking.

"I get wanting to bring someone on board with us...But that guy's clearly not going to respond well to what we are, and what we're doing. You should really learn to separate business from pleasure y'know. Besides...The thing I couldn't talk with you two about before...The boss has already lined up a fourth wheel. I don't really trust them myself but it's an alliance she wants to respect."

His choice of words were vague, he didn't elaborate on who this was or what alliance needed to be kept up. Perhaps it was out of fear of someone hearing in. Or maybe it was a group he would rather not bring up...Either way his lack of elaboration was deliberate given how he never spoke in riddles. Setting all of that aside he simply shrugged emotionlessly as he earned a glare from Sapphire. It wasn't an odd reaction when she went on flights of fancy...But he frowned when she brought up the "monkey" that beat him in a spar. He objected quickly!

"That wasn't a monkey! That was a grimm! A damn powerful grimm! The bastard almost killed me! I don't have silver eyes like you, y'know!"

He sighed, rubbing his head and looking away from her in annoyance before listening to her..."plans"...Again he objected quickly.

"Try not to commit wanton murder alright...? You're just going to bring heat down on us. That's the LAST thing we need. If you really want the guy so badly I'll kidnap him for you once our job is done."

THAT was a statement he would more than likely live to regret given the type of person Sapphire was. But he wasn't one for putting much thought into his words at all. Bowie was the type to act fast. The deeper thinking could come after he was done taking care of business.

"Dunno where you're taking us Moon but if you've got something important to discuss then I'm all ears. ... Hopefully you keep Sapphire on an ACTUAL leash because I get the feeling she's not going to listen to what you have to say."

And then their scrolls beeped with a notification, interrupting the mocking tone he took with the silver eyed girl...

---

Karasu insisted that the only reason they came off as strange was due to starting off on the wrong foot...But Weiss seemed to disagree entirely with that notion.

"They remind me of my father to be quite honest with you. Ugh, that's not a good thing for the record."

The heiress sighs, nodding calmly as Karasu asks if she's okay. The more he apologized the more she realized it really was a genuine mistake. She finally smiles lightly, brushing her dress off.

"It was an accident. Although hopefully in the future we don't...End up in situations quite like that. It doesn't exactly paint either of us in a good light, and image is everything. But...I've seen people do far more brash things on purpose. Socialite parties...Aren't exactly as refined as people like to think.

Weiss shakes her head, immediately returning to her refined posture. It was kind of impressive just how well she shook all of that off. Perhaps this was just a natural skill of the upper class? In either case she seemed to recognize that it wasn't totally his fault anyway.

"I...Suppose I should be apologizing as well. I didn't exactly behave in a proper manner back there. But I just HATE girls like her. They always seem to bring out the worst in me. My sister always admonishes me for thinking like this but can you HONESTLY blame me? Some girls just can't handle standing in the face of perfection I suppose!"

Weiss had a smug expression on her face...One that remained even as her scroll alerted her to an important message.

"Ah perfect! Just in time for them to reveal the team I'LL be leading no doubt!"

The heiress calmly read out the announcement with graceful glee... ... Only for her face to contort in pure horror at what she saw. She then proceeded to scream loudly enough to once again cast her shrieks across the entire campus...

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

---

Just what was it that caused horror to dawn on the young Schnee? Why it was none other than the grand announcement that was being sent to every single scroll on campus!



- TEAM RWBY: Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long.

- TEAM MARC: Snow Merlot, Amber Alchemilla, Karasu Reiuji, Chaos.

- TEAM JNPR: Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren.

- TEAM VOWL: Veronica Merlot, Motet Oratorio, Vaneera White, Mauve Lolanthe.

- TEAM JADE: [INFORMATION TBD], Alba Mars, Penny Polendina, Evelyn Damerot.

- TEAM SIGL: Sapphire, Bowie Blight, Moon [Letter not applicable], Ilia Amitola.

- TEAM OCLT: Opal Saffron, Coriander Chervil, Fennel Lazuli, Poppy Tarragon.

- TEAM...

The announcement excitedly listed every single new team that had been registered as first years. Though there were a few...Anomalies. Such as some names seemingly omitting the importance of a person's name, and then there was the oddity of team jade completely omitting the leader's name for reasons entirely unknown...However, Beacon was now electrified in a whole new way as newly entered students began to excitedly scan for their names among the list, with some reacting in glee and others in abject defeat...

----
"This has to be some kind of mistake! I'm not the team leader?! And I'm...Paired with THAT dolt?! I'm going to see the headmaster IMMEDIATELY!"
----
"Interesting...It seems you and I are going to be interacting much more in the future Amber. Congratulations to you sister...It seems you've become a leader in your own right."

Veronica...Was as pale as a hospital bedsheet.

"M...Me a team leader?! There's got to be some sort of mistake! I'm...Not leader material at all!"
----
Alba was entirely unable to participate in the excitement due to lacking a scroll of his own...However he did manage to take note of the excitement in the air.

"Wow this place just got more lively...Looks like they missed you Riv! You're some kinda superstar now judging from their reactions!"
----
"And there it is. Guess the cat's out of the bag. Boss insisted we pair up with a white fang for this job...Those guys creep me out."

(OOC Note: These last responses after the team announcement are simply for my own sake of keeping things in a "correct order". You can all treat them as if they're part of the upper segments when responding.)

"Well, looks like our teams been announced. Better I check on them"

Alba asked the very fair question of how Penny was able to determine the amount of radiation in a given area or object. This prompts the girl to become a bit flustered as she thinks up another answer on the spot. "Uh..."

Crap, this one was hard. "W-well, I come from Atlas, which is a very advanced place! So I have a Geiger counter!"

Another hiccup.

That now addressed, Alba then begins to explore the possibility of a villain rulebook, and this actually prompts Penny to bring a hand to her chin as she ponders that over. "Hmm... I don't know if such a book exists, but the more successful criminals do seem to have sets of rules and laws for organization purposes. They just don't seem to line up with the kinds of rules and laws that we have."

Ah, so now the topic was switching to whether or not they had workers' unions. The Android found this to be a fascinating topic and was about to comment on it, but Ozpin had cleared his throat and quickly regathered control of the situation that was otherwise spiraling totally into chaos. "Understood!"

