One in Two [Class Thread, Invite Only: 5/5]

[Professor Honeydew Monarch]

Another beautiful day in the Kingdom of Vale, and she, for one, could not have asked for better weather on the first day of field training. The illustrious Professor Honeydew Rainbow Monarch stood at the edge of the field, which itself was at the edge of the Emerald Forest, her hands behind her back and a serious look on her face, at least what was visible of it. The pair of aviator sunglasses that she wore reflected the glare of the sun above her, she'd always enjoyed wearing them for effect on the first few days of outdoor training.

Clad in her Huntress' uniform, the outfit which had served her well throughout all of her own duties, she stood proudly and rigidly, her head on a swivel to regard each of the students as they filed in from where the airbus had dropped them off. Beacon Academy spared no expense for their students, and their top-of-the-line transports were a comfortable ride, in her experience. Of course, she preferred to travel old-fashioned, and behind her, parked several feet away, sat her massive red truck, still caked with mud all the way up to the row of floodlights that sat above the passenger cabin.

When everybody was assembled, she let the silence descend for awhile longer on her end, that they might clear the need to chatter amongst themselves early before she got down to business. The long coat that was so often draped about her shoulders did nothing to hide the large metallic badge that crested her chest; the badge of a Vale Huntress, fully licensed to kill and having many times done so. The lack of input from herself, she knew, would create a slight air of uncertainty and further her aura of authority over this place, given she was the only person here other than the gaggle of students which had come in off the transport.

All of the students here today had already met her for their introduction to the course, the first two days had been spent in the classroom going over her syllabus. The goal of this class was to turn each and every one of them into a team member, a person who could be counted on by their peers to cooperate for the good of the mission. They would be learning how to work in a small group, and each of them learning the same tactics which would be employed by one another, leading to better cohesion on the battlefield. Honeydew took this job very seriously, as to not work with your team meant that people were going to get hurt... or worse. This was for the good of all of them, and this training here would be utilized as far in the future as their careers could take them.

Several minutes passed while the young ones chatted amongst themselves, she heard a few confused questions floating on the wind, as well as a couple awed fans of hers in disbelief of who was actually teaching their class. So, the normal, then.

Eventually, after it had been long enough, she raised her hand, and finally barked at the students in a commanding voice:

"All right, you lot! Cut the chatter and form ranks! I want you standing side by side in five minutes or you'll find out what it means to disobey orders in my class!" she shouted, and couldn't help the little grin that tugged at her lips when some of the less willful of the students immediately began scrambling in confusion. Ah, she still had it.

"Welcome to first year Tactics. As we discussed before, you will be learning how to work in units, work together to accomplish your mission, and understand what others are doing when they do it and why. This training will be paramount to your success as a Huntsman or Huntress, and as such, I expect the utmost of you in terms of your attention. Today, we'll be conducting an exercise to familiarize all of you with the local terrain, and some of the peers you'll be working with throughout your time at the Academy, and, dare I say it... Have a little fun in the process." With this she grinned, though her body language still spoke of the tight ship she was describing.

"Any and all questions should be saved for when it is appropriate. For now, we will go over the drill that lies ahead of you, its purpose, and of course, introductions are in order. I am Professor Monarch, and I'll be one of your many instructors for your first year at Beacon, and you will find me a fair if not strict instructor indeed. By the end of this course, some of you will hate me, some of you will love me, but all of you will recognize the value of what we're doing here, or dire consequences might await you on the battlefield. Now then... Sound off! I want your name and Kingdom of origin! Like so:

Professor Monarch, Kingdom of Vale! Go!" She pointed to the student at the front of the line of thirty or so, who gave their name and origin, as did the next, and the next, and so on down the line, until each of the students had sounded off as she'd asked.

[Asterion Khryseos]

Seeing the requirements for the day's lesson had Aster's interest piqued, if nothing else. He wasn't to take any guns, melee weapons, or even raw Dust with him at all - the most he'd be able to rely on were the clothes on his back, and whatever wits and strength could be brought with him. And while he admittedly didn't have the former in abundance, he had more than enough of the second to go around. He briefly considered bringing his machete with him on the trip, but when he thought about it, decided that perhaps it'd be best to leave it behind. While he viewed it more as a tool than a weapon, it was still a long, sharp, blade - it'd be going against the spirit of whatever had been planned, at the very least.

Disembarking off the ship, it was clear that Aster hadn't put as much thought into his own outfit as his teacher perhaps had. Dressed in his usual ensemble of jeans, a vest, and a shirt that was wrapped around his waist, he didn't seem to have thought he'd need much more than that. The plan had said to come in what was comfortable, however, and his regular outfit was what he felt best in. Even whatever chill he'd get at higher altitudes or from brisk breezes didn't seem to do much to him, whether it was because of his Aura, or because he simply didn't feel all that cold from them in the first place.

The lack of weaponry hadn't seemed to faze Aster much, if at all. It was unclear if this was because he was confident in his skills, too dense to realise that he was in any significant kind of danger, or some mixture of both, but he was in high spirits from the second that he'd set out on the trip. If anything, it seemed like he was excited about the whole affair, rather than nervous in any meaningful capacity. He was even the first to get off of the airship when the doors opened, eager to see what awaited him, aside from a whole host of trees.
"So," he said idly, turning to the nearest person that didn't seem like they were already talking with someone else, "Any idea what we're supposed to be doing here?"

--

Professor Monarch speaking up managed to catch his attention immediately. Her voice cut through the air like a knife, and hearing that command was all that was needed for him to pull away from whatever conversation he'd been having, and find a place in front of her to stand. It wasn't as though he wasn't used to that sort of treatment - Deegan's commanding presence had been a shaping force in his training, after all - but hearing it so suddenly had managed to catch him completely off guard. Even when he did finally manage to take his place, Aster seemed somewhat awkward, standing straight and stiff while looking towards Monarch.

Fun. Just that one word managed to shake the confidence he'd built up, if only a little. He didn't know what he was supposed to call the tone of voice she'd said it in, but he was fairly certain that 'sinister' would come close. He didn't have time to process what exactly his thoughts were on that specific word, however, as she'd started calling for people to introduce themselves, and he wasn't keen on finding out what would happen if he didn't do exactly as was ordered.
"Asterion Khryseos!" He called out, back straight and eyes forward. "Island of Menagerie!"

[Jericho Galley]

No guns, not weapons, no Dust. Just clothes and wits. Well, something to cover his stump of a wrist was clothing, right? Jericho made sure the tough leather glove on his left hand was nice and tucked, buttoned even to a leather arm-warp on his forearm to keep it secure. He was wearing the white T-shirt from his school uniform, sleeves down to his wrists with a jacket he had picked up on a shopping trip with Nym tied around his waist. Never knew if it was going to get cold, or if you'd need it for any other reason. He wore a tough pair of jeans tucked into leather boots that came half-way up his shin. He missed the familiar weight of his cutlasses at his side, but he had one good feeling of weight on his left arm.

The glove on his left hand flexed, Jericho making sure nothing looked wrong with it as he stepped off the airship. Someone next to him, a wide and well-built guy with horns, turned and asked him a question. "Any idea what we're supposed to be doing here?"

"Uh.." Jericho cleared his throat. "Some sort of field training I guess. No weapons or dust, so maybe some 'worst case scenario' stuff?"

Professor Honeydew, taking charge and making orders not unlike his old captain. A bit of respect, hard-wired into him at figures like Honeydew or Blackhand, was given. He followed her instructions without fuss or dilly-dally, moving into a rank right behind the muscly, horned guy from before. The guy's answer made Jericho realize what was asked of him. He was just going along like he was used to it, about to say his real name.

Honeydew's finger pointed to him and he had to swallow first, getting the facts straight right-quick in his mind. Wasn't much, but when paniking you double-check everything. "Johnny Silverhand, ma'am! Mistral!"

[Vlithra Qing Long]

It didn‘t take a long while for the airbus to drop the students off for their first field trip of the year. They were near the lush emerald forest known to be used by the academy for training purposes and field trips like these. It was also known to be home of a few select species of Grimm, so that the lush forest would be the perfect testing ground for Beacon‘s aspiring student. Why they were instructed to leave behind their weapons however was the question that bothered the mistralian white tigress named Vlithra for most part of the flight. She was no stranger to fighting without weapons, far from it. However fighting unarmed against thugs, like the movie legend Chacky Jan, was so much of a different story than fighting bare handed against a group of bloodthirsty monsters, especially considering those can easily tear any ordinary person in two with a swipe of their claws. A rather intimidating prospect, but nothing the tigress shall back down from.

