Back To Square One (Open 1/?)

[Azure Teardrop]

Stepping off the airship, alongside most of the latecomers, Azure left his luggage – a simple, wooden mallet filled with clothes and other supplies – next to him, before stretching his arms as he loithered around. The journey from the city was a tad awkward, what with everyone and their freaking mother sizing him up. Yeah, he was the tallest person inside that ship, but if they were going to be eyeing him, then they might as well come forward and speak with him!

... Not that Azure didn't try taking the conversation to them, of course, but he either got ignored or his offers were almost immediately declined... So much for trying to get to know people right off the bat – not a single soul even tried to approach him after they came out of the ship.

But what they did was keep staring at him. That much they could do, huh?!

Having out a sigh, Azure began to look around. The area after the landing pad was green with grass all around, with the only exception being the white stone pathway that gave way to a round fountain, and then continued towards what he assumed to be the main building of the academy.

The few student he could spot that had been on the airship began to make their way towards the building in question, while a few others took a different path and headed to yet another building of just about the same size, though with a less impressive appearance to it – the dormitories, he supposed, as he was told before that the academy also housed living quarters for students.

However, he neither wanted to head to his room just yet – it was still kinda early, with sunset being something of an hour and a half away – and he had no business in the main building, as his classes wouldn't begin until the following day.

The idea of simply wandering around until nighttime piqued his interest for all of several seconds, but he ultimately dropped it in favour of something much more interesting. There were a lot of people around, and while the students on the airship were a bunch of assholes, perhaps someone around here was up for a talk. Best case scenario, he would find someone that would show him around – killing two birds with one stone, as he had to learn about this place's layout sooner or later.

Thus, and without even thinking it twice, he walked towards a group of students that were chatting nearby... only for them to look at him in shock before they all ran away from him. He tried again, and though not in shock, the students he approached this time around simply began to walk away from him. The third time was certainly not the charm, as a similar result awaited his attempt.

Azure was really growing frustrated and angry now. On the ship he could understand, but why did people felt reluctanct to speak up with him?! Was it his bulky physique? Was it the scar on his forehead? A result of both?

After his fourth attempt ended up in failure, a pissed off Azure finally snapped and let his anger be known all across the gardens...

"Stop being freakin' pussycats and let me speak with y'all!!"

Needless to say, that probably caught the attention of not only the people on the gardens, but on the nearby buildings as well – his voice was that loud and booming.

[Ax L Rose]

Maybe the students of Beacon Academy were just feeling skittish that day, because Azure wasn't the only one causing people to scatter as he moved. A tall, pink-haired bird faunus with a guitar case on her back was making her way toward the southern training hall, and others on the path seemed to practically swerve to avoid inconveniencing or slowing her roll. She wasn't one to complain! Ax had deliberately cultivated such a presence - sometimes she didn't just want to look unapproachable, she wanted to be unapproachable. The sun reflected in her pauldrons and in the shiny, sleek metal on her exposed right arm and she walked with a rehearsed strut that tended to insure people kept clear of her on the path, her heels meeting the concrete with an audible yet satisfying click with each step. People would look, perhaps, but the important thing was that they generally wouldn't get in her way. Her long wavy hair and flashy style of attire invited attention, but the fearsome blue of her eyes was enough to ward off anyone that might've wanted to stop her.

The low static roar of music in her earphones could be heard even from a few feet away thanks to how loud she was playing her music as she crossed the fountain closest to the main ceremony hall. She had been intending to just keep on walking - her last afternoon class happened to have been canceled that day, but she had a finite window of time to hit the training hall. She nevertheless found herself distracted as she passed through the somewhat busy section of the school.

Ah, right... new people were arriving today. She slowed only a little to take a look over the new bunch passing through, noticing that many of them were all staring in the same direction, some with incredulous expressions on their lips. Her eyes traced the direction they were all looking and she found herself following suit, gawking like the rest. The person they were staring at didn't stand out a whole lot to her at a glance, so she plucked out an earbud hoping to maybe hear something that would give her a clue as to whatever was going on.

"Stop being freakin' pussycats and let me speak with y'all!!"

Ax's eyes drifted from the boy who'd just shouted out loud to examine other nearby groups, checking the tops of people's heads for sets of cat ears. Yeah, she didn't see any kitty cats out and about, so this didn't strike her as some kind of racist outburst or anything at least. Seeing as Ax needed to pass over by him to continue on to the training hall anyway, it wasn't even really out of the way to humor the distressed newcomer. She stopped a few feet away from Azure, thrusting her hands into her pockets and looking him in the eye.

"Having a tough first day?" Ax asked coolly.