She seemed less intimidated by Ozpin than Alba was, but that was mainly because from her perspective, if such a matchup were to happen, she would win it handily. Not that she was particularly HOPING for such a combat scenario to play out, but if it came down to that, there was nothing to suggest that Ozpin would be able to defeat her.

But she wasn't going to come out and say that either. Instead, she has that pleasant smile as always. Any day that doesn't involve a fight is a good one! ... Or more fighting, as the case is for this day.

... That being said, Rivala seemed to be a little less optimistic about the terms and treatment -- it WAS her choice to make. But still, the way she was carrying herself it was clear that she was moving to attack Ozpin. Penny was about to take action before Minti had done so herself.




Seeing the swift kick delivered to Rivala's gut, and the following comment thereafter... Well, obviously the atmosphere had changed. But it wasn't just because Minti was showing how capable she was. The Android then steps forward, lacking the usual meekness or excitable energy. It was a step that carried a lot of weight behind it, one that almost seemed to push oppressive auras back with one out of sheer willpower.

"Rivala, please refrain from attacking anyone. That being said..."

She then turns a glare towards Minti. "Conduct yourself as a professional, and do not harm the people you are supposedly so interested in helping. Someone as capable as you should have been able to restrain Rivala without causing any notable injury, especially with the assistance of your fellow teachers."

She doesn't even allow Minti a moment edge-wise to retaliate. "And the next time you decide to cause purposeful injury over your poor judgement, you'll be trading blows with me. You'll find that I am not so easily harmed."

She then turns her attention to Rivala. "Don't worry. No one will be allowed to pressure you to make any decision... But I would recommend hearing out possible options besides going it alone."

Ironwood was... Certainly not enthused by the behavior being showcased by Penny, if looks could kill, then the expression on his face might certainly qualify... But he takes a deep breath as he closes his eyes. Seeming to relent on the insubordination that was shown just now.

"Your criticism is... Fair and noted. I'm sure that proper conduct will be taken from here on out, if you'll see to your friend?", he responds, hoping to keep the situation a little more diplomatic rather than forceful.

That prompts a nod out of Penny, and she seems to be calming down a little now as a result of it. Alba's well-timed comments regarding anime also seem to pull her out of that surprisingly serious mood she was in. "Oh, "anime" refers to a specific style of animation. It's wonderful, I can show you some later!"

But now it was time to help Rivala. Penny proceeds over with Alba and offers to help her up, as well as to take her to the Medical Wing. Even if she wasn't going to be the one carrying Rivala, she could still make sure that Alba keeps his balance while carrying her!

And so the group leaves behind an Office that still has much to discuss...

Alba seemed a little out of the loop as to the energy now reverberating through the Academy. Penny had just gotten a rather convenient notification like many others, and pulls out a scroll to look it over.

"Alba, take a look at this.", she taps his shoulder and then holds the scroll in such a way as for him to easily read it.

"They just announced the Teams. We're on the same one!"

---

It seems someone out there had a real sense of humor, making sure that these kinds of situations would happen and get Motet all riled up and excited about the wrong things... Vaneera lets out an exasperated sigh. It was going to take forever to get her to settle down now! "Okay, I'm pretty sure she ran out of energy because of some kind of stunning field. So make sure you don't fight anyone on Beacon unless you get permission from the faculty, alright?"

Oooof course, Motet gives an unusual farewell to everyone else, making this feel like an even longer day for Vaneera in the process. "Motet... You can't just say things like that."

Naturally, Motet already wanted to stay at Beacon -- which is something that Vaneera sort of wanted... But now it was happening for all the wrong reasons. This was a good place to get education and training, but now Motet had this idea of a chaotic place where people get into fights and do crazy things.

That... May end up not being too far off the mark from the truth. As Vaneera tries to answer the question that Motet has, the sudden appearance of a third person gives a pause to such proceedings. It was a woman with long green hair, and she had approached the two with a smile. Just from the way she carried herself, one got the impression she was a teacher here at Beacon.

"Hello, you two.", she greeted them. "I must say that I don't recognize either of you, and you don't appear to be on the current registry... Fortunately, I can go ahead and correct that little issue. If you'll tell me your names?"

That was certainly an unexpected hand. Vaneera only takes a little bit to compose herself and respond. "I'm Vaneera White, and she is Motet Oratorio."

The woman takes out a scroll and presumably begins adding the necessary information, once done she gives another beaming smile. "All done. I'm Esmeralda Eucryphia, and I hope to see you two in my class. Make sure you pass that entrance exam."

With that, Esmeralda continues on her way.




Vaneera couldn't help but be a little dumbfounded. Not only did they sneak their way into Beacon, but they had gotten a free bail out from one of it's teachers. Given the general commotion going on now, it seems as though teams were being announced now. Vaneera guides Motet along to a nearby terminal displaying the announced teams.

"Team VOWL, huh...? I guess we'll be meeting our prospective team mates soon."

It also appears that Esmeralda really did help them out in the nick of time. How lucky was that?

---

Karasu wasn't entirely sure what to make of that girl called Moon. She seemed distant, cold. Almost giving off an impression that she was going through motions rather than actually caring about what was going on around her. There was a hint of annoyance or at least exasperation behind her words. Not in the tone, but in the words that she used.

Sapphire, by comparison, had a monotone voice, but was obviously passionate about certain things, and seemed a little more genuine with her emotions and thoughts. She was very straightforward about what she wanted, and she wasn't going to let anything get in her way, not even her closest allies. Sapphire accentuated that point during her exit.

He couldn't help but blink in surprise at her boldness. Now released from being sandwiched between the interest of two women, he shakes his head and regathers his composure. "I'm not used to women taking such a liking to me..."

Weiss seemed to hold to her initial impression of the group, commenting on how she's reminded of her father -- and that it's very much not a good thing. Karasu took notice of that... "I see... It sounds pretty complicated, then."

He states, hoping not to give off the impression of prying into her personal life. She'd talk about it when she was good and ready. Still, the young lady did paint a little more of a picture into what it was like to have status, and the expectations and actions in such a lifestyle. "Hmm... If anyone gives you any trouble, let me know and I can handle it."

It was pretty rare for him to offer his services entirely for free, but there were some things you did on principle. A lady like Weiss deserved to be treated properly. It also seemed like she was apologetic about how things played out, and in the process gives another hint as to her family life... It sounded more and more like Weiss had it rough.