She herself was dressed in her favored outfit, her jacket just hanging from her broad shoulders with the ember glowing fur radiating a bit of warmth. With her vambraces hidden under her shirt and suit pants she was as ready as she could be for the upcoming class that was directed by none other than Professor Monarch herself. She was one of the few teachers at Beacon which Vlithra was especially weary around and thats mostly thanks to the reputation she seemed to had at the academy. Well respected and wise, however just as committed to her work and serious.

Once the airbus touched down and the doors opened the students were slowly pouring out into the fresh air. Vlithra folowed after the first bunch stepped out among them a certain boisterous bull faunus she had fought in a combat cless recently. Aster… was that his name? No, no… his proper name was longer, wasn‘t it? Still trying to figure out the bull boys name she followed and kept a bit of distance.

While the other students were talking among themselves and chatting about, Vlithra gave her vambraces on her arm a quick little tug to make sure they were fitting properly. Then Monarchs voice boomed out at the crowd. Hearing her command and her following explanation Vlithra filed in line next to the one fellow behind the burly bull boy, hands stuck in her pockets she fixed her gaze on the Professor. Shortly after there was time for a rollcall, something the tigress wasn‘t all too ethusiastic about. Now atleast she could hear the name of the bull boy again. Asterion, so that was his name. This time the tigress would make sure to remember. The fellow next to her sounded off as Johnny Silverhand. A rather curious name for a seemingly unnerved student, the tigress thought as she wasted a moment to close her eyes in thought. Then it was her turn.

“Vlithra Qing Long, Kingdom of Vale.“ Her luminescent green eyes glared up at Monarch as she opened them again, her voice cold as the gust of wind that flew through the crowd at that moment. Wether the tigress was excited or indifferent about all of this could not be told, her cold facade was standing strong even when faced with a figure of authority like Professor Monarch.

[Al Ciendra]

Al hated the airbuses, she wasn't claustrophobic nor scared of crowds, but she just hated being cooped up for so long without being able to stretch her legs, she was looking around trying to see if she could find anyone that she knew, but it was just a bit too crowded, and the crowd swallowed her tiny stature up easily, she had no luck trying to get an overview.
So she spent the ride sitting in the corner, tapping her feet on the ground in annoyance.

As the bus finally landed, Al was the first to leave, practically flying out of the doors.
Solid, sturdy and grassy green earth, lovely!
Al was tempted to lean down and kiss the ground, but she wanted to lay on the weirdness for now, who knew what she'd have to do and who she'd be stuck doing it with.
So, better to lie low for a little.

Al found a nice rock in the sun, sitting herself there she waited for anything to happen, she did see Monarch, guess she was going to be teaching them today, she wondered what the Professor had in store for them today.
No weapons, armor or anything.
Would they be training their semblance, hand-to-hand combat or some other training where weapons would get in the way ?
Where, were they anyway ?
Some giant forest was close by, bet that one was just swarming with Grimm, considering how far away from the city they were, not that Grimm would be an issue with her around.
Nothing really would be, she could just burn through any obstacle Monarch sat before her!

With a confident smile behind her mask, Al continued to observe.
She took her time to fix her clothes a little, it was weird to wear her usual combat gear without her chest plate and pauldrons, instead she just wore a simple, dark gray tactical vest, it would be a little too risqué to just wear her bodysuit.
She did of course keep her mask. Though she took it off, after she made sure no one was paying attention to her, to get a look at the landscape without the darkening lenses of her mask blocking the view of this beautiful landscape.

Then the voice of the professor calling for action made her ears stand rigid, wow, she did not expect Monarch to sound this commanding after the last time they had met.
With a resounding click, the metal plate was back in place and Al joined her fellow students in their ranks.
She could make out a few similar faces, Asterion, Vlithra and even Johnny was here.
Al did not greet any of them yet, as she did not want to draw the ire of Monarch by interrupting her in her speech.

Once she was called, Al stood at attention, it was reflex from the days of having her own teacher back home.
"Al Ciendra, Kingdom of Vale, ma'am!

[Victor Valbrand]

No weapons? No armor? No Dust? Vee did not like the sound of these restrictions. Of course, he had no intention of actually following them to the letter. There were always loopholes to be found, ways to bend the rules without breaking them. To that end he decided to wear his usual outfit, minus the leather armor, however he decided to wear his leather boots rather than his sneakers. In order to compensate for that, he wore his fingerless gloves, which he made sure to adjust as needed. During the airship ride, he wore his hood up, staring out the window while listening to music on his scroll. He paid no attention to the other students until they had finally arrived at their destination and were allowed to disembark... into the Emerald Forest. For several minutes the students stood around in a disorganized cluster, chatting amongst themselves. He took note of several people he'd seen around campus since arriving.

A tall bull Faunus who seemed to be the embodiment of the word "strength". A white tiger Faunus who he was admittedly wary of because she just screamed "danger" at first glance. A young man who strangely reminded him of his mentor; he had the air of an experienced sailor about him and piqued Vee's curiosity. A short girl in a red cloak and mask sitting on a rock by herself, which was admittedly something he could identify with since he himself was keeping his distance from the group. Lastly, and most importantly, was their teacher, Professor Monarch, who suddenly called for the students to fall in line and introduce themselves one by one. Better to do what she says than have come all this way for nothing, so Vee fell in line behind the aforementioned short girl.

After several brief introductions, it was at last his turn. "Victor Valbrand," he called in answer. "From the Island of Menagerie.' He realized all too late what he'd just said. I should have said Vale. I've been living in Patch for years, why did I say Menagerie? Mom is going to kill me when she hears about this, he thought, more concerned about what Véra would say about his answer drawing unwanted attention than people thinking he was just a liar. His adopted mother had told him to keep a lid on his hometown being Kuo Koana as they both believed nobody would believe that a human would hail from the land of Faunus and be proud of it. Which he was, of course, he loved his hometown and still longed for those tropical beaches he grew up on, the crowded streets, the warm sun, the beautiful sound of the wind blowing through the palm fronds. This forest was nothing like that, and that realization made him pull his heavy coat tighter around his body, feeling a bit chilly despite Vale's mild climate.

[Professor Honeydew Monarch]

Honeydew's eyes scanned the students while each one in turn gave their name and Kingdom. So it was a fairly diverse crowd... A couple students all the way from Menagerie? The usuals from Vale, and even some Mistrali students under her care. All was well, a diverse cast made for a much more interesting and varied set of skills among the bunch.

Honeydew stepped forward, to the end of the line of students, then began to walk down the line, sizing up each and every one of them as she pulled off her sunglasses, letting them see her beautiful, if not stern gaze. Asterion, now here was an absolute unit of a student. His poise was proper, his sight straight forward. She liked that. She gave him an approving nod, and walked slowly on to the next in line. Her brow slightly furrowed, and she stopped when she reached a particularly nervous-looking student. This 'Johnny' was a tall one, easily having a full head above her, but she glared up at him, then looked him up and down.

"Somethin' wrong?" she asked, and a smirk came over her lips. Oh how she loved the nervous ones... They were much easier to rattle.

"You look a bit under the weather. Johnny, is it? Better pull yourself together, or this'll be difficult for you, quick." Her eyes trailed away from him with a lingering stare, then it was on to the next in line.

She stopped in front of Vlithra for a moment, staring back at her over one shoulder. Their eyes locked, and neither of them so much as flinched, but there was a quality to Monarch's eyes that spoke of something deeper. It was clear and evident that the Professor standing before them all was a trained soldier, a killer by nature, and the conviction and dedication to her cause could be seen clearly in the way she looked at the tigress right now. Whether this one would be able to match such a look in the future remained to be seen. She kept moving.

Ah yes... Al Ciendra. One of her personal favorites, if she had to pick one. Still hiding under her mask, though.

"Good form, Miss Ciendra. I expect your best today! Don't disappoint me," she said, but gave her a little wink as she walked on, releasing the whistle she'd kept tight in her hand and twirling it around one finger so the students could see it. They'd be getting to know this annoying little thing quite well over the next couple of hours.

Her next victim was one Victor Valbrand, and when she sized him up, one of her eyebrows quirked in response, giving him a long, lingering look that bordered on disbelief.

"You are from Menagerie? Well now. It never ceases to amaze me, this world of ours. We'll see if you can measure up to their traditions. Some of the best warriors I know come from the Island. We'll see if we can count you among them." Her voice was teasing, yet somehow kept an edge to it, like she were entirely unimpressed. She continued down the line, making it clear the the bar was high with her expectations, occasionally chiding one or two of them with remarks on their attitude or the way they were standing. When she was finished, she went back to her place a few feet in front of them all, raising her voice again.

