An Odd Morning

[AceofAces]

"I think we missed Prof. Ozpin's opening speech," Edward said as he walked down the hallway with his cousin, Robyn. "If you had woken up on time, we wouldn't have missed that airship."

"Pfft," Robyn scoffed. "If you've seen one opening speech for a school year, you've seen them all." She then dropped her voice down a couple octaves to do her best imitation of Prof. Ozpin. "You're here in search of knowledge and to acquire new skills. Blah, blah, blah. It's up to you to take the first step. Blah, Blah, Blah." "Trust me, we didn't miss anything," Robyn said in her normal voice as they continued to walk.

I suppose Robyn's right, Edward thought to himself, but it would have been nice to have been there to meet new people when they were all gathered together. Edward thought it would have been easier to socialize in a group, but then again, he could have easily drifted into obscurity in a group conversation trying to think of something to say that was on topic and didn't make him look like a know-it-all. You're doing it again, Edward said to himself. You're over-thinking this.

Suddenly, Robyn exclaimed, "Oh look. New people to meet," and vanished before Edward could see which way she went; an empty space of air occupying the place where Robyn perviously stood next to him. Typical, Edward thought. It wasn't uncommon for Robyn to just run off and leave him to figure things out, but Edward had no clue where he was supposed to go. There wasn't any directory he could look to or itinerary posted for the orientation. No recognizable landmarks at all in this new school. He instinctively pulled his hood up over his head and started scanning the endless see of strange faces, hoping to find someone who looked friendly enough to get him on the right path again.

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

Robyn's first instinct once she left Edward was to start scanning the room for interesting people to meet and things to possibly steal from those who could afford to part with their abundance of possessions. What type of thief would I be if I didn't case the joint? Robyn asked herself with a mischievous smile. She felt a little guilty about leaving Edward behind, but Edward needed to hold his own if he was going to make friends in a new school, and sometimes the best way to teach someone to swim is to ditch the water-wings and dive into the deep end.

As Robyn walked down the hall, she noticed a particularly angry Faunus girl with bright orange hair twirl a pair of brass knuckles shaped like cat claws. She wore a face of disgust that immediately told Robyn she hated everything that was going on and everyone around her, which seemed odd to Robyn because attending Beacon was a voluntary choice and a great opportunity. At least that's how she felt about being here. Then her eyes drifted to the cat claws, which at first glance seemed unnecessary. As bigoted as it might sound, Robyn thought, why would a cat add claws on top of her claws? Why would a Faunus, who probably has been subjugated to cruel discrimination in her life, choose a weapon that reinforces the discrimination? But then Robyn realized the symbolism that cat claws probably had for the Faunus girl that made them almost poetic, further peaking her curiosity, which usually led to trouble if past experiences were any indication.

Just then, she saw a boy blindly race around the corner, probably looking for the bathroom, when he accidentally crashed into the Faunus girl, which made her even more enraged. "Hey!" she growled. "Watch what you're doing! Get off me!" As quickly as he barreled in, he frantically scrambled to his feet and bolted before the Faunus girl could use the business end of those claws on him. Poor kid, Robyn thought. He ran into the last person he would have wanted to meet on a day like today, when first impressions can mean everything. The thought of first impressions made Robyn realize that stealing from somebody on the first day probably didn't leave good first impressions either, but it's not stealing if she returned the claws, and it wasn't a first impression if she didn't get caught. The Faunus girl was still seething with rage, her tiger ears pressed against her head.

This is my chance, Robyn thought. Robyn knew from experience that anger blinds people to their surroundings, making it easier to sneak up on them. All she needed was a quick second to inspect the claws and return them before the Faunus girl realized what happened. This will be too easy, she thought as she slowly and quietly snuck up from behind the Faunus girl, still too angry to be aware of her presence. When she was only a few feet away, she started to stretch out her hand towards the claws dangling by the Faunus girl's side. Just a bit more, Robyn thought. Almost there….

[Matthias]

Seth picked himself up off the floor and glanced at the person he collided with. She was a female Faunus with tigress ears, tiger-striped hair and a particularly nasty attitude. It didn't mean anything to him. Human, Faunus, whatever. He didn't have a "side" when it came to the topic. They're all just people and none of them are perfect.
He gave the Faunus girl the luxury of two seconds of eye contact, then turned and walked off.
---
Aeris kept a straight face at the impending fight, trying desperately to avoid laughing. She had seen a look of literal shock on Seth's face that was absolutely hilarious. He had landed on a Faunus girl, who was well on her way to starting an actual fistfight. Aeris couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She disliked anyone being mistreated, and the Faunus discrimination was the prime example of it. Under all of that nastiness was probably a girl who had never had freedom or equality. One of her teammates was a Faunus, and she witnessed firsthand just how cruel man could be to anything he considers lesser than him.