At least she seemed to be in a better mood now, which caused Karasu to relax a little bit. "I'm glad you're feeling better, in any case. I'm also glad there's no hard feelings."

Weiss wasn't the only one that got a notification though. Karasu reaches for his own scroll and starts to read it... His attention is pulled away by the loud scream that Weiss releases. "What is it?! An enemy?!", he looks around frantically, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword.

Weiss soon gave some much needed elaboration though. It seems as though Weiss was NOT happy with the Team she ended up in. As the young heiress storms off to Headmaster Ozpin's office, Karasu follows. Though it's mainly because he's not too sure what else to do at the moment...

---

Pyrrha smiles and nods. "I'll go with you!"

The red-haired girl leads the way to a terminal displaying the newly announced information. It looks like they didn't end up on the same Team, but...

"So I'm on Team JNPR, and you're on Team MARC...", she looks over to Chaos, gauging his reaction.

If he seemed at all disappointed by the news, she'd offer another comforting smile and a gentle pat on the shoulder. "We'll be friends even if we're not on the same Team, you know. If you need any help, you can call on me, too!"

Mauve didn't know how long her ears were screwed up for. The emergency shut-off was supposed to occur quickly if the system was damaged, but the pacification field seemed to have really put a wrench in the system. To Mauve's surprise, her hearing actually returned to normal. Groaning, she shakily climbed to her feet, panting and bending forward. Her disheveled appearance torn clothing, and bruised body made her look of fury seemingly animalistic in nature.

"Unbelievable! That girl can absorb electricity and got a boost from the pacification field! Damn, the commander was right: this class of rookies is insane. I've never seen anyone shrug off a pacification field before, fuck!"

"S...Sorry! I hope your day goes better!"

Mauve flipped the bird in her direction. She was not in the mood to converse with anyone right now. Well, honestly this day couldn't get much worse. At least, that's what she thought anyway. Then the team compositions were announced. Mauve pulled out her scroll and stared down at it.

"You've got to be shitting me! I got a Merlot as my team leader?! Fuck!"

Mauve exclaimed loudly enough for everyone around her to hear her outburst. Including both of the Merlot sisters.

---

A woman wearing a white coat was watching the situation from afar. It looked as though Mauve had managed to recover.

"I'm surprised she got up after the pacification field got in the way. It looks like I don't have to bring her to the infirmary after all. Then again, she is an orphan, so she wouldn't be downed that easily."

The woman strode up, a tired-looking expression all over her face. She looked over at Mauve sternly.


"As you can see, we have measures to prevent unauthorized conflict here. I trust that you've learned your lesson."

She reached down and slung Nora over her shoulder with one hand and picked up the girl's weapon with the other. It was done with the greatest of ease as if they weighed nothing at all. She then walked off, leaving Mauve gritting her teeth at the teacher's retreating form.

---

Moon put her hands on her hips, staring calmly at Moon. "I don't wish to be a team leader. It's just that you're being evaluated by Beacon, not our Master."

Moon looked over at Karasu. Then she looked back over at Sapphire again. "I value teammates that we can trust over strong allies. The three of us together can handle most four-person teams. Besides, you haven't properly evaluated Karasu's talent yet. You only just met him."

Well, there really was no arguing with Sapphire once she made up her mind about something. At least, not in the traditional way. There were a few ways that she could influence her opinion. Granted one of the more effective ones depending on the situation. And fortunately, one such situation had cropped up.

Moon made a cut out of the line of vision of Karasu and the others and headed deeper into the academy, towards the tower. Instead of avoiding the crowd, Moon walked into the middle of it. There were a few weaknesses to the false appearance that she had taken. If people looked at her from a distance, then they could see the aura that was enveloping her right now. And security cameras could see through her disguise entirely. One of the best ways to counter that was to ironically, make her way into a crowd. Where it was hard for people to see her from a distance and it made her harder to pick out from security cameras.

As they were walking, their scrolls pinged with the update of their teams. Moon looked down at the name of the new member. She let out a surprised hum.

“So our master is serious about bringing them into the fold. It’s not what I expected, but if she’s arranged for a White Fang member to be on our team, then we should treat them as a true member of this team. With the exception of certain sensitive information, of course.”

Letting them know Salem’s true plans and operations was something they couldn’t afford. They would be much less likely to gain allies if all the experiments and operations were made public knowledge to other organizations.


It was a long journey to the  Cross Continental Transmit System that was located at the base of the beacon tower. There was a courtyard that was a fair distance away from the tower with a few benches around. Moon noticed that there were now marble statues of people that were set up in the center of each of the pools of water, as well as some kind of stone plaque in the center of the courtyard. She had been here a long time ago, and those things hadn't been there before. Moon didn't pay it much mind though. She found a bench to sit at and motioned for the others to sit. She spoke to the other two to sit down, speaking to them quietly.


“There is one thing I need to bring up now before we meet up with our fourth team member. There are three others like me here. Sun and Magician are here nearby. There's also one I don't recognize somewhere in the tower. We need to confirm their intentions and allegiances, and then discuss how we handle them moving forward."

There were of course many reactions to the teams as they were announced, if Nora was awake she would be excited, instead she had blacked out at the moment

Sapphire already knew what her team was going to be, instead she was simply once again marveling at her mother's skills to get what she wanted, she was truly a force to be reckoned with! She was however, highly disappointed she hadn’t managed to secure Karasu in time.

Amber was

Well

Doing her best not to do a combination of hyperventilating, fainting, and reviewing all of her dating sim games on the spot


That was how they all felt, all excited to some degree

Everyone that was, except Ruby

It was almost perfect, Blake was nice enough she supposed, and yang was her sister so of course she was happy to have her

But boy

People never saw so much fear generated by the letter W…..

This brought us to frightened young rose now walking back and forth in front of the tower. She was waiting there for young, so they could go together to go put there things away and get settled in the school.

That was, until she read the untold horror on her scroll. Oh no no, Weiss! The really mean girl, was now her teammate! Oh god, she was sure she didn’t want to ever see her again. Had she even apologized right before? What if she yelled again? She didn’t want to blow up again! Oh no oh no….