"Listen up, because I won't repeat myself! Today's exercise will test your ability to work in a small group! We'll be breaking in to six teams of five, and you'll be competing against one another to see which of you will come out on top! Fear not, however, for those of you with weak teams will still be getting the scrutiny you deserve on an individual level, but I will discover what you are capable of and where exactly your skills lie from whatever sad, sorry excuse for combat training you've all received until this point! As I mentioned in our last classroom day, there will be no weapons of any sort on this little adventure! Dust crystals are off limits. It's just you, your wits, and those things you should consider tools in your kit, whatever those may be! That being said, you will be expected to fight for your place in the ranks, and those of you whom are unlucky enough to encounter our friendly neighborhood Beowulfs here in the forest will need to defend yourselves and your teammates without the use of your precious guns and swords and whatnots you've probably come to rely on entirely too much for my standards. This will be a supervised event, so in the event you are accosted by the Grimm, you can expect that no serious harm will come to you... But if I were you, I wouldn't trust a ravenous monster to hold back! And now..." Honeydew took a second to draw in another deep breath, letting her words sink in a little bit before continuing. It was time to familiarize the students with the rules of engagement. With all the directness in her voice of an officer briefing his men, Honeydew put her sunglasses back on, caught her whistle in a tight grip, then placed her hands behind her back.

"The name of today's game is Huntsman's Capture the Flag! Each team will be assigned a flag with a specific color, and each of you will be given an arm band of that same color to clearly define your teammates by appearance. Only one of you can hold the flag at any given time! Your objective: To secure the flags of the other teams by any means necessary! Furthermore, Semblances are allowed. Encouraged, even. However, you are not to engage in fisticuffs! You hear that? No fistfighting! I'll not have you knocking each other's teeth out in a scrap just for the sake of this exercise! In order to dislodge the flag from your enemy, you will have to think of a way to get them to drop it... Or steal it from them, if you can. Improvisation is the name of the game, use it to your advantage! Similarly, there will be nothing stopping you from body-slamming a target at a full sprint if the need arises. I trust all of you have control of your Aura, so use it. Mentioning that, if your Aura is broken, you are out of the game. One of my associates will be along to collect you and return you here should this occur. And now, for the best part. Your starting positions will be random. Not only will you need to find your team and protect your flag carrier, but each of you will be starting alone. I hope your sense of direction is good, the forest is notoriously easy to get lost in!" With that, she chuckled darkly, though it trailed off and she took another breath.

"Now for the teams! When you hear your name, come to retrieve your arm band! As an act of mercy, you will be allowed to decide amongst yourselves which of you will first carry your flag!" Honeydew barked, and began to list names and the teams they belonged to.

Red Team:
Viridian Tiggren
Psitticea Rouge
Gruivre Falks
Mallorne d'Orange
Terve Ollistair

Blue Team:
Silvestre Longierre
Rain Lumos
Jecraix Favrost
Craig Smith
Eleanor Roos

Gold Team:
Victor Valbrand
Asterion Khryseos
Vlithra Qing Long
Al Ciendra
Johnny Silverhand

Green Team:
Perpal Mont
Minyrva McDonogall
Nova Solaris
Pommahd Seale
Lally Valkoinen

Grey Team:
Alabaster Howlite
Red Hynert
Mumford von Richthofen
Duole Korva
Sally Soforth

Magenta Team:
Brell Hedge
Olga Siniy
Alloyse Metallus
Pixie Mint
Soperato Singelton

"You all have a few minutes to decide amongst yourselves who your starter will be with the flag, before we will gather to disperse to our starting locations. Use your time wisely... Talk to your team. The exercise will begin shortly." With that, Honeydew turned and walked a few feet away, pulling out her Scroll and making a call, checking to make sure everything was in place and ready for today's activity. She had a helping hand with this one, which was good, because the chances were decently high that something could go wrong. Obsessed with preparation as always, it didn't help to double check...

[Asterion Khryseos]

A look, and a nod. That was all he got from Monarch, but seeing how she reacted to the others that didn't measure up, he supposed that he should've been thankful that was all he got. Even when she was finished examining them, however, he refused to relax. He didn't dare let his stance drop the entire time she spoke, and even his gaze remained forward, only glancing to the side for a brief few moments at a time. She didn't even need to tell him to listen - he couldn't put his focus anywhere else when he knew she was going to address the class.

Though he didn't recognise a couple of the members of his group - apart from possibly having seen their faces around campus - Al and Vlithra he was quite familiar with. One as a friend and fellow fan of the violent, and one as someone that'd engaged him in a fight so fierce that they'd both been forced into a standstill. He had to admit, part of him had hoped to have her on an opposing team, if only to help settle the score between them - but knowing that she'd be laying waste to their enemies instead helped assuage his competitive spirit somewhat.

His focus faltered a little when she mentioned that they could've brought tools - or rather, what could be considered tools. For all of a moment, a scowl seemed to flit onto his face, and he recalled that length of steel he'd left in his room. Scuffed, scratched, and weathered though that machete was, the fact remained that it would still have been useful as a utility as he trekked across the forest, and a giant knife tended to do wonders when it came to intimidating would-be assailants. His look righted itself quickly, however - partly out of fear of what Monarch would say if she happened to see it, and partly because he figured that he'd be fine without it.

The ban on fistfights forced a return of that look on his face, however, and for a good few seconds longer than before. While he wasn't particularly skilled, he was strong, and he knew how to crack skulls. He wasn't a particularly smart Hunter, and being deprived of the most straightforward route... It put a damper on his mood, to say the least. Even when his expression changed from that look of consternation, it was still clear to see that the cogs were turning in his head while he tried to figure out how best to take someone down without just decking them.

Aster managed to push his feelings to the side before too long, though. There was no use worrying about things now - even if he did seem to have an utter lack of smarts, skill, foresight, or... Well, anything but brute strength, really. He had a team to see to, and the sooner they got to talking, the sooner they'd be able to figure out how to handle the challenge. Hopefully, they'd be able to make up for what he lacked. With his arm band fastened securely around his bicep, he turned towards the rest of his teammates, facing them with a bright and confident grin.

"Like you probably heard, I'm Asterion." He said, once they were all gathered, and in a tone that matched his cheery disposition. "But it's probably gonna be easier if you guys call me Aster." He paused for a moment, unsure if that was any good as a greeting. They'd probably heard his name. Hell, there'd been a list with their names on it, why'd he re-introduce himself? Externally, he seemed fine. Internally, he'd already started to scream at himself for yet another stupid decision, and then again for continuing to linger over it instead of making an effort to move on. After what seemed an age - though was only a second that seemed like he'd paused to let things sink in - he spoke again.

While he perhaps wasn't the smartest student in the school, Aster at least had a vague idea about how to talk strategy. Deegan had drilled it into his head often enough that he could at least pretend to appear more clever than he actually was - and, if he was lucky, someone with a head for that sort of thing would take the lead in the conversation, and help them devise a plan.
"So," he began, clasping his hands together, "Let's talk tactics. If we're gonna figure out who's holding the flag first, we gotta figure out who's got the best Semblance for it, right?"

It took him another moment to process that, since he'd floated the idea, perhaps it'd be best if he told them what his Semblance was as well. It'd save them having to circle back to him, at the very least.
"The more I move, the harder it is to make me move. Get me up to max charge, and I could probably stand on a landmine and be fine. And, speaking of explosions, if I ever need to get rid of those charges..." Aster trailed off, but the nigh-manic grin and the motion he made with his fingers splaying out spoke for him. It was a technique that Vlithra could attest to the power of, at least.

“But what about you guys? What’re we working with here?”

[Jericho Galley]

Great, getting singled out simply because he took a second to respond. Maybe his face told of the quick panic he had when answering. His body posture was similar to the big lug next to him. Jericho had been a part of lineups like these before with his crew many times. He knew how to stand, to look straight forward as the captain examined the crew for whatever reason Blackhand had wanted. Despite Honeydew's words, he remained silent and made sure his posture was correct. He wasn't as stiff as a soldier, but standing confidently with a good stance.

...Capture the flag? That... was honestly the funnest game Jericho could think of, and one he was well practiced in. Sometimes, when raiding other ships, his crewmates and him would make bets as to who could take the flag down atop the mast fastest. Jericho with his Semblance and being able to practically fly right to it usually saw him winning. In a forest filled with branches to swing on and propel him through the air? No sweat.