She stepped forward just as Seth brushed past her. He wouldn't go far. "Hey, sorry about...that," Aeris said, scratching the back of her head. The Faunus girl looked enraged, ears back and almost growling. She decided to risk being friendly anyway. "I'm Aeris," she said, extending her hand for a handshake.

[Deleted]

Ari left the ballroom with a bored expression on her face. She skirted around what appeared to be a brewing fight between a brewing fight, just catching a glimpse of an angry Faunis girl and a guy with a cold stare. With a derisive snort she continued past. She was there to learn how to fight creatures of Grimm. What other people did was none of her concern. Her boots clunked dully along the floor as she walked down the hall. Her hands remained stuck in her pockets as she walked upright, her red hair gleaming as it fell in a curtain down her back. The vibrant color drew more than a few looks from the surrounding students. Her blue eyes flashed balefully beneath her bangs, surveying her surroundings.
As she rounded a corner, she caught sight of a short boy wearing a hood. She cocked a brow at his lost look.
This is my competition?

[AceofAces]

Not exactly what I had in mind by a friendly face, Edward thought as he saw a red haired girl round the corner. She wore a detached, scornful look that seemed to regard anyone in its gaze as beneath her. But this wasn't a look of arrogance or a sense of superiority, at least not entirely. No, Edward thought to himself. This was a look of contempt. Her ice blue eyes were like two daggers piercing through her surroundings, rendering judgment on those around her and finding them lacking of anything worthy of praise or even her attention. She had already brushed off another hooded boy as if he didn't even exist. Her bright red hair seemed to match the underlying fiery fury that Edward could sense as she stomped down the hall with her hands shoved into her pockets.

She seemed to be the last person who would be receptive to Edward striking up a conversation or even to ask for directions. She will probably either just ignore me or shoot some snide remark that would be equally unhelpful, Edward said to himself. Still, he continued, it wouldn't hurt to at least ask for directions. No one ever said that you had to be friends with the first person that you see. In fact, odds are that she is only one of a very small group of students here with little regard for her peers. Not everyone can be as cold as she looks.

With his mind made up despite the high likelihood of failure, Edward took a deep breath and turned towards the red haired girl striding towards him. As he approached her, he could already see the disdain plastered across her face as she probably thought he was coming up short, both vertically and metaphorically. But Edward was beyond caring what this girl thought of him at this point. He realized that nothing he could do would soften her icy attitude towards him or others, so he just needed to ask what needed to be asked and move on. "Excuse me, do you know where we are supposed to go?"

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

Got it! Robyn exclaimed internally as she poached the cat claws from the angry Faunus girl who was now even more distracted by another girl attempting to introduce herself. Good luck with that, Robyn thought. She seems to be in no mood to make friends. Robyn quickly scurried out of sight behind a nearby column, somewhat surprised that no one noticed her creeping up to the Faunus girl. She hadn't used her semblance to turn invisible and still got away unscathed. That's just further proof of how good I am at what I do, she thought, beaming with pride over her small accomplishment. Always celebrate even the smallest successes, she reminded herself.

With her prize now in her hand, Robyn started inspecting the cat claws. They were as she expected; a simple pair of brass knuckles with serrated claws. She was a little surprised that there wasn't anything more to the claws. Most of the weapons she encountered combined melee weapons with firearms to provide versatility at different ranges. These claws told Robyn that this Faunus girl preferred hand to hand combat exclusively, relying on her evident fury and rage to win encounters. To each, their own, Robyn remarked. She favored long ranged, indirect fights. It was simpler and less messy, but at least she had her short sabers built into her bow for when the enemy got too close as a last line of defense. This girl however, apparently opted to forego defense in favor of pure offense, both on and off the battlefield.

Now all she had to do was put the claws back and it will be like she was never there. She stuck to the same approach as before, relying on the assumption that both girls were as clueless as they were when Robyn initially took the claws. She slowly crept up behind the Faunus girl, her fur boots muffling her footsteps allowing her to get almost within range of re-hooking the claws to their proper place on the Faunus girl's belt. Just a couple more steps and you're home free.