What was worse was that she had also made Ruby herself the leader, which was something she would NORMALLY be really happy about, even bragging about it to Yang through messages right now. What prevented this was how Weiss would react, she got the feeling she would very much not enjoying being on a team with her, let alone not being the leader of said team.
Honestly, she could swear she heard her voice a moment ago screaming in horror, but that had to just be her imagination, right? She was way to prim and proper for that!

So worried was she that she didn’t notice the tan, freckled girl that passed her by. Nor did she notice anyone else coming along.

Weiss and Ruby had that in common, at least.

A similarity that would only cause another chaotic situation….
………………………….


There fourth was already decided, If not by the info Bowie gave to her then by the announcement that came on there scrolls. Sapphire sighed to herself at that realization, as it meant she couldn’t rope her Karasu in at this time. No instead they got the much less welcome for her white fang pawn of her mothers. Mother knew best of course, but she couldn’t help but wish she could have swiped up her man toy to.

”Hmph, I’m aware Bow, but we still have to make it look good, and effective”
Sapphire wanted to finish the task as soon as possible as well, outside of claiming Karasu for her own of course. It irked her to no end that she couldn’t eliminate her mother’s enemy during her mission. The longer she stayed here she felt the longer she’d be reminded of that. Still, it would at least come in time, once everything was in place.

”Of course it is with the old man in charge, Limping coward that he is”

Sapphire nodded at Bowie’s reminder, he was right in that regard at least. There master was a wise man who had taught them well in how to handle a variety of situations.

”Of course I won’t Bow, that would be foolish, I have no intent of making our job harder”

To others it probably sounded like blunt rocks bashing against each other, but that was just how the two were. Sapphire trusted Bowie and vice versa. He wasn’t ‘hers’ but they were friends. If one thought to deeply on it, which they probably shouldn’t for there own health… one could consider Bowie one of her only friends, and THE only one she hadn’t claimed for herself, despite this she did cross her arms when it came to Karasu. Deep down she knew he was right of course, but regardless it would simply mean she had to tame him, and make him understand, simple. However when Bowie offered to simply swipe him for her later she gave a nod giving into things, a light smile of acceptance on her face.

”That works, remember you made the offer Bow, oh and by the way a monkeys a monkey, bet you don’t skimp on bannanas from now on”

For Bowie’s last comment Sapphire gave the closest thing one could to an offended expression without putting much actual expression into it, shaking her head.

”Moon doesn’t hold my leash Bow, she’s mine, and I’ll make sure… she’s the strongest, that’s just how it is. Hmph… I have her leash, not that I need it much, she’s naturally way better than the others”

‘Others’ of course, referred to the other Arcania, stray or not.

They arrived to the area Moon was leading them to, and listened as she gave the info she intended. Doing so got a rather disgusted look from Sapphire, not at Moon’s information, but the fact that there were strays this close to them. Specially strays that were too cowardly to face the hand that chained them and ran while she was away.

She did not suffer the strays, least of all the cowardly strays.

”Three meals for you then, sigh… I do so hate playing with food, As much as I’d prefer to end them now so you can grow… it would bring to much attention,  we’ll have to wait… I agree, we need to see what there planning, then we can decide how to handle them. We will need to go over how we will handle things here and move forward as well”

Luckly there conversation slowed from more private matters here because there fourth would now make her way on to the scene.

And the tale known as Bowie’s eternal suffering would continue.
………………………………………………………………………………………………




Said fourth member was currently camouflaged, Not so trusting of her new team members despite the alliance they had in place. It was difficult for her to trust humans after all they had done to her and her people. She could fake it well enough of course, even if it wasn’t particularly fun to do so anymore. Unfortunately, she had only been able to catch the end of there conversation, so she didn’t have much information to work with.  She was late because she had gotten distracted on the way here, walking along the Beacon grounds. She could have sworn she caught sight of an old friend on the grounds but… that wouldn’t be right. Blake had no reason to be there.
Besides she…. She just couldn’t be here, she didn’t want her here.

These thoughts made her briefly turn a sad hue of blues as she walked the grounds, a very noticeable feet as several people ooohed and awed, others voiced there disgust, and one particular waste of the name human even called her out as a freaky faunes.

If the narrator could comfort her she would, but it was okay, that guy would suffer much during the year.



There was only one way she knew to cleanse these thoughts from her head… and that was a prank. Luckily for her the perfect target lay just in front of her.
Sapphire or Bowie..

Hmmm….

Defiantly Bowie

The next thing the poor man new the newcomer had disabled her camouflage right behind Bowie and, with smile introduced herself.

”Greetings, I am the fourth you were expecting, my name is Ilia Amitola”
Gods save Bowie’s poor heart.
…………………………………………………………….

The response Minti had to Penny might come as a surprise, most teachers likely would have taken it as some form of disrespect, but the dragonic teacher simply smiled, proud of stand her future student was taking in defense of her friends. Her reaction to Penny’s words was simply to clap her hand and smile brightly.

”Oh that’s wonderful! I’m very happy to see you so protective of your friends Penny, that’s a great trait to have in a hunter, I fully expect you to be the guardian type, I’m looking forward to it! That being said….”

Minti’s expression became more clear, in a sort of ‘teacher’ mode as she returned Penny’s glare with a stern look of her own.

”I am also the protective type, of my students and my employer and fellow teachers.  Your friend was going to attack an innocent Penny, perhaps you should consider that in your calculations? I attack no one unless it is needed, More so…. Believe it or not I was looking out for her as well. Had she been able to attack Ozy here she would have gotten a first hand demonstration of why things tend to be peaceful outside of classes, the pacification field is very effective!”

She spoke to Penny with no malicious, simply a calm demeanor so that she could understand exactly why she had done what she did to Rivala. She hoped the young woman could understand her, she’d hate to get on the wrong foot with one of her students already.

They already weren’t going to be big fans of her after her classes after all.

Rivala wanted, more than anything to comment on Alba’s comments on villains, unfortunately she was a little too distracted by the pain in her ribs to make a snarky comment to Alba’s brand of craziness at the moment. When they did help her up she gave a light smile, and in a quite ton of voice muttered.

”Thank you both

It wasn’t clear, but it was thanks for both helping her to the medical wing, and there standing up for her.  As they did walk out Alba would receive the answer to his comment on Minti’s training…. In the form of the complete nonanswer that was a thumbs up.