As he tied the golden armband to his left shoulder he joined the others of his team, Al among them. He had fought her once, and boy did it almost come out with one of them dead. Her fire had freaked him out, not something he was used to, and he almost ended her in order to save himself. He honestly wasn't sure if he would have gotten the chance, but it was looking that way for a while. The rest of them were new to him. Big lug with horns, a sharply dressed faunus with stripes and long hair, and another guy wearing a lot of black with a large hoodie, looked like he had stolen it off the back of an Ursa, it was so large on him.

The big lug introduced himself as Aster. "Name's Johnny." Jericho said and nodded to everyone. "Al here knows my Semblance. I can move fast and keep it away, but..."

He cast his eyes around at all the other students. They would be using their Semblances too. And with it being the start of the year, everybody was new to each other, meaning he had no clue what other's Semblances could do. It also meant no one would know what theirs were, either. Not too big of a deal. But with everyone being an unknown variable...

Jericho gripped his chin with his gloved left hand in thought. "We can't rely on Semblances and brute power to win. Everybody will be doing that, and that makes it a fair fight with a lot of surprises. We need an edge, a tactic no one would think about." He glanced around to make sure no other team was too close. hopefully no one had a Super-hearing Semblance. he spoke quietly to the team. "The rules Honeydew laid out were pretty vague, but they made you think there was a lot more rules." For a professor of tactics, Jericho was pretty sure this was a test to see their tactics and how they used the rules of engagement not to limit themselves, but to further themselves. Use it to their advantage. "One rule that everybody assumes is that we have to keep the flag on one person at any given time. Meaning we could pass it between teammates, or... There's no rule about not carrying it at all. Just that we have to secure the other team's flags. We could bury it or destroy it. Hell, Al could burn it." He thought for a quick moment. "That may get us disqualified though, better to not destroy it." He looked up and around their surroundings.

The airship was still here, probably to take them all back when the exercise was over. Hiding on or within it was an option. His eyes landed on Honeydew's truck. That could keep them out of a lot of people's reach. But if someone had some sort of speed Semblance and could catch up, that might result in a wrecked vehicle, a dead student, and a possibly very angry teacher. Although tempting, not the best idea. But what a great place to hide the flag. Who'd guess the teacher's car? "Airship... Honeydew's truck..." He turned back to the team huddle.

"With everyone scattering around to start the game, we need some sort of plan. The flag bearer for each team will be most vulnerable during this phase, allowing individuals from other teams to ambush and take the flag more easily than later in the game. Burying the flag right away, finding each other and coming back for it I think is a good option." Though unguarded, nobody would be looking for buried treasure. Best place to hide something was where nobody would look. "In the ground, on the airship, in Honeydew's truck... Lots of options. Afterwards, if hiding it proves to be a poor option, I might be the fastest in terms of movement with my Semblance. I could take it and I'd bet money I could flee from everybody here. If only one person can hold it, I could swallow the thing to keep it safely hidden." Wouldn't be the first cloth object he'd swallowed in order to keep safe. No one could get it from him unless they punched his gut out, which was against the rules.

So many options, and so few chances to take them... They'd need to decide.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

The look Professor Monarch gave to Vlithra as she stood in front of the tigress for a moment was one of pure conviction. The tensity with which they were both looking at each other was electrifying, threatening to ignite the air in between them. And despite Vlithra being as unfazed by it on the outside as she was, deep down she still had to wonder why Monarch was halting in front her like this. Did she find Vlithra suspicious? Or even worse… did she know? Better to not think about that, if that were the case the former criminal hot shot doubted she‘d be standing here. As the professor went on, Vlithras gaze followed her afterwards for a few moments. She was almost too weary of the well respected teacher.

It was a little surprise that Al was actually in this class aswell. Vlithra would finally see the fiery wolf in action today. The anticipation was rising even further when Professor Monarch directly talked to her. The next odd boy that introduced himself was one Victor Velbrand from… Menagerie? A human from the faunus island? Talk about unusual.

Huntsman‘s Capture the Flag. Albeit familiar with this type of excersise, Vlithra was annoyed when she heard that fistfighting was out of the question. This only left her semblance, but with how much aura it took to be effective that wasn‘t going to be reliable in the long run considering that one is out once their aura was broken. What a way to ruin the fun, at least ramming people was still allowed. Sure, it narrowed her capability to utilize her physical strength, but she‘ll find a way around it. This martial brawler was used to unusual or disadvantageous situations after all.

Her group was interesting to say the least, sporting two other students she already knew. Asterion who she had rather hoped to face against to settle their score from the last fight, and Al whose pyrokinetc semblance is definetly going to be a huge asset during all of this. Shaking the issue of working with two more that were full on strangers, the tigress stepped forward to receive her arm band and afterwards made her way to Aster and the others. With crossed arms she approached the group.

It was time to talk strategy and Aster and that Johnny fellow were already starting to do say. The latter however was probably getting ahead of himself though. Some of the things he said seemed either impractical or too extreme. Vlithra doubted Monarch would allow them to use the truck or the airship and the tigress would rather not piss her off in any way. “While I agree that we should exploit any loophole we can find… let‘s not get too crazy here. Especially that swallowing part you mentioned.“ She raised an eyebrow and pointed a finger at Johnny while saying the last part and was quickly back to crossing her arms. “We definetly shouldn‘t leave the flag around. Even if we hide it, who knows what kind of abilities the others have and how they can utilize them to find it.“ Sparks shot around her as she continued explaining, her jacket lightly waving in the breeze.

“As for my ability. Leave everyone who tries to get too close, to me. I‘ll make sure they won‘t reach the flag. A touch is all I need to send an enemy rocketing through the thick of this forest. The only one who has ever resisted it is Aster here, which I honestly had never thought would be possible.“ Vlithra motioned her hand towards the bull boy. She rather calmly continued her explanation with a sigh. “But that‘s what semblances are at the moment. Everyone here is a wild card at the moment. As long as we don‘t know what powers the others have, they‘ll be too unpredictable to handle head on.“ Her hands found their way into the pockets of her pants as she finalized her last sentence.

[Al Ciendra]

"Yes ma'am!"
She exclaimed with a salute, still standing rigid as Miss Monarch passed by, Al could not help herself except act around the professor this way, she just gave her the same vibes as her old master and years of having Auburn's teachings drilled into her just made her react like this.
She hoped she wasn't the only one that reacted to Miss Monarch like this, otherwise she'd have failed in not standing out.
It seemed that no one paid any mind to her though, so she was fine, back to bopping back and forth on her heels, a bit of balance exercise so to speak.

As the teams were announced, Al was a little saddened that she was not on team red, not because she knew the people on it but because she really wanted to propose that she'd be made captain, considering the cape she wore it would have been perfect!
But alas, Captain Red Roving Cloak and her Raging Redlings would have to dominate another competition.
Well, on second thought, she had never really played capture the flag before, so perhaps her being the captain was a bad idea.

Al was left with her thoughts, she grabbed her arm band, idly tying it around her lower arm, so the cloak did not cover it as she walked over to her group.
She was listening to everyone introduce herself, but did not pay much attention, the black lenses of her mask were entirely focused on the one person she did not know.
The human that had apparently come from menagerie, she had never been there nor had her family, but they knew about it and she had seen some pictures by it or been given descriptions by faunus who came from there, and family Ciendra housed while they traveled through Al's small hometown.
She had never heard of a human living there, but who knew what the circumstances could have been ?
Al yet still stared at him, just because she did not know him.

She was also just staring in that direction because she was really busy doing something else.
Her wolf ears were twitching around as she tried to listen for what other plans the other teams were going to employ, from what she could hear most teams had agreed to play by the rules while some others were getting crafty thinking of hiding places.
But Al was specifically paying attention to any mention of semblances and what they could do, sadly she did not understand all that much, but she got bits and pieces.
Most of what she understood was that people were annoyed over not being allowed to deck their fellow students in the face.

As the conversation paused, Al leaned forward just a little, waving at the new guy.
"The rest of you know, but hey new dude, names Al, Al Ciendra. I do this kinda stuff."
She lifted her left hand, creating a small fireball in it, pointing to it with her right.
"Sooooooo, I'm gonna be on Grimm duty, those knuckleheads can't block my flames and are too stupid to dodge em so grilling them down to dust is an easy task for lil 'ol me."
She bopped backwards, looking between Johnny and the new guy, before she lifted her hood, revealing the two fuzzy brown ears.
"Oh, I can also hear pretty well, so sneaking up on me is gonna be hard too."
She flipped it back up, hoping that none of the other teams saw her ears, as it would make them a lot more cautious about sneaking up on them.
She then stared at Johnny, she had not really paid much attention to any ideas that were mentioned so far, but she knew one thing that might be useful, she pointed at Johnny.
"I vote for this guy to carry our flag, he can detach his left hand and make it fly around, like a ghooooost booooohoooooo"
She made it sound like a joke with exaggerated gesture, of a "BOO!" expression with her hands, but she was entirely serious about her suggestion.
She then stepped back into line, instead choosing to listen to the rest of the conversation, still staring at the new guy.

