Monday, 7th April 79AGW.

Dining Hall, Beacon.

6:17 pm.

“What did you guys think?” Lima asked curiously before staking another piece of pasta onto his fork. “About Beacon, I mean.”

Teak looked up at the ceiling in thought, and Claire spoke up first.

“I love it already,” Claire said happily, “Signal was—nice if a little bit small, but this place is just massive. There are so many people here too! It’s almost like a whole city or something-completely separate from Vale.”

Lima nodded thoughtfully; he understood what she meant for the most part. He didn’t know what Signal was like, but Sanctum had been pretty large; there had been dozens of classes for every age group, he’d been there four years, and he doubted he’d met half the other students-hell he’d never even shared a single class with Pyrrha despite being in the same year.

It said something that Beacon made Sanctum look like the corner-store of schools.

“Everyone here’s so pretty too,” Claire added with a pout, scrunching her face up. “It’s making me look average by comparison.”

Lima could have said that there’s nobody in the entire world that would mistake Claire for being the only average-

“Your a median at best,” Lima quipped and then yelped as she swatted him with her fork.

“That’s not true, Lima.” Teak chastised, “She’s very pretty.”

“Hmph.” Claire declared imperiously, giving him a superior look. “See? Thank you, Teak.”

Lima managed to hide his grin and glanced over at Lux expectantly.

“Beacon is more or less what I expected; I like it.” Lux admitted easily, “Claire’s right, though; there are so many people here, far more than Oscuro ever had.”

Oscuro Combat School, the facility in Vacuo, that trained the young, bright eyed-quite literally in Lux’s case-warriors, who would presumably go on to Shade Academy. Lima wondered why she chose to come to Beacon; then again, it’s possible she hated the idea of living in the desert as much as he did.

“This sparring tournament has me excited as well,” Lux said seriously, eyes sparkling. “We had plenty of sparring at Oscuro, but we didn’t have any kind of tournament system; I cannot wait to compete.”

Too bad for her, she would have to wait until the weekend. Lux moved her attention over to Teak, passing the conversational ball to him.

“I like it here,” Teak said quietly, “but it’s becoming obvious that I don’t belong. I didn’t go to a combat school. I can’t fight. I didn’t have any Hunters in my family to explain all these things about the Grimm that seem so obvious to you all. I’m good at bookwork, but it’s not going to help us kill monsters. I just feel out of place.”

Lima was half was through formulating an argument to explain all the ways in which he was wrong when Lux spoke up, beating him to the punch.

“That’s stupid,” Lux said simply.

Lima blinked; That wasn’t precisely as encouraging as his own response would have been-maybe he should speak up anyway.

“S-stupid?” Teak squeaked embarrassedly.

“Uhuh,” The Faunus said easily, “I don’t have any hunters in my family either, but it feels like I’ve learned more today than I have in a whole year back home-and I did go to a combat school. I thought I was so far ahead of everyone around me-do you know I’d never lost a single fight at school? Not even once. I’ve been here for two days, and I’ve already lost two.”

Teak didn’t know what to say.

“We are all still learning all of this stuff; that’s the entire point of coming here, Teak,” Lux said clearly, leaning towards him. “If you feel like you don’t know enough about the Grimm-ask us, ask the professors. Ask other students. Ask me! Feel like your missing something in class? Go to the library-you were chosen to come to Beacon because you beat out every other person in your school. It’s only day two, Teak; you don’t get to just give up.”

Teak was staring at his lap nervously, not sure how to deal with her intensity.

“Need more practice fighting? Don’t want to feel out of place?” Lux said, smirking, “Get stronger and come challenge me for mine-at the top.”

“Well, I think that was supposed to be encouraging, but it’s the thought that counts anyway,” Claire said, bemused, nudging Teak’s shoulder with her own. “Teak, you earned your place here, just like we did. You belong here, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

Teak mumbled out an embarrassed thanks before he took a moment to steel himself. He managed to lift his head enough to make eye contact with Lux’s bright eyes, and he nodded once.