[Jay]

Jutus put his right hand down on a human girl's shoulder. He had told Tyerra that he would only be one second when he saw the girl sneak up on another faunas for a second time. Jutus let out a quiet grunt to let the girl know she had been caught. He simply did not approve of thievery in any form. His deep blue eyes staring through the blond hair that had once again fallen in front of his eyes.
Jutus looked towards the faunas girl and then back to the human. "I hope you're going to return those," he said barely above a whisper as to not alert the faunas.

[Deleted]

Ari's eye almost twitched as the hooded boy stepped in front of her, blocking her path. She looked him up and down with a sharp gaze, noting that he was about her height and carried himself like someone who was accustomed to weapons. Her lips curled in an almost reflexive sneer as she took in his blue and white cloak and simple jeans. The swords on his hips clashed with his almost casual attire. The hint of a scar shown on his cheek, under the shadow of his hood.
She drew herself up as he neared, obviously approaching her. She knew that, if he was any sort of warrior, he would be analyzing her even as she analyzed him. She folded her pale arms under her chest and waited for him to speak. She had nowhere better to be, and, while she disliked great amounts of social interaction, she was not reclusive.
"Excuse me, do you know where we are supposed to go?"
Ari shifted the majority of her weight to her left leg as her contemptuous look deepened.
He was obviously in Ari's year. If he had missed Ozpin's speech, it meant that either he was rebellious, which she doubted, since he was asking for directions, or he was a laggard, and would get in the way throughout the school year, pulling his teammates down with him. It had become a natural part of Ari to assume the worst of others, and so she did not consider any other possibilities.
"Tch, you missed Ozpin. You got nowhere to be till bedtime, when they're putting us all on the floor in the ballroom," she replied, rolling her eyes.
The floor development was something she was not happy with. It meant some of the other students would whine, and she hated whining.

[AceofAces]

Wow, Edward thought. That was more helpful than I anticipated. He didn't expect the red haired girl to actually respond with the information that he needed, but her continuous contemptuous look and eye roll didn't surprise him in the least bit. Her comment about missing Prof. Ozpin's opening speech indicated that she already could guess that Edward arrived late and rather than think benignly about that, she seemed to assume that Edward was chronically late to all important events and consequently, a liability, which couldn't be further from the truth. The thought of this girl's presumptuous assumptions made Edward angry because such thought processes were inherently flawed and lacked accurate details about him or the manner of his arrival, but Edward did his best to suppress his anger so that this girl wouldn't sense it. The girl's expression remained unchanged as the brief second of silence seemed to last for an eternity as Edward thought about his next move.

The fact that she is talking at all is a good sign, Edward said to himself. Maybe I can get a name to go with that angry face. Who knows what could happen? Edward could actually guess what would happen next, and it ranged from anywhere between brushing him off and continued subtle scorn, but at least it wouldn't rise to open argument. It seemed that while this girl did not view the rest of the world favorably, she wasn't one to openly take on the world and fight at every instance of annoyance or inconvenience. It wasn't worth her time and effort.

Deciding to press his luck, Edward asked the red haired girl, "Did Professor Ozpin say anything worth mentioning? I would have been here to have heard it myself had my cousin not overslept this morning. It's a long walk from our house to the airship depot in Vale, and we just missed the first airship headed to Beacon." And then to borrow a line his cousin used this morning, Edward added, "But if you've seen one opening speech, you've seen them all, right?"

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

Uh, oh. Busted, Robyn thought as she heard a small grunt of disapproval from behind her. She knew her luck would run out eventually, but she expected the Faunus girl to turn around or her new friend to alert her. Instead, this came from someone new, who told her in a low whisper, "I hope you're going to return those." The voice didn't seem to belong to a professor or anyone that had the power to punish her, and when she slowly turned her head, she could see a blond haired Faunus boy crouched behind her wearing a hood to cover his cheetah ears.

She regarded him as his blue eyes met her green ones through the mess of hair that partially obscured his face. He was a little small for his age and had black specks laced through his hair to complete the cheetah-like appearance. He seemed to share the same sense of justice that her cousin, Edward, had regarding theft. The fact that he didn't make this an open confrontation told Robyn that maybe he was a little sympathetic and was giving her a chance to make things right, which was her plan all along. In fact, this was probably how Edward would have handled the situation, which made her smile a little. The thought that other people here at Beacon shared in Edward's virtues made it more likely for him to make friends on his own. Maybe he's doing that right now, she said to herself.