[Victor Valbrand]

Vee winced ever so lightly at Professor Monarch's words, as though he'd just felt the specter of a cane smack him on the back. The echo of his adopted mother's rhetoric lingered in the back of his mind, calling to mind the brutal training he'd undergone growing up. Sure he'd asked her to train him, but she was a harsh teacher. Maybe he'd just gotten used to it over the years, as it wasn't nearly as bad during his time at Signal, but as a child he'd been put through hell. I wonder how Mom is doing? Somehow he worried Professor Monarch would be just as bad as her, if not worse. He'd need to give it his all if he hoped to survive this class, never mind excelling.

Once roll call had finished and she'd examined each student, she'd returned to the front and gotten everyone's attention. Vee stared forward, listening to her carefully. Capture the flag? No weapons he could understand given the game, but no fist fighting?! That would make things difficult. Luckily he didn't exactly need to use his fists to survive; stealth was his forte and he hoped it would be a useful skill to have today. He claimed his golden armband and met up with his team. Ironically it was the four students he'd identified earlier as standing out among the crowd, having seen them in the halls and courtyard of the school without ever interacting with them. Big bull man, scary tiger girl, possible sailor man, small red cloak girl. They introduced themselves one by one. Aster, whom he was right in assessing as the embodiment of strength. Vlithra, who admittedly wasn't as scary now, but rather kind of badass instead. Johnny, a devilish man whom Vee sensed a kinship with; he foresaw the two of them getting into all kinds of trouble together in the future. Al, whom he was pleasantly surprised to learn was a Faunus. It seemed they all somewhat knew each other, making Vee the odd man out in this group. Greeeeaat.

"You can call me Vee," he introduced himself. "My Semblance allows me to see in all directions. Kind of like a bubble of visual perception." He listened to the discussions of what to do with the flag, chiming in with agreement that Johnny should hold the flag since apparently he was the best one to keep it away from the other teams.

He threw the tail of his coat back and slipped his gloved hands into his pants pockets, making himself comfortable as he waited. He didn't have much to add to the discussion, as Vlithra was right in assessing that the other teams were dangerous given how many unknowns they had working against them. The plan they'd seemed to put together so far seemed like it would be the best one so far. That made two votes out of five in favor of Johnny holding the flag. Of course he would wait for everyone to voice their opinion on that matter, but then it was time to move on to the next issue. "So, how will we find each other once the game starts? If we're going to be split up across the forest we need a way to meet back up. A landmark, maybe. Or we could just work our way back here and meet up at the truck." Just a suggestion.

[Asterion Khryseos]

Aster could at least take some small solace in knowing that he wasn't wrong - it was clear from the outset that he was far from the smartest person there, and that perhaps the planning was best left to the people that had half a brain. He couldn't just stay silent and slink off into the shadows, however. He was still a part of the team, and he still needed to be there to discuss what was going on, even if only to know firsthand what their strategy was supposed to be. Once he was certain that Vee was finished, he spoke again, his confident tone disguising the thoughts that lay beneath.

The first order of business was addressing the issue of vehicles. As much as he liked the idea of riding shotgun with his shotgun, Aster wasn't entirely certain that he was on board with the idea. "I think if we took the Professor's truck, we'd be in more danger from her than from any of the others chasing after us. And while you’re right about the others, Vlithra, we can't rule out doing anything if we're going to win this - we don't know what their plans are, or what Semblances they've got. I don't think we should leave it anywhere, but if you've gotta swallow it to keep someone else from getting it..."

It was far from the most pleasant thought that crossed Aster's mind, but he was determined not to lose - he didn't want to make himself look bad in front of them, after all. Especially not in front of someone he was yet to settle a score against. "We don’t have the time to think too hard about this right now. Teach only gave us a few minutes, and we need to decide who’s carrying the thing in the first place. And like Vee said, we need a way to meet back up so we can protect them too."

Without even hesitating, he looked at Johnny. "I think the others have the right idea. Your Semblance seems like it'd be best for keeping the flag out of reach... And if that doesn't work, you can always swallow it." Aster flashed Johnny a joking grin, but his expression shifted to one of concentration once the moment of the joke had passed. "But seriously. We need to figure out a way to find each other. Something that'll catch our attention, and give us a point to run to..." His hand stroked across his chin, and he glanced around at the team, trying to figure something out with what Semblances he had to work with. They needed something big, something flashy - something that they could glance at. Something like…

His eyes rested on Al, and his thoughts flashed back to the display she'd put on the first time they'd met. Blazing flames, shining bright, dazzling him as he watched them... It took a few seconds for the penny to drop, but when they did, his fist slammed decisively into his palm. "Al! You remember what you did when we first met?"

[Jericho Galley]

"Alright, so we got immoveable object, unstoppable object, all-seeing eye, a literal firework work show and me, who can move around on these branches like a monkey." He looked to Vlithra. "You're right, burying it could be too risky. If someone has some sort of location Semblance, we're done for. Better to keep it on somebody." He looked to Aster. "And yeah, truck is a bad idea. I was just trying to throw out as many suggestions as I could."

He looked to everybody for a second, eyes narrowed. "So, after we meet up, how about Vee and I take the flag. With his Semblance, no one is sneaking up on us. I take it originally and when we meet up, we're on defense. Vlithra and Aster, you seem capable of handling offense and taking a flag, backing eachother up. And Al, you like to burn things and we can't exactly barbeque our fellows. Grimm duty it is for you. Or, you know, fire walls between Vee and I and attackers?" He shrugged. "Everyone good with that?"

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Vlithra wasn‘t particularly happy to be delegated to offensive duty. She was cautious, one who would rather make sure her teams own flag wasn‘t going to be taken rather than trying to take one from the enemy. However with Johnny as the flag bearer and Vee dealing with surveilance, she was somewhat willing to accept her position. Johnny's ability seemed to be rather unique in that sense and maybe it was for the best, wouldn‘t want to knock sailor boy out with her own semblance. Al being on Grim Duty was the most effective role they could have asigned to her, and Aster and Vlithra had enough bulk to bulldoze most of the other competitors. When the tigress took a moment to look around at the other contestant there wasn‘t anyone really she could pick out with her eyes alone who would have the stature necessary to stand up to them. .

There was the question on how they would find each other in the dense forest though. Aster suggested that Al do something about that and given the nature of the fiery wolf‘s semblance it wasn‘t difficult for Vlithra to figure out what his idea was going to be. “I mean, Al could use her semblance as a sort of flare, but that brings unwanted attention. Everyone will make their way to it like moths to a flame. And it might not only be students you‘d attract. I‘m a bit iffy on that.“ Vlithra quickly explained with raised eyebrows at Aster. She then once more tugged at her team band which she had secured around her upper arm to make sure it wasn‘t going to come off. “But other than that, I think we are set.“

[Al Ciendra]

Her being on Grimm duty was basically a given, she herself had said that she would do it, but guess it was nice for Johnny to confirm that she'd do that, oh and the occasional flame wall to ward off attackers from the flag carrying duo, she could do that!
"Yeah sounds great! I can totally keep your pretty butts safe". She nodded towards Johnny and the new guy who had introduced himself as Vee, kind of strange and short name, well she did not get to judge on the latter part, so Al did not comment on it.
She continued to listen, both her own team and the others, still nothing special, Al sighed in boredom, could they just get to beating each other up already ?! Oh wait, she didn't get to do that, well, monarch only mentioned fist fighting, so kicking should be fine right ? Eh, Al wouldn't risk it unless she really had to, but she could also probably outrun most other huntsmen, she was pretty quick on her pretty legs after all.
That's when her chaos buddy Aster addressed her, oh of course she recalled, that was probably one of her best looking flame breathes yet, oh...that's not what he was asking Al realized as Vlithra clarified.
But she did also raise a good point, but Al had an easy fix.
"I can just set multiple flares, here I can even make em look different."
Al said, as she created her name in flame letters.
"How about this, I'll set four flares 2 minutes after we all get dropped in, one for each direction, and we'll meet under the one that looks like uuuuh..."
She looked around her team, what symbol could they all agree on ?
Oh, she got it!
"That looks like this!
Al stretched out her hand, yet covered the symbol she made and kept it tiny enough to not have the other teams see it.
It was just a flame replica of their flag.
"Does that sound like a plan ?"
Al asked, hoping she had made a good suggestion.