“Your right, sorry.” Teak said quietly, voice firm. “I guess I was letting the stress get to me, I’ll learn what I need to, and I will get stronger-I promise.”

“Good,” Lux said, pleased.

Lima slapped him on the back and got a surprised squeak out of the boy at the suddenness.

“Damn right, buddy.” Lima grinned, “If that fails, just punch her in the tit-”

“Lima!” Teak groaned.

“-And by the way, Lux.” Lima smirked, “I’m pretty sure you meant my place at the top; I haven’t lost a single match-unlike somebody we know.”

Lux scrunched her face up, agonized.

“I will beat you,” Lux hissed dangerously, “That’s a promise.”

Yikes, she was scary sometimes.

Monday, 7th April 79AGW.

Malachite’s Dorm, Beacon.

8:12 pm.

Lima watched as Lux exited the showers with a smirk, and he narrowed his eyes at the expression. Her hair was looking exceptionally bright right now, almost like she’d given it a thorough wash-it made him incredibly suspicious.

“Lima?” Claire said curiously, snatching his attention.

“Mm?” Lima noised, “What’s up, Two-swords?”

Claire scrunched her face up.

“Next, that ones terrible too.” Claire declared before smiling. “Why did you want to come to Beacon? Lux wanted more competition; Teak got accepted here because he is the smartest Faunus in the entire universe-”

Lux mumbled something about being smart as well under her breath with a pout.

“Not you too, Claire.” Teak slumped.

Claire just grinned. Lima noted that she hadn’t revealed her own reasons for coming.

“Tell me yours first, Metal-head.” Lima insisted, referring to her silver hair. “I want to go last, so I look cooler.”

Lux snorted before she perched herself on the edge of her bed, seemingly unbothered once more.

“Next! That sucks too.” Claire declared, grinning. “I asked first! Besides, I’m way cooler; everybody in Beacon says so! Especially behind your back.”

What a lying liar! They’d only been here for two days. Lima pouted.

“Fine,” Lima huffed, “The guy who raised me, Sage, is a menace. I had a choice of either going to Sanctum-where he was being hired to be a teacher-or anywhere else-”

“So, you chose anywhere else?” Claire interjected, sounding very interested. “Any reason why you came to an academy in particular? Was there a reason?”

Lima studied her curiously; she seemed to be searching for something in particular-he wasn’t sure what it was, though it did seem like it was more than a passing interest.

“A bunch of reasons honestly,” Lima admitted, “If anyone else asked, I’d probably just tell them the easy answer-that I hated the cold, and I despise sand-but honestly? Beacon’s often spoken of as if it’s the greatest of the four academies-didn’t seem like a smart choice to choose one of the others.”

Claire didn’t seem like she’d gotten the answer she was hoping for.

“What about more broadly then,” Claire said vaguely, seemingly struggling. “Why come to an academy at all?”

Did she want to know why he wanted to become a hunter in the first place? It seemed like a roundabout way to get there.

“I need a hunters license,” Lima said honestly. “The only way to get one is to go to an academy; it’s that simple really-at least for me.”

Claire just sighed but accepted the answer with a nod.

“My answers the same, I guess,” Claire said unsurely, “Beacon’s the best one.”

Pretty disappointing answer given how interested she was in the subject a moment ago, but Lima decided not to press her on what might have been an idle curiosity.

Tuesday, 8th April, 79AGW.

Lecture Hall A6, Beacon.

8:30 Am.

“I see that some of your names have already made their way into my extracurricular sessions!” Professor Port said, pleased, beaming around at them all. “I’m looking forward to the weekend already!”

Despite the Professor standing center stage in the room, what drew most of the attention was the massive metal cage that sat behind the open doors. Three Beowolves snarled, growled, and rattled around inside, testing the thick metal for weakness and finding none.

Port didn’t even bother raising his voice, content to chat away at them over the cacophony coming from the cage.