Once they left Glynda did not comment but gave a sigh, certain she would be seeing the trio a lot over the year. Minti though, she put her hands on her hips and gave a wide smile.

”This is gonna be GREAT don’t y'all think?”

When it came to Ozpins comments she wasnt so fond of how he so easily cast the Fall Maidens death aside, but she did know why. He was always like this since she met him, focusing so much on his goal...

"I admit I'm curious what you have in mind for those three old man... theres always a lot going on I that head of yours, you and Salem might as well be having a chess match I swear"

Glynda then got a message on her own scroll, frowned and shook her head.

"Speaking of the trouble making maiden, the leader of Minsetral has been requesting a talk with you sir"
………………………………………….

“Let’s fine somewhere…. A little more quite, shall we?”

”A..ah Snow we just met! Oh my this is moving so fast…! This is at least a B rank, we still haven’t  done D!”

Amber of course completely misunderstood Snow’s words, taking them in a different direction in her mind… at least until Veronica made her own comment of it being the three of them…. And immediately causing Amber to slump, arms and all as they walked.

”Oh…. It is D rank after all…”

As the trio walked together Snow congratulated her sister, Amber however understood the sheer terror that was being team leader for several reasons, the lowest being how unappealing and hard it was, and patted Veronica on the back in pity.

”Good luck Veronica…. Good luck…

She had to admit this.... felt kind of nice though, these people cared, in there own way. They were... good people.

She supposed... she didn't mind staying with them.

Ha.... but it was going to take some getting used to, for sure!
………………………………………………………………………………………


Motet nodded her head at Vaneera’s statement eagerly in acknowledgement of her statement. It was pooy and not fun but if Vani said so there must have been a reason, besides getting shocked didn’t look fun at all! She was however a bit confused at why she couldn’t talk about how tasty people looked, it was a compliment right? She was just trying to be nice!

”Ahhh but why Vani? Do they not like being called tasty? I was just trying to make nice conversation promise!”

Motet wasn’t very interested in the girl that came after, other than her helping them get into school. This wasn’t to much of an insult to the girl herself though, as rarely did people other than Vaneera caught her full attention outside of combative fun situations. She did still thank her however, mainly because she knew it was what Vaneera would want her to do. She did have to admit it was kind of cool how she got them rolled in so easy, maybe she could help with other things…. Yes!

Once there teams were announced Motet as of course ecstatic he was put on teams with Vani, though she was also curious what the other letters in there team were like.

”Vani do you think there fun?, I think they made an error though, your not the leader…. Oh its ok I’ll fix it when were together!”

She smiled, confident in that.

It was probably for the best one didn’t imagine the various ways she might go about that.

As they stepped out of the tower's lobby Alba quite noticeably relaxed far more than he actually had been during that meeting, it was probably hard to notice amid the..."Negotiations" but the amnesiac wasn't able to lower his guard for even a second around those higher ups, especially when the spotlight had been placed squarely on him several times. He let out an audible sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing as he continued to hold Rivala in his arms.

"THAT was a nightmare! Whew, I may not have many memories but I swear I've never been around so many powerful people at once! Might have to take you up on that whole "anime" offer later though Penny. Sounds a lot more fun than whatever THAT was."

Now that he was relaxed, his assumption regarding Rivala's sudden rise in popularity was quickly corrected by the android girl - Who - Proceeded to take out a scroll and show the results to him. So the time they had ended up with was now made apparent. "Evelyn Damerot" was unfortunately a name that didn't sound even remotely familiar to him, though not for a lack of trying. He rolled the thought around in his foggy mind for a moment, hoping that maybe by some chance they could be connected. Though he figured his journey to recover those lost memories couldn't ever be THAT easy. Still, the other name left him scratching his head...uh, metaphorically.

"Uh let's see...'En-fer-Maccion...Tee bee dee?' What the hell kind of name is that?"

As confused as he was regarding that title, said confusion wasn't totally misplaced. That was the only name on the entire list of new teams for the semester that wasn't listed, so the question was...Was this a quirk of misplaced info? Perhaps wires had become crossed? Or was it a purposeful withholding of their leader's name? If so then the only question that remained was...'Why'? It was a question that would have to wait sadly...As Rivala thanked the pair for all they had done, Alba was suddenly overcome with an overwhelming feeling of dread...No, it was more than that. It took every fiber of his very being not to just drop Rivala on the spot.


My head is burning. Everything inside of me is telling me that I'm in danger, that if I don't run, I'll die. My vision is blurred and I can barely hear anything around me. It's as though this one static feeling has taken control just to drive me away from...Something...But I can't see it, I can't hear it, or smell it, only feel it. Flashes of blinding light enter my mind. images of something similar to myself, but I can't SEE these images...Only what my mind is telling me. Why...? My stomach feels like it has sunk into the deepest abyss. My heart may as well have stopped right now for how much my body is trying to seize control.

The amnesiac almost falls down onto one knee, but just barely manages to recover...The feeling of primal pain slowly subsides as the two strange potential assailants pass by - Thankfully having missed spotting him amid the large crowds gathered around the tower's entrance. His vision returns to him once more, the sensation wholly indescribable to him - And something he couldn't possibly explain to the other two. He shakes his head, trying to brush off whatever that was...Unfortunately for Penny that strange episode left him unable to see what was coming next!


Weiss angrily stormed her way towards the tower's entrance, Karasu in tow The only response she gave him when he asked if it was an enemy was "No, worse!" The sheer rage felt in her aura caused a certain cat faunus to take notice even amidst the heavy crowd. Blake was content with simply rolling her eyes and letting the snobby heiress continue her rampage unassisted... That was, until she spotted something alarming... A familiar face among the crowd, someone she knew well but didn't want to see. The crafty cat wasted no time in slipping into the crowd before her target could REALLY get a good view of her. As much as she didn't want to be around Weiss of all people, the noise made her harder to approach, and likely helped her fade into the crowd. And so Blake walked up behind Karasu, following the two towards the tower without saying a word.

The heiress's rampage towards the Headmaster's office was a sight to behold. - She was far from the only person here who had taken issue with the teams that had been announced, and yet...Hers was one that caused others to pale in comparison. Her power walking soon turned into a full on sprint as she hurried as quickly as she could towards the tower.