[Victor Valbrand]

Vee listened to the conversation. It seemed like everyone was coming to a consensus on what the plan was. Al's idea of using four different flares seemed good too. Three decoys to confuse anyone hunting them; however the chances of no one going for the real signal were very slim, so they would likely still have a fight on their hands, but it wouldn't be the all out battle royale that would happen if they only launched a single flare. In fact, that made a thought occur to him. "Can you change the color of your fire?" Vee asked her, getting an idea for tricks they could play on the other teams.

[Professor Honeydew Monarch]

After a few minutes of babbling into a Scroll a few yards away from the gaggle of students, Honeydew hung up, pocketed the device, and turned back to the others. For a moment, her eyes scanned this year's greenhorns, sizing them up, taking their measurements, doing that all-too-important thing a Professor ought to: observing. What she saw was no surprise, as each team seemed to be discussing some sort of detailed strategies. Among each group there were the excited ones, the serious ones, the not-so-interested, and of course there were plenty of students who wanted to give a demonstration of their Semblance for the others to see. A bold strategy... Cluing your opponent in on what you could do ahead of time might cost you later...

Meanwhile, around the grassy patch of land, several students were looking readier than ever. Chief among them, a bird Faunus with a head full of golden feathers was preening her jacket of dirt. Honeydew could see the shimmering silver on the bottom sides of her sleeves... Wind Dust. Then, a thin, white-haired human girl with perhaps the creepiest stare that Honeydew had ever laid eyes on. As she watched, the Professor's eyes went wide when the girl's head turned so far that she was staring over her shoulder unnaturally, as if she were some kind of owl, though she had no Faunus traits to speak of. There was also a flamboyant boy with a hoodie full of night-sky stars and a rainbow atop his head, flipping around a few cards from a deck, she recognized the tell-tale sign of Dust among their colored artworks, too. And despite all of the commotion, a young person stood at the edge of the group, silent, a long coat and high collar obscuring most of their form. What secrets could lie underneath that jacket, she wondered?

Her eyes turned toward Team Gold next, and she shook her head silently when a few plumes of fire caught her eye. She'd almost forgotten... Al could burn the whole damn forest down. She sent a quick text message on her Scroll to make sure her team was aware of the potential. It didn't hurt to have plans in place in case something went wrong.

Honeydew then took a step forward, and as she did so, the world seemed to freeze around her. She kept walking, though her body stayed behind, passing by Al and her flame creation, the mammoth Asterion and his beaming smile, the dark Victor and his serious expression frozen on his face, Johnny's narrowed eyes peering about, and Vlithra, toying with her arm band like it was a collar on a cat. She looked at each of their faces, unable to keep a smile from crossing her own ethereal one. These ones showed promise as a team... They had all the working pieces. The roguish, the brutish, the caster, the wall, the silent. Her incorporeal eyes wandered the other teams. None seemed as great in composition. The others were going to have a tough time with Team Gold. As she moved around, examining everything closely, she took a moment to enjoy the falling leaves coming off the trees on the wind, dangling helplessly in mid-air, destined not to touch the ground while her Semblance was in effect. It never ceased to amaze her, the beauty of the world in slow-motion. And these youths, the future of Huntsman history, she couldn't help but be proud to be a Professor of Beacon. But that was enough fun for now...

Suddenly, her vision went black, flashes of color piercing the darkness like bright explosions erupting in order, and her body felt like it was torn from reality momentarily, before being violently shoved back into the flesh-prison she called her own. The violent snap jolted her upright suddenly, while around her the air shimmered almost imperceptibly, the only hint of Omnipresence that showed.

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"Of course it's allowed!" a high-pitched voice could be heard in the crowd while Psitti fended off prying jabs from her peers about her Dust weaves. Honeydew had said to wear something comfortable! This was the most comfortable hoodie she owned! The dark-skinned girl ran a hand over her feathers to smooth them down, and crossed her arms.

"You'll see. It'll save our butts if we get in a pinch!" Her teammates seemed to agree, and she nodded curtly. She struck a pose, flexing her arms, though this didn't show much off considering the baggy sleeves, instead it rendered the sleek silver weaves along the bottom of her maroon jacket more noticeable. She looked excited, ready to go. Determined. When she noticed other eyes drifting her way, from a student with a gold arm band, she gave him a little smile and waved. Enemy or not, best to be polite!

If she was to take the flag, that could be for the best. Her Arrow Curtain would see to it that nothing could get close! She just hoped all that practicing had paid off... And furthermore, that she didn't freeze up when the time was right. Strategy, strategy... What was the strategy again? Oh, shoot...

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Alabaster had no time for games. It was bad enough she wasn't allowed to be armed out here, let alone that she was stuck with these... cretins. Her eyes, staring hard and wild, had already drank of the sights her own team had to offer, and she was busy scanning the crowd for signs of strength and potential threats. Of course, this unnerved a few of her own team members when, despite the fact she was merely standing there with her arms crossed, her head turned inhumanly far to the right to take a look at somebody who was standing behind her. For a moment, her neck twisted around, though it was mostly obscured by the high fur of her collar. Her teammate asked her to stop, however, because it was freaking them out, and of course she took that as a compliment. A smirk settled over her face, and just to make anyone watching more uncomfortable, she began to stretch.

The thin girl's body was as malleable as gold. She reached one hand over her head, and then bent her arm backward to stretch out her triceps. Of course, the arm kept going. And going... Until it was draped over her shoulder and her hand was pressing against the small of her back. Then, in a feat of balance and poise, she lifted one leg, and stretched it upward... Until it was above her head. She held that incredibly strange pose for a good few seconds, looking not unlike some kind of abstract human-art statue, until she slowly reset her body position. Her teammates were no longer watching her. Good... They'd be better off not letting themselves be distracted.

"We'll see if these worms can keep those flags from me..." she muttered, a dark glint in her wide eyes.

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With animated gestures, a young man discussed strategy with his team, using his hands to better help them visualize his plan. Rain's tiger-fur-lined bomber jacket looked uncomfortably warm for this time of day, but he seemed unphased. Many rubbings of his chin heralded the cranking of wheels in his mind, but it was clear how interested he was in this topic, and the exercise they were about to undertake.

"So if we do that, then we should be safe!" he said in a somewhat serious tone, nodding curtly. It seemed his natural charisma had already made him the defacto leader of his little squad, and by now they realized the validity in what he was saying. He had experience to call upon that not many his age did... Working as a mercenary had its up sides. He cracked his knuckles, grinning down at his smaller teammates. He radiated honor and valor, like that of a knight in gleaming armor, only this one had no need for such bulky protection... His Semblance would keep their flag from falling to the enemy... All they had to do was outlive and outlast.

"I think I'm gunna like this game, heh." He swiped his thumb under his nose, ear-to-ear grin showcasing his investment for him.

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Alone, standing beside their team but not quite within the group, a lone, cloaked figure narrowed their eyes at the forest. This person was mysterious. Short, at only five feet tall, what they lacked in height they seemed to make up for in observation. Staring off into the forest, they narrowed their eyes, trying to see what it is they'd felt from this place. Could it be the Grimm? No... There were far too many.

When their team asked them if they understood the plan they'd been discussion, Alloyse waved their hand dismissively, but it hadn't concerned them in the slightest what angle of approach they chose.

"Anything can work... But something perplexing this way lies. The trees have eyes," they said cryptically to the others on their team, and one came over to peer off into the distance, trying to see what they saw.

"Look... there. No, a little to the left... See that?"

[Asterion Khryseos]

Aster slammed his fist into his palm again, a glint flaring up in his eyes as everything started to come together, and his arms crossing confidently over his chest. Though there was some small sense of disappointment that he'd not - in his eyes - contributed much to the plan beyond prompting Al, it was quickly diminished when he remembered that he'd get to smash things. Perhaps not with his hands, but shoulder-slamming people and stealing their flags seemed about as good a substitute as he could have hoped for.
"Sounds like a plan to me!" He said, with a firm nod accompanying his agreement. "With me and Vlithra taking them on, they won't even know what hit them."

He'd fought Vlithra to a standstill, and knew firsthand just how strong she was - teaming up, he didn't think there'd be a force in the world that could stop them. But they could put that theory to the test later. They'd not been given long to plan, and if his instincts were right, then what little time they'd been afforded was drawing to a close. Without much else to add, he took the chance to take a quick look around at the rest of the groups, but saw little of note. Some individuals that seemed a little more... unique... than others, but he couldn't see or hear anything that he thought would give him any kind of advantage.