“Well, as you can see, I’ve managed to snag these-not a Boarbatusk to be seen, unfortunately, given our theme of the week.” Professor Port said cheerfully, “Worry not, we will encounter another eventually! Now, who would like the chance to test themselves again these three?”

“Were fighting all three?” Jaune said weakly, “As in, one of us?”

“Of course!” Professor Port laughed, “Would you like to take this one, Mr. Arc?”

“Absolutely not,” Jaune said immediately, deadpanned.

“Holding out for another Boarbatusk? Not to worry!” Professor Port beamed, “Show of hands please! Aha! Ms. Rose, you’ve brought your weapon with you? Fantastic.”

Lima dropped his head to the desk in a slump as the job once again went to someone else. Lux patted him on the back in solidarity, but the smirk on her face spoke volumes.

Ruby skipped down to the floor and spun to face the cage with a flourish-the red rectangular strip of metal went through a series of rapid changes as she swirled it above her head and took a single step forward. The massive blade of her scythe curved downwards, hovering just above the wooden floor.

It gleamed once.

“Go, Ruby!’ Yang cheered.

The cage swung open.

Tuesday, 8th April, 79AGW.

Lecture Hall F3, Beacon.

10:36 am.

“This is ridiculous,” Weiss said firmly.

“Maybe something happened?” Ruby suggested hesitantly.

“Then, they should have sent someone to take over the class,” Yang said boredly, cheek resting on her fist.

Lima stood up slowly, drawing the attention of the other students seated nearby, his head hung down, his gaze shadowed.

“Lima? What are you-where are you going?” Teak said, confused.

Lima strode down the stairs and towards the desk at the front of the lecture hall before turning to face his classmates. He flinched as he realized that there had been a slender, red-haired person standing behind everybody in class the entire time; there was no indication of how they had entered the room unseen.

Like Teak, the person features were entirely androgynous; their hair was cut short, and a smattering of freckles dusted across the person’s face. Dressed in a black turtleneck and black trousers.

It was likely the teacher they had all been waiting for, ‘Stealth and Security,’ indeed.

“Lima!” Weiss snapped, “Stop fooling around!”

Well, he was committed at this point.

“Hem, hem,” Lima pronounced before clearing his throat obnoxiously.

The teacher raised an eyebrow but made no move to stop him; it was as good as an endorsement as he was likely to get. Weiss looked like she was about to explode, so he spoke up quickly, voice serious.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve gathered you all here today,” Lima said solemnly, and Teak buried his face in his hands. “I would like to address the rumors that have been going around.”

Pyrrha was covering her mouth with her hand, looking like she was witnessing a train crashing. Weiss’s fury grew with every moment he spent leaning against the desk; once again, he waited just long enough for her to start to say something before he spoke up.

“It’s true; all of it.” Lima admitted, sounding apologetic, “As much as it pains me to admit it.”

“What rumors?” Ruby asked sympathetically. “Are you okay, Lima? I haven’t heard anything!”

Weiss turned to look at her in disbelief; even Yang smacked herself in the face as her younger sister was suckered into his nonsense. The teacher watched them with amusement, and he couldn’t believe they were letting him continue.

He’d have to make it count; he doubted he would have another chance like this.

“I’m not okay, Red, not really.” Lima sighed before using his hand to wipe his fringe upwards, sweeping it back like a cool guy. “It’s true what they’ve been saying-I am the best looking guy in Beacon, and I do bang like a cannon if you know what I mean-”

Weiss’s fury was quickly turning to shock, and the rest of their expressions were equally hilarious, ranging from Yang's muffled laughter to Teaks flushed face of embarrassment-and the hundred of shades between the two.

“Okay! That’s enough of that-” The teacher interrupted in alarm, scaring the crap out of the rest of the class. “You’ve all failed your first test; your situational awareness needs some serious work.”

Lima grinned up at the teacher, who was now making their way down the aisle.

“I totally knew you were there the entire time.” Lima lied, still grinning.

“Is that why you jumped two foot in the air when you turned around?” The teacher said dryly.