"I'm going to get to the bottom of this RIGHT NOW."

...Weiss turned the corner towards the tower's entrance, heading right towards an unsuspecting Penny...Alba became noticeably alarmed as he saw the incoming collision about to happen before his very eyes!

"Watch out! You're gonna crash! Aaa-!!!"

His warning came too late...Weiss collided with the android girl, falling to the ground with the redhead in tow. The heiress let out a pained grunt from the sudden impact, not realizing what just happened. She lifted herself up slightly, shaking her head to push away the dazed state she had been left in...And then Alba proceeded to clear his throat.

"I can't believe this! It's just one thing after another today!"

"I hate to interrupt what's probably a pretty relaxing spot on the ground but...You kinda ran into my friend."

Weiss glanced up at the amnesiac, not entirely registering what he meant by that...Until she glances next to her and spots Penny lying on the ground with her. The heiress quickly jumps up onto her feet, backing away from the android girl.

"Uah!"

To say Weiss was surprised was...Quite the understatement to be honest...Blake simply sighs, staring down at Penny.

"First day at school and you've already caused several scenes. Good job heiress."

Weiss sighs, brushing her dress off as she stares down at Penny with a look of absolute disbelief.

"I...It's not my fault! She came out of nowhere!"

Alba shakes his head, speaking up in order to correct Weiss.

"Actually she's been standing there for about 3 minutes, 24 seconds, and 56 milliseconds. I don't think it counts."

Weiss's look of disbelief was now directed at Alba AND Penny both...And Blake had summarily joined in the gaze of confusion and shock.

"... What?"

Amidst the confusion Alba took the time to simply observe the people around him. One thing he had quickly noticed was that besides Penny and Rivala who were ALREADY knockouts in their own right, it seemed every woman in this school was their own type of pretty. The heiress in the white dress was what could be classified as "Regal Pretty". Someone who carried themselves with class, even if...She wasn't exactly acting the part right now. It was mostly in her posture. Then there was the girl in black and white behind her. She definitely fit the role of "Graceful pretty". The mysterious aura about her, and the way she walked with purpose where ever she went, her general posture that left nothing out in the open, she was an enigma of beauty. Was everyone in Beacon some kind of super-model tier beauty?

---

As Snow walked away from the chaotic scene she couldn't help but let a smirk escape her features as she heard the injured faunus let out a most displeased curse over the fact that she was now being paired up with a Merlot. The older sister was able to gather that Mauve was either on Veronica's team, or her own. She hoped for Veronica's sake that the former was true since...The younger sister happened to not be reacting to that shout in the same way Snow was.

"Please not my team, please not my team, please not my team..."

Was the mantra Veronica silently repeated to herself over and over as if she were reciting some kind of incantation. Snow gave a bemused sigh, patting her younger sister on the head to try and ease her nerves. Where Veronica saw a future of failure and terror, Snow instead saw the capable person Veronica was.

"Don't concern yourself over something like that, You've trained with me for years. What's more, you're a Merlot, never forget that much. You were BORN to lead the people. I'm certain even with someone like that on your team you only need to give them time to come around."

Veronica looked up at her sister, the fear slowly fading from her eyes as she thought over the words of encouragement she had been given.

"You...You really think so? But I've always been following you around! This will be different, I won't have you there to watch my back..."

Snow shakes her head, a small reassuring smile on her face.

"Veronica, I'm going to be here in Beacon with you. If it ever becomes too difficult I will be here to help you."

Veronica gives her own small smile, finally feeling a little more calm. Although...Both sisters just give Amber confused glances as she goes off into her own world, Snow scratched her head, staring at the blushing Amber.

"Bee...Rank...?"

Snow shakes her head, continuing to walk away from the scene of chaos.

"Regardless, it appears you and I are on the same team Amber. How curious. If you will allow me to train you in preparation for the coming entrance exam I will ensure your survival."

... The way the eldest merlot sister worded this so matter of factly might have sent a boatload of mixed signals to the NEET, but she also spoke with a commanding tone of voice that made it clear she was telling the truth. Whatever this exam held, Snow would carry Amber through it all. Although...Why Amber reacted with defeat over this not being a "Bee rank" confused Snow greatly.

"My apologies, I don't...Understand what a Beeee rank is. Is this an Atlas phrase?

As Amber pat Veronica on the back and gave her sympathy for her situation the younger sister couldn't help but laugh nervously...

"U...Uh sure...Hey that other girl was kidding when she said we looked tasty, right?"

---

Sapphire insisted that even though they had a job to do, making it look good was just as important. Bowie couldn't exactly argue with that, but...He was also the type to take things more straight forward. Where-as Sapphire preferred to go above and beyond for a mission, Bowie was satisfied with merely getting it accomplished so that he could return to base. Sapphire was content with loyalty, while Bowie desired to be unattached.

"I don't see why, all the boss expects from us is getting the job done. She never said anything about making it 'look good'."

Still...When she called Ozpin a "limping coward", he smirked, nodding.

"Got that right...Still, we had better not underestimate him. You heard the report about the pacification field...They're ramping up security means they're probably keeping an eye out for us."

He nods as Sapphire insists she won't make the job harder, that much was a relief at least. Still, when she accepted his offer of kidnapping that guy...Followed by her comment on the monkeys he sighed, shaking his head.

"Don't forget, you're the one who's afraid to attack grimm because they 'remind you of mom.' "

She wasn't wrong about 'holding moon's leash' but he refrained from comment for risk of annoying Moon. Though even if he wanted to comment, he didn't understand much about these arcana people anyway. Something about fusing grimm with human felt...Wrong to him. Constraining, controlling. He thanked his good fortunes every day that he didn't wake up as one of them.

... And then Ilia snuck up behind him, removing her camouflage and loudly announcing her presence. Bowie's eyes widened as he jumped slightly, turning around to face her with a glare.

"Gods damn! If you do that again I'll tie a bell onto you!"

He sighed, slowly regaining his composure as he lowered his cap over his eyes, taking a seat on the bench indicated by Moon. He listened as she spoke of there being three other arcana at Beacon. He raised his head up to look at her, a surprised expression on his face as he gave a whistle.

"So you mean there are four of you right under the old man's nose? That's kinda impressive. I'd think you'd stick out like a sore thumb but maybe I underestimated all of you. Just...Leave me out of the whole "feeding" detail yeah? Thanks."