His attention turned back to the group, awaiting any further additions to the plan. He didn't have much else to say, and bar wondering whether they'd be dropped off figuratively or literally, his head was void of most thoughts. All that was left was to cross his fingers and hope that he managed to get in a good scrap or two before they won.

[Jericho Galley]

Jericho nodded as everyone else voiced opinions. "Multiple flares, we go to the correct one. we might attract Grimm, but that's why we got Al. Plus, the more we leave to everyone else to deal with, the more free we are." He spoke, not exactly facing his group as he continued to look around, trying to see if he glanced over any useful details. He noted that he could easily hide ontop of the airship if the need arose. He also noted a girl with her face looking in the same direction as he shoulder blades. That made him shiver. He had seen some flexible people, heck he grew up with some but that was.. unnatural.

He then noticed a short cloaked figure pointing off into the forest, their teammate next to them. At first it seemed like strategy, pointing in a direction to head or some landmark. But as he took a second glance, the cloaked one was trying to get his friend to... see something specific? He recognized the stances, the gestures. Being out at sea and debating about possible objects on the horizon happened a lot.

"Looks like the party started early." Jericho muttered. He took the flag and tied it around his leather glove, wrapping it around the fingers and tying a knot in his palm without looking. His eyes didn't focus on anything, watching everything incase something happened. Maybe the guy was pointing to a cute squirrel. Or maybe a massive Grimm was about to burst through the trees. Who knew?

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Al was rather quick to find a workaround to the issue Vlithra had presented moments earlier. Having her shoot different flares into different directions was certainly going to cut the numbers of students making their way to their group. The few lucky enough to guess their teams symbol Vlithra and Aster could easily take care of, if it came down to it, and any potential Grimm finding its way to them Al could take care of. This would suffice for the tigress. “Very well. I‘ll head straight for it then.“ She cracked her knuckles in anticipation. It would be a lie to say that Vlithra wasn‘t eager to see what her creative mind could come up with in the forest. And the bull bay more than seemed to share this sort of eagerness as he affirmed his confidence in herself and him. “Once we meet up we‘ll steamroll our way through this.“ The tigress added to the bull boy as she grinned with pure confidence and her arms crossed in fornt of her chest.

Once she was sure they had done talking tactics she once more looked over the other students, her eyebrow furrowing as she spotted one who she was pretty sure had their head on the wrong side of her neck. It was freaky to say the least and they didn‘t stop there as they bent their body in rather unusual ways. The tigress made a mental note that this one was unnaturally flexible.

There was a rather tall boy that stood out a bit more to her, not only because of his height, but because of his choice in clothing and behaviour as well. A tiger-fur-lined jacket would be a bit hot for the weather right? Judging from his knuckle cracking he must have been just as eager as Aster was. Hopefully he was also just as straightforward. Vlithra was pretty sure the planning phase was about ot come to an end.

[Al Ciendra]

Al nodded as well, she gave a chuckle hidden behind her mask, a plume of smoke came from her mouthpiece as a literal fiery spark could be seen in the pitch black eyes of her mask.
She was so excited, finally she could show off her power to some of her friends and many of her fellow classmates...oh god what if she screwed this up ?!

Al was now panicking as the pressure suddenly got to her, she was on Grimm duty, her team relied on her to deal with them while they kept the flag safe and defended against other students.
And she just had to defeat some measly Grimm.
Al froze, as no more noise came from her, and she just stood there with her hands stuffed into the pockets of her shorts.

At least it gave her some time to look around, she noticed something weird, her ears poking up under hood as they faced her teacher, she sounded like she had run a marathon or seen a ghost ?
Her eyes were bad, so she could not make out much regarding the way she looked, but Al did definitely hear something off, she could also notice a couple of other things.

A dark sinned girl that was saying something about something being allowed ?
Oh, her clothes ?
Hm, tournament illegal clothes ?
Al could not see much, perhaps she was hiding something under them ?
She could not tell, but she would watch out for it if she ever came across this girl.

And a loud, confident booming voice was also heard in the crowd, a tall young man with a beaming smile similar to that of Asterion, he seemed very confident in the plan that he had laid out, a plan Al did not hear much of, but he seemed like the leader of the group, the way he radiated confidence and with what he said.

Al, putting a break to her own panicked monologue, turned to her teammates.
"Hey, I was spying on the other teams for a bit, I didn't hear much, but...watch out for the girl with the maroon jacket and the skyscraper of confidence over there. These guy have some stuff up their sleeve, literally in case of the chick."
Al said, in a passing by sort of notion, as she then finally got to Vee, in all the excitement she had kind of forgotten about his question to her.
"And not really, unless you want me to waste all of my aura for an improved aesthetic."

With that, planning had concluded for Al, as she was just watching out for anything else exciting to happen or for the game to finally start.
While also trying to calm herself down, with little success.

[Victor Valbrand]

Vee was visibly disappointed by her answer before his face became a mask of contemplation. So much for that idea. Maybe they could experiment in the future using different metals in combination with her fire, but for now shapes would have to do. That settled, his silver aura flashed for a moment and his eyes seemed to glow gold as he activated his semblance, getting a good look at the competition. Unfortunately his semblance could not reach past the other end of the clearing, but he could sense what was in the forest nearest to them as well. It seemed people were taking notice of the person pointing into the forest... outside of Vee's range. What in the world was he getting antsy about? Vee turned to look, his eyes returning to normal as he deactivated his semblance. "T'would seem something is approaching. We'd be better served to not rely too much on Al to protect us from Grimm until we meet up again, but also to conserve our strength for the competition. Do not fight if you do not need to. Especially you," he said, turning his gaze towards Johnny. Being the one responsible for protecting the flag, Johnny especially needed to keep up his strength to flee if they were overwhelmed by the other students later on. Better to run away and win than fight and lose.

[Professor Honeydew Monarch]

As the time dragged on, Honeydew found herself checking her watch periodically, cross-referencing the time with the plan in her head. There would be a bit of precision involved in this operation, given the ephemeral nature of certain tricks and a period for set-up... By her calculations, they had a good six hours of game time they could get away with before everything went dark. She was glad Miss Citrine wasn't here today, just the sound of her truck rumbling through the forest might give that little one a heart attack. At least she knew enough about her students to have prepared vegetarian options for their lunch break. Her mind flipped through the notecards of her memory, making sure all the variables were accounted for, all the students present would have any needs met, and mentally checked off boxes and ticked off markers in time. By now, her experience had taken over. Planning was her specialty, among other things. For this to go off without a hitch, all the pieces would have to be in place... And that included the students.

"ALL RIGHT YOU LOT!" she boomed from one side of the field when the second hand on her watch passed twelve, and all of the hands momentarily aligned. High noon. Game time.

"One last thing before we begin! Starting positions! You will each receive a designated starting point which will be relayed to your Scrolls in exactly five minutes. Use the coordinates to get into position, and acknowledge the mission file each of you will receive. That's right, your first training mission of the school year! If you have not acknowledged your mission file in the given window of time, I'll be coming around to collect you as this will automatically disqualify you from the exercise. So don't mess that up! A Huntsman must be punctual, as proper timing is crucial to mission success. Remember that. Now wish your team Good Luck, and check your Scrolls!" As if by some magic, just as she'd finished speaking, one by one the student's Scrolls went off with notifications, like a small chorus of heavenly angels to Honeydew's trained ears. Ah, the lovely sounds of a perfectly timed operation...

"Do not acknowledge until you're at the assigned coordinates! And with that..." She held up her wrist again to look at her watch, counting off a few seconds with her hand raised in the air. Then, she dropped it quickly, the long jacket hanging from her shoulders whipping in the wind.

"BEGIN!"

Everywhere and all at once, the mass of students began to scatter. Some went on foot, others seemed to have more clever methods of travel, whether driven by their Semblance or by some hidden gadget they'd brought along, but within a few minutes, they would all be out of sight and in the forest. As Honeydew watched them go, her hands rested on her hips, a cocky smirk on her lips, until the last of the students was out of sight.

Right on cue, and as if from nowhere, another woman appeared at her side, looking quite excited, her long, ringed tail curled into a spiral while she stretched her arms high over her head and squealed.

"Ooooo, I love it! You've really outdone yerself again, Honeybun~! Just like Professor Magnolia's class. Ah, it brings me back. S'like we never grew up. Really, d'ya think Alph's gunna last this long, though?"