Damn. That was pretty embarrassing actually, and in front of all of his peers too, ouch.

“Yes?” Lima laughed awkwardly; the look he got was telling. “I’ll go sit down now.”

“Fantastic.” The teacher smirked before turning to face the class.

Lima quickly made his way back to his seat, making sure to keep a healthy distance between Weiss and himself at all times. The way she leaned towards him threateningly was a little worrying; he wasn’t going to lie-probably his fault for mouthing the word ‘Bang’ at her, but who could really know?

“My name is Anne Greene; you can call me Professor or Miss,” Professor Greene said, smiling. “We’ve got a lot to cover this year. Unfortunately for you all, a lot of it is going to be either boring or complicated computer work-Although we will be engaging in practical stealth lessons both within Beacon and the surrounding forests-so you have that to look forward to.”

Tuesday, 8th April, 79AGW.

Lecture Hall D2, Beacon.

1:30 pm.

“It’s lovely to meet you all!” Professor Peach said excitedly. “I’ve heard good things about you from Glyn-I mean Professor Goodwitch!”

Thumbelina Peach was a short woman, noticeably so. Ruby, who was likely the shortest person in class-and several years younger than the rest of them-was still a head taller than the woman.

“Teak!” Lima whispered. “Teak!”

Teak was pretending not to hear him, still upset about the previous class and all the attention he had drawn to the team again. Lima could see his eye was twitching; how sneaky.

“Teak, she’s short!” Lima insisted. “Really short! Teak, are you looking? Teak!”

Teak kicked him in the shin under the desk as his voice grew louder, and drawing a few gazes from around them, much to his embarrassment.

“I have eyes!” Teak squeaked quietly.

“Is everything alright up there?” Professor Peach asked happily, beaming up at them.

“Sorry, Miss!” Lima said sheepishly. “There was a bug.”

“That’s alright!” Professor Peach said, still beaming, “As I was saying-Plant Studies is a class mostly dedicated to, you guessed it! The properties, use, and history of plant life across remnant-we will also be covering the various occurrences of dust in nature, and the effects it has on the environment around it.”

Lima was actually pretty interested in that kind of thing-mostly the dust, really. There was a series of floating islands he’d read about, held aloft by a naturally occurring mass of Gravity Dust-the same type he used in his weapons. Atlas, the city that floated above its predecessor, was supposedly kept locked in the air with a massive quantity of the stuff.

So was Amnity Arena-The thought distracted him for a moment; where was the Vytal festival being held this year anyway? He glanced over at Lux, who was paying attention to what the Professor was saying. Lux would most likely want them to participate, what with her obsession in testing herself against other hunters.

Lima frowned as he envisioned the worst-case scenario; If the Vytal festival was being held in Mistral this year, he was screwed. That would mean he would end up having to stay at Sanctum until it was time to compete, which meant exposing himself and his classmates to Sage.

A dawning horror grew inside.

“Fuck.” Lima said nervously, drawing a glance from Lux.

Sage had no chill whatsoever; the old bastard would immediately tell them every single embarrassing thing he’d ever done-hell he would start making shit up just to mess with him. All of his carefully maintained street cred at Beacon and his team would be ruined.

It was bad enough that Pyrrha was aware of the tragedy that was his years at Haven; he glanced over at the red-haired girl, sitting calmly on the other side of the room. Had she told anyone? Lima was suddenly feeling a great deal more paranoid.

“What’s wrong?” Lux mumbled, noticing something.

Lima snapped his gaze over to her; this devil would cause all of their undoings if she forced them into the tournament.

“Nothing,” Lima said immediately, “I’m doing fantastic, better than ever even-how dare you accuse me like this!”

“You’re being weirder than normal,” Lux said suspiciously.

There was still hope, Lima reminded himself as he broke out in a cold sweat. The Vytal festival might be coming here, for all he knew-he was going to look up where it was taking place the second he was out of arms reach of the blonde menace.

If it was Mistral, he was going to have to fake his own death.