[Azure Teardrop]

Perhaps blaring his lungs out like that wasn't going to help the matter at hand, given the absolute silence he received immediately after his outburst, but it sure helped blow some steam off, at the very least. One could only handle being actively avoided like that for so long!

Students all around were gazing at his direction in either confusion, fear or just in a deadpan sort of way, but nobody dared to come forward and say something. No name calling, no jokes, nothing whatsoever – just silence. Even in his old school there at least were people who would nag on others for simply running in the halls, but here there was none of that, apparently. Beacon sure seemed like it was going to be a boring place, alright.

... Or that is what it would have been, was it not for one woman who decided to actually approach him after what he just did.

"Having a tough first day?"

Azure failed to respond to her right away, as he was taken aback by the woman's intense stare. Her entire appearance screamed rebellion and freedom, but not in the same volume as her intense blue eyes. Was she sizing him up, perhaps? It didn't appear unconscious, but completely intentional... Though it could also be that he was reading far too much into it.

"Tell me 'bout it," Azure finally replied, returning her stare with one of his own, as well as a smirk. "Kinda diggin' that style of yours, feathers and all. Lookin' mighty fine, like a... Err... What was it again? A rocker or somethin' like that?"

It was hard to not spot what looked to be a pretty flashy glove on her right arm, but Azure wasn't really interested in that. Technological thingamajigs weren't really up his alley, so he didn't want to comment on it and then have her speak about stuff he unfortunately wouldn't understand or even care about. Thus, he avoided looking at it for more than even a single second.

Scratching his neck in frustration at not knowing how to continue on his previous actual commentary, Azure decided to instead move onto the next bullet point on his mental notepad: Introductions.

"Anyway... The name's Azure," he pointed at himself, then at the direction of the landing pad. "Didn't see ya on the ship, so I'm guessin' ya a regular 'round here?"

[Ax L Rose]

Some of the people around the area started to file out as soon as Azure started to have what appeared to be a relatively normal exchange with someone - anyone waiting for the scenario to escalate further would end up disappointed it would seem. The thinner crowd was a good thing as far as Ax was concerned, as it eased up some of the emotional pressure in the place and allowed her to get a slightly better read on the young man at the center of the outburst. Sure enough, her eyes flicked up-and-down to get a general measure of the man soon after they first made eye contact. It would seem she was, in fact, sizing him up.

It didn't really show in her expression, but she felt relieved when Azure's lips curved into a smile and he spoke up in a tone that was casual and conversational. Perhaps she had been expecting more anger or distress. This time, it seemed simple acknowledgement had been enough to defuse the scene, and she was rewarded with compliments for her efforts. Azure was a dark-eyed man who looked a little too old to likely be a first year. She could maybe chalk her impression of his age up to his two-toned hair or the scar. The corner of Ax's mouth upturned slightly, forming the smallest little hint of a smile in return as he spoke.

"Somethin' like that," Ax pulled her gauntlet-plated hand from her pocket and rested it on her hip. She felt like she could sense his uncertainty almost as well as she could see it in his body language as he rose his hand, paused, and scratched his neck. She kept cool, hoping that her composure would keep things calm.

So was that it? This guy just needed someone to acknowledge his existence? She felt like she could relate, but she couldn't think of a reason why these other groups of students might've wanted to avoid him. Was this just an antisocial bunch? It wasn't like he was a faunus, or if he was, it wasn't obvious that he was. Maybe she'd get a clearer image if this interaction lasted longer than a few passing moments.

"I'm Ax. I'm a third year, so yeah... you could say that I'm a regular," Ax nodded, before raising her other hand and extending it in solidarity for a handshake. The tips of her cybernetic fingers were coated in shining, teal-colored metal.

"Cool t' meet you," she said coolly. She didn't want to make any assumptions about his experience or age. He could've been a transfer from another school or something rather than a first year.

[Azure Teardrop]

It had been almost two years since Azure last spoke ´to someone, other than his old friend, for more than just a moment. Not to say that he was desperate for contact, mind you, but... Since this academy was built for students to assist in order to learn about combat, Azure had been really excited to get to see just what kind of people would attend such a school.

... And this woman was going to be the very first person he would get the meet, especially after so many rejections beforehand.

Soon after she finished looking at him intently, assuming she was actually doing so, her stare softened quite a bit, though the flare he noticed in them was still very much present, albeit a tad subdued. It seems she had quite the wild spirit, or so Azure believed. Hopefully this won't end up turning into their last encounter, because she sure appeared to be an interesting person.

Looking her more in detail, though, she sure seemed... mature, for the lack of a better word. Her clothes were flashy, yes, but had a lot of personality in them. Her hair held a color the likes of which he never saw before, so he assumed it was dyed, just like his. Her right arm was clad in a weird-looking glove, while her opposite arm remains exposed... Perhaps the asymmetry played a role in her overall outfit?