---

Ozpin gave a nod at Minti's words, her curious wasn't unfounded.

"I have a great many things in store for them. For all of the students...I intend to help them grow strong enough to forge this world into a brighter future."

He looked over to Glynda as she announced Mistral's headmaster was calling him. The headmaster of beacon raised an eyebrow, accepting the scroll.

"Mister Lionheart. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call? ... Yes... Well that's..."

Ozpin slowly set the scroll down on his desk, his hands shaking...

"SHE DID WHAT?!"

---
OOC Note: Colored text in italics denotes inner speech/thought

"You win some you loose some I guess. But thanks for staying as my friend pyrhha"

~Before leaving the Office~

Penny does relent a bit as Minti explains herself... But there is one point that she feels the need to clarify upon. "I'm aware of the circumstances. I'm saying that several clearly skilled individuals such as yourselves should have been able to restrain her without causing injury."

She points out. But she decides to also drive the point home. "Especially seeing as how she was already injured earlier today. A fact that I made clear in my report moments ago. With her very obviously injured leg and her exhaustion from running from that beast. Not to mention all the other wounds you can see plain as day. If you miscalculated, we would be dealing with something far more serious than whatever the Headmaster might have sustained. Especially seeing that he is not just any old man that needs supervision."

Penny wasn't buying this notion that Ozpin was some weak old man that needed coddling. She could tell that he had aura -- it would be unusual if he didn't, given his position. But the fact that sealed the deal here is that Rivala was simply too banged up to be a true threat to Ozpin. He'd have to stand there and take it, and even then... Aura is a factor. "I concede you were acting in the interests of your employer. But a man of his capability wouldn't have been harmed by a less skilled, wounded opponent. You used excessive force, and I hope you'll bear in mind the kind of impression you'll be leaving on everyone. I'd hope you don't want us to act in such a way in similar situations."

Minti might have dialed things back a bit, but it was obvious that this wasn't a very good impression upon her. If there was any doubt left, it vanished when the trio was leaving the Office, and Penny turned to gesture towards her own eyes, and then point towards Minti. The meaning being clear.

Ironwood actually managed to hold back a defeated sigh, all things considered. But it couldn't help but escape as it became evident that something was very wrong over in Mistral...

~Out of the Tower's Lobby~

Alba was the first to break the ice by commenting on how tense that whole situation was. Penny smiled as he also said that he might take her up on that offer. "Don't worry, I had that situation under control. It was never going to come to a fight! Still, anime might actually be a good way to unwind after all that!"

Ah, but they also had the matter of their Team to go over... They knew who the third member was, but the leader's information seemed to be missing, how strange. Alba was under the impression that was the actual name, but once again the Android chimes in to be helpful as always. "Oh, that means the information is to be disclosed. Or decided, whichever fits. I guess they're having to scramble a bit to make the numbers match?"

It wouldn't be that unusual if the numbers ended up off... Ideally you got teams of four, but it's not like students could come in convenient bundles all adding up to the even numbers needed. As Rivala utters her thanks, Penny simply gives a nod in response. "You can always count on us!"

Maybe it was because Penny could relate in a way when it came to loneliness. Her father was wonderful, but her life was pretty sheltered up until very recently. She knew enough nice people, but it's not like there was anyone "around her age", as it were. While not the same predicament that Rivala found herself in, she wasn't about to let loneliness win on that front either.

But the generally pleasant atmosphere does take a bit of a turn as Alba seems to suddenly freeze up. When it becomes evident that he might take a spill, she moves to help steady him and Rivala. "Alba? Are you alright?"

A scan made it pretty evident that something got to him... His heart rate shot through the roof, along with all the tell-tale signs that implied fear. Did he remember something?

When she was about to question him on all of this...

"I'm going to get to the bottom of this RIGHT NOW."

WHUMP. THUD.

Penny was on the floor, with Weiss on top of her. The white-haired girl seemed to be rather troubled by the day in general, and proceeds to let off a bit of a rant after the trip she took.

Karasu decides that now is a good time to chime in. "Uh... Weiss...?", he points at the girl underneath the heiress right now.

Weiss investigated and appropriately jumped up as Penny simply smiled. "Salutations!" she gave a wave... Still on the floor.

As Alba gives a surprisingly on the dot assessment of the time she had been standing there, Penny's gaze shifts over to him, but rather than seeming bewildered like everyone else, she was just impressed.

"Wow! Accurate down to the millisecond! That's amazing, Alba! You can do that too?", she was holding this entire conversation on the ground, by the way.

Karasu speaks up once more. "Are you... Okay?"

One quick shift of the head from Penny as she looks to Karasu. "I'm wonderful! Thank you for asking!"

Everyone rightfully must have looked between each other right now.

Karasu decides to ask the obvious. "Do you... Wanna get up?"

Penny genuinely considers this for a moment. "Yes!"

One surprisingly nimble jump back onto her feet, and she was now facing everyone gathered around properly.

Everyone aside from Alba and Rivala must have taken a step back at the same time. Penny continues, unfazed. "My name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Karasu blinks. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head?"
One quick swipe from Blake...
"Uh, I'm Karasu."

After all the introductions had taken place... "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Why yes, Penny did just say that again. But look at that genuine smile beaming on her face!

Another couple of girls begin to approach the scene... Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose, to be exact. Yang seemed to be taking her sister's story a little incredulously, though. "Look, I know first days at school are stressful, but you've never really been the type to fly off the handle over it."

After one quick response that Ruby had in fact LITERALLY exploded, not figuratively... Yang shakes her head slightly. "Really? Without a scratch on you?"

They came to a stop in the middle of this bizarre scene with everyone else... Unfortunately, Ruby doesn't seem to have noticed Weiss yet...

---

Motet had a pretty unusual idea of nice conversation, evidently... Vaneera wasn't even sure how to begin approaching that particular problem, especially as Motet promised that was all she meant, and not anything ulterior. "I know. It's... Um, I guess people don't really like being referred to as food?"

She explains, taking on a bit of a hushed tone now. "Cannibalism is a thing frowned upon in society. I know they're not Arcana, but as far as anyone knows, you're Human, so that means we play the part to keep hidden."