"Of course he will. I've already done the math. But my students have more pressing concerns than that at the moment, don't they?"

"Heheh... Yeah! They're gunna have a blast! N' if they don't, well... That's why I'm here, right?!" She jumped up and down a few times, and Honeydew rolled her eyes.

"Yes... That's why you're here."

[Asterion Khryseos]

Aster snapped to attention the second he heard Honeydew's voice cut through the air, almost on instinct. nothing else mattered once she started speaking, and he paid close attention, lest he miss out on anything crucial. Though he was far from academically-gifted, even he knew enough to know to shut up and listen, and to listen good. At the mention of scrolls - and what exactly they were supposed to do with them, his hand slipped towards his thigh to make sure that his was still there. Feeling that familiar lump in his pocket, he reassured himself silently, and returned his attention fully to his teacher.

At the signal, Aster was off like a shot. He didn't have a particularly 'clever' way of getting around, not like the others. But he didn't need one. As anyone that had seen him in action could attest, once he got into a sprint, it was hard to keep up with him - and even harder to stop him outright. That aside, he wanted to get an early start on his Semblance. From the looks of things, his assigned position was fairly deep into the forest. Though he supposed the densely-packed trees could potentially be an issue if he needed to close a gap quickly, his night vision could afford an advantage against some of the student body. He'd just have to see what the situation was like when he got there.

Branches, leaves, undergrowth, and other such things crunched and split under the weight of Aster's rapid, heavy, footfalls. Though nowhere near as nimble and agile as some of his fellow Hunters-in-training, he could still turn sharply enough to get to where he was going with time to spare. He had no doubt that his reckless trekking would inevitably attract the attention of some Grimm or forest-dwelling beast, but he'd worry about that later. With the coordinates close, and the clock ticking down, he couldn't spare any thought for trivial things like monstrosities that would tear him limb from limb given half the chance.

Standing at what he hoped was the correct spot, Aster sent confirmation of that fact, and waited. There was still a little time left before the session was set to start, so he began to glance around, casting his eyes over his surroundings to try and figure out how best to start. The darkness wasn't a problem, though that much he'd expected. His Faunus blood took care of that problem quite nicely. And even with the trees as densely packed as they were, if a Beowulf or a Beringel could navigate the landscape, he supposed he should be able to as well.

What truly concerned him was the canopy of trees overhead. Though sunlight still managed to trickle in through the gaps, they weren't nearly large enough to afford him a proper view of the sky. He'd need to get to a sparser patch or higher ground, if he was to see any of Al's signals. Quite where either would be, however, was another issue entirely.

[Jericho Galley]

Honeydew's words brought Jericho's gaze from the forest and the other students to her. Hands on his hips, flag securely tied around his left glove, he listened to her instructions. Get to the spot that was being sent to them, in five minutes' time they'll get mission files that they'd need to aknowledge. Mission files meant that there were other objectives than simply snatching the flags. So there was more to this then...

His scroll beeped and without looking at it he turned to his team, Aster already moving his legs. "Good luck!" He wished them, as he had been told to do, and he set off into the forest. Only after running for a minute did he check his scroll for a location. He... was going in the wrong direction. Well, if anyone was being cheeky and following him, maybe he'd confuse them like this. He turned on his heel and began running for his determined spot.

Arriving just within the five minute time window, Jericho confirmed his location. He was at a small dip in the forest, a cliff about twenty feet down of rough rock to one of his sides. The trees grew right on it's edge, roots dangling over and weaving into the rocks. One good shove could probably send a tree over, he thought. Jericho recalled her not mentioning anything about staying in place until the five minutes were up, so he climbed a tree using his Semblance, pulling himself up with ease and reaching the top of the canopy. He felt like he was back on a crow's nest, looking for land. But now he was watching the sky, waiting for those flares.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

The only thing that immediately caught Vlithra‘s attention was Professor Honeydews booming voice cutting through the air. She quickly declarared what the students had to do next not shortly after she finished many scrolls rang out with notifications. She couldn‘t take another look at her teams reaction before Aster was up and away moving to his location. The flagbearer Jericho was quick to follow suit, whishing her and the others “Good luck“, as if that made a difference to the tigress.

Vlithra wordlessly started walking to the forest entrance and in the meantime pulled her scroll out to look at the direction her designated location was. After carefully remembering the direction she then stowed her scroll away in the inner pocket of her jacket and made to properly wear it and quickly took off in a sprint. Her tall frame bursted through the thicket of the forrest, completly unhindered by any branches or logs in the way. Large obstacles were avoided and small ones were battered out of the way as she prowled through the terrain without issue.

It took multiple minutes for her to reach her destination, but she still did so in the necessary time limit. She bursted into a larger clearing that had a larger pond around the middle with a few sizeable boulders at it‘s edge, the biggest barely reaching the height of the forest trees crowns around her. And those were higher than Vlithra had expected which made her worry that the others of her team would have problems spotting the correct flare that Al would fire off in a few minutes. The tigress spared not a second more to take out her scroll and acknowledging the mission file and then promtply jumped up those boulders to see beyond the crown of the forest. It should be enough for her to spot the flare that would surely come… “Hopefully the other three would be able to see it aswell.“ Vlithra muttered as she knelt attop her lookout wasting a few moments to stare at the crystal clear water of the pond to notice that it's water came from a seemingly insignificant stream of water stretching to the side inot the forest.

[Victor Valbrand]

At last it was time to start. Honeydew made her announcement and almost immediately everyone's scrolls went off. Vee pulled his scroll out of his pocket and checked the information provided. Aster was already gone when he looked up, as well as Jericho and Vlithra rushing off into the forest. He nodded to Al and started jogging for the treeline as well. Luckily his starting position was not too far away so he'd have plenty of time to make it; this was a blessing for him given his semblance was not a mobility type. Once he arrived, he looked around cautiously to make sure there were no Grimm or other students nearby, even using his semblance to make sure the coast was clear before taking the time to review and accept the mission documents. Sparse trees provided cover without being too dense, resulting in breaks in the canopy from which he could clearly see the sky. A half-broken tree, likely the result of a previous fight in this area, provided him with a ramp which he used to climb up to a sturdy branch high on another tree to wait in safety for the training mission to start. Boots planted firmly on the branch, and one hand to stabilize himself, he checked his gear one last time and smiled as he pulled his hood over his head before looking up at the sky.

[Al Ciendra]

Al followed everyone's example and quickly pulled out her scroll, fumbling a little as the loud voice of the professor had made her flinch in surprise, especially since she was still busy with her internal monolog.
Al showed Vee a simple thumbs up, showing a smile that he'd never see before taking a look at her own scroll.
Looking at the coordinates she was given, Al had more than enough time to make her way to her given position, so that was one less thing she had to worry about.
Al quickly sprinted over to what she found was to be a small hill, only being about 4 meters tall Al still had her view cut off by the surrounding trees, even though the clearing Al stood in was rather open, the only tree's that were on the clearing were knocked down and had partially rolled down the hill, only broken of stumps remaining, perhaps some wind had wrecked the place or a rampaging Grimm throwing a fit.
Al could not care less.
She lifted her mask, taking another look at her surroundings without the darkening lenses of her accessory.
It was really pretty, she hoped that she could stop herself from burning it down.
Eh, that was the last of her worries for now.
While pulling her mask down again, she accepted the mission on her scroll.
Looking at the clock on the device, Al waited, waited for her to do her part.

She simply sat in her clearing for a while, until it was time.
Fire flared up in the palm of Al's hands, as she was about to launch the flares she had promised her team, god this was gonna suck.
She had made it sound so easy when talking to her team, she did not want to make them worry, but honestly, she had no idea how to do this, sure the display she had shown Aster was impressive and big but not what the team needed, this had to be BIG and PRECISE!
Why did she have to promise something that she had no idea how to actually perform ?
Welp, better to let down her time while trying rather than just giving up.
Al clenched her fist, which now flared with heat.
"RAAAAGH!"
She screamed as she raised her hands and held them forward, four massive balls of flames shot into the forest, avoiding the tree line as Al wanted to mislead her oposition, by having them fly away for her, then after flying for a good distance they shot into the sky, splitting half way into all four directions.
Al gritted her teeth as the balls took shape, one a simple smiley face in the north, another spelling the word "gold" in the west, a third was just an attempt at Al making a hand which she gave up on placed in the east and now the one that counts, her right hand clenched as the shape of a flag showed in the sky, right above her in the south.
Al panted a little, as she lowered her hands again and sat on one of the nearby stumps to rest just a little.
She really hoped that she was going to get enough time to catch her proverbial breath.