Returning her thoughts to the present confrontation at hand, Robyn had to think about how to diffuse the situation to keep the boy on her side and not expose her, especially to the Faunus girl, who would be less receptive to Robyn's attempts to explain what happened as positively as she hoped. Thinking quickly in an attempt to throw the boy off of her prior theft, she replied as sweetly as she could, "Of course I'm returning these. I saw her drop them earlier and I didn't want to distract her from her present conversation with that girl over there," she said as she pointed to the new girl trying to talk to the angry Faunus. When she saw that the boy was not convinced, she dropped the act and said, "Ok, the part about her dropping them wasn't true, but the part about me returning them is. Why do you think I'm sneaking up on her a second time? It's not stealing if you put it back when you're done looking at it. Haven't you ever read a book in a library without checking out the book? It's called borrowing and I have every intention of returning what is rightfully hers, but discretely." Robyn shifted back towards the front of the column to prepare for another attempt to return the cat claws, but before she left, she turned to the Faunus boy and said with a mischievous smile, "So if you don't mind, just sit back and watch the master work." And with a quick tip of her fedora, she left the Faunus boy crouched behind the column and resumed her mission to return the cat claws.

[Jay]

Jutus remained crouched for a few moments after she had said, "If you don't mind, just sit back and watch the master at work." His blue eyes scanned the room for a way to descretly make his way back to Tyerra. He didn't like leaving his new friend behind, but this was something he felt he had to do for some reason. The girl had seemed pleasant enough though except for her little lie. At least she's making things right, Jutus thought. He stood up leaning against the column, still watching. Once he saw the girl get near the faunas he started to move quietly and quickly through a crowd of students. Jutus made his way back to Tyerra as discretely as he could, watching the thief the whole time.
Jutus approached Tyerra smiling slightly showing no indication that anything was wrong. "So about me making it up to you..." he started. He came to the realization that he didn't actually know what he was going to say. Jutus quickly glanced over his shoulder making sure the girl was really returning the claws she stole. He brought his gaze back to Tyerra. "I'm not quite sure how I am going to do it, but if you ever need my help just ask," he said. That had been the most words he had said at once all day and was also surprised at what he said. What did I just do? he asked himself.

[Matthias]

OOC: I'm still waiting for Firestar to reply. She's in a conversation with me.

[Jay]

OOC: I can't really do anything else either until Firestar posts

[Deleted]

OOC: I'll go ahead and wait as well then so we don't advance any further without some key players

[Firestar1992]

OOC: Sorry. I was spending time with my family. Also, about a week from now is the beginning of finals, so I'm not sure exactly how much I'll be able to participate during that time.

Tyerra watched in horror when they entered the room and heard her little sister shriek. Kat always had a nasty temper, and she had to get over there soon before she hurt someone. She ducked, turned, and twisted through people, hearing Kat's growl from over ten feet away. Unfortunately, she hadn't quite reached her before Kat realized her claws were missing. Of course, the first person she blamed was the boy who had run into her.
"You filthy human! What have you done with my weapons?!" she screamed, leaping after him to land a heavy combat boot in his face. Tyerra barely reached her in time and grabbed her before the blow landed. Kat struggled against her, kicking and screaming.
"Katran, calm down," she said, both arms securely around her frantic sister's waist. Once she was sure of her hold, she place one hand firmly on Kat's mouth, her ears twitching as she heard a few around her muttering mocking comments about rabies. She sighed and whispered to Kat, "You aren't helping our case. These people aren't going to believe we're equal to humans if you keep acting like the animal they believe you are." That seemed to get her to calm down a bit. Kat's green eyes shimmered for a moment with tears before hardening back to their usual hate-filled expression. Tyerra continued, "I am not going to let you ruin our chance here. We want to make a difference. Or at least that's what I want." When Katran ceased to struggle, Tyerra released her and turned to see a girl in green holding out her sister's weapons. She reached out to take them. "Thank you." She turned back to face her Bengal sister, handing her the claws.
"Apologize to him," she gestured to the human she had tried to attack, the one who had run into her. Kat's eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms, looking away.
"No."
"Kat..." Tyerra's voice was mildly threatening in that big sister way.
"Fine." Kat spat out the word and turned toward the human. "I'm sorry you ran into me. I'm sorry you don't have the decency to look where you're going." She turned to glance at Tyerra, with an expression that read, Is that enough for you, or do you want me to go on? Tyerra sighed and just wave her sister on to continue with whatever she was doing before the ruckus started. Kat sauntered off, still obviously miffed at the world--though she always seemed miffed at something these days. Tyerra gave a more sincere apology to the boy and returned to Jutus. She gave him an embarassed smile.
"Sorry about all that. I told you she was always getting into trouble." She chuckled nervously. Then he surprised her with his offer to help with anything she needed. "Um...thanks," she replied, her smile becoming more relaxed. "That's really sweet of you.