Still... Observing that they were well and truly in Beacon now was kind of surprising and concerning in it's own right. If not for the intervention of that Teacher -- who seems to know more than she lets on -- they would have been caught straight away when they tried to show up for the entrance exam. But now they basically had a free pass into one of the most prestigious Huntsmen Academies in the world.

Maybe their luck was finally turning around. Motet began to ask questions about their new Team, as well as the fact that Vaneera isn't the leader... "Keep in mind, we're having to play by their rules... Let's just keep playing the game as it is, if they say that this Veronica is the leader, then there's no harm in pretending with that, right?"

It probably sounded like she had zero faith in Veronica despite never meeting the girl, but that wasn't the case; this was really just about the only way to handle Motet's perspective on things.

Still, something stuck out to Vaneera. It had ever since she arrived in Vale, and it only seemed to grow more and more prominent as they came to Beacon.

Then it clicked.




aneera was finally able to process that feeling of dread that had been hanging in the air all this time; something felt off to her ever since she arrived at Beacon Academy. She wasn’t able to put her finger on it until this very moment. All due to the close proximity that she now had with the source of that feeling. It was this… ‘Stench’. The kind of chill that causes your hair to stand on ends.

A predator was in your midst. It was aware of you. You were aware of it. That was her Human side. But the Arcana are composed of more than just Humanity…

"Motet. Act like you’re still searching for our team on the terminal. Don’t make any sudden moves, don’t look around too much.", Vaneera warned.


She spoke quietly, so as not to arouse suspicion from anyone else in the gathered crowd. But it was said while she leaned close enough to Motet to be heard clearly. At this range, she could easily track the movement of her fellow Arcana even without casting her gaze upon them. She looked at the screen, but paid more attention to her surroundings.

Because while her Humanity warned her of a predator… Her more animalistic nature; the Grimm part of her, that one felt the presence of prey. As Moon passed by, Vaneera finally turned her head to look at her. She caught a glimpse of the very font of all those conflicting feelings. At the same time, she also briefly spotted two people following her closely. One she recognized to be Bowie Blight, a man that was in Salem’s circle.

She wasn’t overly familiar with him, but she knew of his existence, and a general idea of what he could do. She knew that he hung around Sapphire a lot.

The other? That one she wouldn’t be forgetting anytime soon. That was Sapphire. Sapphire, Moon, and Bowie. There was little room for doubt. Two of those three were the greatest threat to Vaneera. Bowie… Well, he could certainly be a problem as well. She’d have to prepare for all three of them. Not that she was in much of a state to think logically at this very moment...

Vaneera’s instincts began to go into overdrive. Her eyes took on a glow. Her face began to contort in unnatural ways, and her teeth had elongated into fangs.

“Strike now. They don’t know you’re here.”

“Do it. They won’t have the time to react.”

“You’re faster than that field. Make your attacks precise.”

“End it in an instant.”

Such thoughts raced through her head. But her Humanity rebelled, the sign to Motet that something was very wrong would be that Vaneera began to clench Motet’s hand tightly. The red-haired girl takes a deep breath, slowly composing herself as she stares at the trio wandering further and further off. It took everything she had to hold herself there… What felt like a perfect opportunity to strike.

Of course, it wasn’t. But such was the instinctual fear that Silver Eyes caused in all Grimm, and in turn in the Arcana. Putting the two together made it all the more tempting to snatch up free power and eliminate an obstacle all in one fell swoop.

But she knew that it never would have worked. There were too many variables, if Moon reacted -- and she almost certainly would, then she would alert the other two. If the timing was not absolutely perfect, then striking at Sapphire now would cost her. The field would go off, and their cover would be entirely blown.

That was the good outcome. Because the bad outcome is that their enemies would take advantage and strike them down then and there. Though her feral side called for action and war, every synapse from her Human side begged for her to halt.

This needed method and purpose. It could not be rushed.

She reasoned to herself. She took slow, purposeful breaths. Eventually, her face began to return to its normal shape, and her eyes began to lose that intense glow.

"We have two very big problems now… I’m going to find solutions to both of them."
That was what Vaneera managed to say now that the shock had passed.

Her gaze softens further as she turns her attention to Motet.
"We’ll get through this. I promise."
She then stated in a soft tone of voice.


That overwhelming feeling finally faded from the area. Vaneera was able to focus now, and that was precisely what she did. She needed a plan now more than ever. First; Silver Eyes. She needed a way to counter that. She didn't know how that power worked, but she knew through every fiber of her being that what Salem said about the destructive power it held over the Arcana is true.

Beacon must have had a number of texts at their disposal; a library. She would need to begin searching through it as soon as she could. At this rate, it would probably be after the Entrance Exam that everyone was going on about now.

Next, their presence here in general. Given that they left AFTER Sapphire had gone, it was safe to say that they were not here for either her or Motet. But if she was able to sense Moon so strongly, then the reverse was likely true as well.

The Exam would be safe. It would be monitored, any attempts from Sapphire, Moon and Bowie to attack them would completely blow their cover. Vaneera ruled out an attack happening there. Most of the school grounds should be safe too, because of the pacification field.

But she should prepare nonetheless... A meeting was bound to happen between them. That meant she needed some cards prepared in advance. Figuratively and literally. There wasn't much she could do now, because of the damned timing of everything. But until they were called for the Exam... She could place cards in key areas, hidden away nicely. They would let her move from Point A to Point B at the drop of a hat.

Whenever she visited somewhere new, she would place such a card. Even if she had to get creative about it. She was NOT going to let Sapphire get right back into holding that leash. Or worse.

The other thing that Vaneera knew is that she needed support... She wasn't entirely sure that she could trust those two other members on her newfound Team either. There was plenty to do in the future. She needed to make each second and step of this count.

"We'll be getting started early.", she finally broke the silence.

Motet would already know what that meant, too.

---

Fortunately, he didn't seem to be too disappointed about the Team he ended up on. That caused Pyrrha to ease up a bit. But she could understand why he was so hopeful that they would end up in the same group. It can be very comforting to lean on those bonds you know -- even though they just met, there was a lot of nice things to say about their interactions so far.

"Of course! I even have an excellent idea for later, we can introduce our teams to each other! That way you can come over as often as you like, and vice versa!"

Seems like everything was getting off to a nice start between him and Pyrrha!