[Deleted]

Ari fought the urge to cock a brow at his explanation as to why he was late. The fact that he felt the need to explain meant that he had picked up on her analysis of him and, in turn, analyzed her as well. Grudgingly, she admitted to herself that she was impressed by how quickly and accurately he had figured her out. She was also slightly impressed that he did not take the information she had given him and run off, but rather continued the conversation.
Either I'm losing my touch, or this guy honestly doesn't care.
She pushed her hair back from her face when it began to drift toward her eye, threatening to obscure her vision.
"Ozpin basically told us we were a bunch of losers. And that he was going to correct that," she shrugged, "Honestly, as long as he teaches me to kill monsters, I don't give a damn to whatever else he has to say or what he thinks of me."
Normally, Ari would have brushed past the boy and left him to find someone else to talk to, but his ability to figure her out so quickly intrigued her. She continued speaking to him in hopes of figuring out more about him as well.
Maybe the competition here isn't so bad after all...

*********************************

Jax stood off to the side of the hall, alone and left to observe her fellows. So far, the other students had walked past her with odd glances. She contributed this, in the humans' case, to the fact that she was obviously a Faunus. As for her fellows, it was most likely because she was dancing that they seemed to avoid her. Not that she minded. Sometimes, the music just got to her and she had to express it. If the other students could not see the beauty in that, there was something wrong with them. Her hips moved in time with the beat as she mauvered her arms in some impromptu choreography.
Another student passed her, staring with an expression caught between amusement and confusion. Jax gave him a cheeky smile in response and struck a pose as the song ended, the last few notes blaring from her headphones and into her ear. The student hurried away as if embaressed to be making eye contact with her. She snickered and fished her portable music player from her pocket to look through the songs saved on there.
First day, already weirding people out. I'm on a roll...hey, maybe someone will jump up here and join me! Nah, so far, they all seem to be a bunch of prudes.

[Matthias]

Seth spat on the ground, making sure there wasn't any blood in his mouth. Did she really just kick him in the face? He forced himself up into a sitting position and touched his forehead, then examined his hand. No blood. She hadn't broken the skin, but she had given him a serious headache. He shook his head slowly, trying to clear his head. What was she yelling about? Her weapons? "Did she call me a thief?"

Seth stood on his knees, then got to his feet, dusting off his arms and pants. A Faunus. Seth had never been for or against the Faunus debate. It wasn't his problem. He didn't have any kind of opinion towards either side. This would have been considered an outrage in any other case, but he preferred to avoid a fight for as long as possible. She said someone had stolen her weapons, so that was a reason. He heard her spit out an apology, then storm off. He glanced over at Aeris. She was gone.
---
Aeris's mouth dropped open in shock. Her hand was still outstretched for a handshake. Before she realized what had happened, the Faunus girl had turned and kicked Seth in the face. She stared at her, completely unsure of what to say. She watched as another Faunus ran up and grabbed her, forcing her to calm down. Aeris could feel her heartbeat increasing. Adrenaline was beginning to enter her bloodstream. The second Faunus tried to console her, whispering something to her, but it didn't matter. The skin around her muscles tightened as the adrenaline coursed through them. Things were about to get nasty.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Seth pick himself up. The Faunus girl hissed something at him, but Aeris couldn't even hear it. The world went silent around her. She watched as the Faunus moved farther and farther out of range of her friend (or sister, whichever). She crouched, then ran forward at an intense pace, reaching the Faunus who had attacked Seth in less than a second. The Faunus girl turned around just in time to see a tall, thin girl blazing towards her, one hand stretched out like a claw and the other, covered in a thick, studded leather glove, making a fist. There was something absolutely lethal in her eyes and she was screaming.

(It looked something like this)

[AceofAces]

Didn't see that coming, Robyn said to herself as she watched in amazement and shock the scene unfold before her eyes as if she was an unwitting bystander despite being the very catalyst of the drama taking place. Just before she could reattach the cat claws to the angry Faunus' belt, the girl realized that her claws were missing and assumed that the boy who ran into her took them even though she was holding the claws in her hands and standing a foot behind her. With ferocious speed and intensity, the angry Faunus girl landed a vicious roundhouse kick to the boy's face sending him sprawling to the ground. Another Faunus girl, who looked like she could be this girl's sister, rushed over to calm down the enraged Faunus and prevent her from gashing the boy's eyes out. The sister, who had short white and black hair and cool crystal blue eyes, looked to Robyn and saw her sister's cat claws in her hands. Robyn expected the sister to blame her for theft, and rightfully so, but all she did was take the cat claws, smile, say "Thank you" and returned the claws to the angry Faunus who hissed something and stormed off.

When the dust seemed to settle, Robyn was still in shock that she got away unscathed. I know I'm good, she thought, but I'm not THAT good. At that moment, guilt started to creep its way into her mind that she was responsible for a fight on the first day of school. A moral debate seemed to play out in her head with an angel in the form of Edward on one shoulder and a devilish form of herself on the other. Angel Edward said, "You know that the right thing to do is to set the record straight with the angry Faunus girl and apologize to her and the boy she kicked." Devil Robyn responded, "Don't listen to that goody two-shoes. If you take his advice, she'll probably claw your eyes out like she tried to do to that boy, especially now that she's armed. Just walk away and nothing will happen to you. Problem solved."

Despite her natural instinct to just walk away, she realized that she messed up and needed to make amends. She never intended for this altercation to occur. That was the last thing she wanted. She started to walk after the angry Faunus girl. As if she needed another reason to set things right, she saw the girl who tried to introduce herself to the Faunus snap into a frenzied rage and race after her. Apparently, she was close friends with the boy that was kicked and was about to retaliate on his behalf. Okay, now THAT is the last thing I wanted from this.

Without hesitation, she bolted after the two girls and managed to get between them before the fighting really started. "Stop!" she cried. "Don't fight over something that I caused!" Turning to the bewildered Faunus girl, Robyn said, "I'm the one who took your claws and I'm sorry." Instinctively, Robyn flinched and put her arms over her face hoping to at least protect her pretty face from the Faunus girl's imminent reprisal.

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

Three things surprised Edward by the red haired girl's response. Firstly, he thought it was odd that Prof. Ozpin would call his students losers given the man's reputation as one of the best educators in Vale and a mentor any student would be lucky to have. Perhaps she just misinterpreted a speech that may have been cryptic and vague on the surface, but contains a deeper meaning that will provide a valuable contribution once discovered.

Second, he was surprised with himself at being able to hold this girl's interest and keep her talking. Edward expected this girl to have brushed him off several times by this point, but she was still standing before him. Maybe it's because I initially didn't care what she thought of me, Edward concluded. In prior attempts to make friends, he had been so overly concerned with what impressions people had of him that he wasn't able to truly be just himself until now.

But now he did care what she thought of him, which brought up the last thing that surprised him: her. They both seemed to be locked in a mental game of chess, each able to see the moves the other was making but neither of them having any understanding of the other's goal or end game. He himself had no idea what he wanted out of this conversation and he struggled to rationally analyze the flood of emotions coursing through him that began to cloud his mind. Maybe just a name, Edward thought. Maybe that's all I want right now. A name.

She mentioned that she was only here at Beacon to slay monsters, but that was WHAT she wanted to do and that is presumably what everyone here at Beacon is here to do. The question of WHY was still a mystery to Edward and that captivated him. He more closely studied her fire red hair and her ice blue eyes and realized that he had never seen a more perfect, more beautiful "fire and ice" metaphor in a person before, both physically and behaviorally. Edward could tell that beneath her cold exterior, there was an intense passion burning underneath the surface motivating her, driving her to pursue the life of a Huntress, but the source of this flame was a subject too sore and vulnerable to leave exposed without some kind of a defensive shell.

Before he could respond to the red haired girl's comment, the sounds of nearby screaming and fighting snapped him out of his daydream and back into reality. Edward suddenly realized that his mischievous cousin had been absent for the past 15 minutes, which was plenty of time for trouble to find her or more likely, for her to find trouble. Oh Robyn, he groaned to himself. What did you do now?

Briefly returning his attention to the red haired girl, Edward quickly said, "Excuse me. I have to go take care of something," and raced off in the direction of the fighting, hoping his cousin hadn't made too much of a mess on their first day.