His train of thought would probably have continued for a bit longer, if it wasn't for her taking her turn to speak back to him. She replied back to his words, introducing herself while she was at it, and even extended her gloved hand towards him, for what was most likely an offer to shake hands.

He took her on that offer right away, of course. His own right hand was raised, and in one firm grip, enveloped hers. That hand of hers was a bit cold to the touch, though not in the sense of temperature... No, that hand definitely lacked warmth – it lacked life. Could it have been his mind playing tricks on him, or was that gloved hand...?

"Same 'ere..." Azure replied, his eyes glued to their hands joined together. "... Say, Ax... is that arm of yours fake or somethin'?"

[Ax L Rose]

Ax's outfit definitely wasn't a typical school uniform. Anyone familiar with the academy layout would've probably assumed she was either on her way to catch a flight back into town, or she was heading towards one of the training areas. The gleaming polished plates adorning her jacket and jeans gleamed under the early day's sun. She clearly had no qualms about showing a lot of skin. Maybe she wanted people to see her tattoos - a symbol that one could assume was her emblem was inked in black high on her chest, and tangled roses and thorns interlaced on her hip. Or maybe she wanted to show off her physique - Ax was a slim-figured woman with an hourglass body type and plenty of visible muscle definition. Anyone looking at her could probably get the sense that she could be a real headache if antagonized, but that she might be worth the trouble.

When Azure's hand touched Ax's, the bioelectric energy exchanged between them caused a stray bit of static to zap the young man's fingertips. It wouldn't hurt, but it had startled others before. Even for the brief second their hands met, the cool metal didn't stay cool for long; the cybernetic plating on her fingers warmed far too fast to be natural. It wouldn't burn, but it would probably seem strange.

She gave Azure a firm shake of the hand and made an assertive attempt at eye-contact while she did it, intending to make a strong and hopefully positive first-impression. She eased up pressure on his hand when she noticed that he seemed to be paying such close attention to her almost luxurious-looking cybernetic limb.

She blinked at the blunt question that followed. She wasn't sure why, but the way he asked was strangely amusing to her, causing her to let out a low chuckle. She shook her head gently, withdrawing her hand and then raising it up to wiggle the fingers in a little pattern, as if to demonstrate her dexterity with the limb.

"I dunno if fake is the right word. It's an arm. It does arm things, still," Ax smirked and rose her shoulders in a little shrug.

"But it is a replacement for an older arm that used to be flesh-and-blood. I take it you've never seen one before?" Ax asked, her head tilting slightly, curiously.

[Azure Teardrop]

What felt like a jolt of electricity went largely unnoticed by Azure, who didn't so much as flinch in response. What wasn't ignored, however, was the sudden change in temperature of Ax's hand. It made him think for a second that her hand was simply clad in some kind of expensive glove of some kind, but... The speed at which the warmness spread throughout the whole hand felt a bit unnatural to the man. Artificial, even.

Then, their handshake came undone, as the young woman began flexing his fingers around, her expression becoming one of mild amusement. The movements of her digits were surprisingly dexterous – doubly so if it actually turned out to be a prosthetic, which it did. It made his eyes widen in surprise for a brief moment, before he turned his gaze back to Ax's own.

"Definitely not the first, nope," Azure replied, gesturing for one of his own legs. "That is, if a leg made out o' junk counts – pops had one just like that."

The difference between the two were like day and night, were them both to be considered the same kind of prosthetic. Almost as comparing a heavily tuned car, to the broken down stuff you would find lying on a junkyard. The wonders one can do with the right amount of money, he assumed.

"If it does, though, yours' definitely cooler," he said with a smirk of his own.

Being Azure, however, there is an obvious question that he, no doubt, wanted to ask, after already coming this far...

"Mind me askin' how did ya end up with somethin' like that, though? Pops' lost his on an... accident, so I'm guessin' you did too," he scratched the back of his head, his expression becoming troubled forfletting second, before becoming a tad serious. "No need to agree if the reason's sensitive 'n stuff, though. No pressure."

[Ax L Rose]

Mirth was palpable in the air around them, a pulse of foreign emotion thanks to Ax's semblance in action. The showy bird faunus must've been quite susceptible to flattery, but she tried to subdue the smile on her lips as this new acquaintence complimented her handiwork. The metal of her arm was plated in glossy and sleek-looking deep-blue metal, with gold and light-blue detailing. The hardlight feathers along the forearm glowed a soft translucent pink that almost perfectly matched the feathers on the tips of her ears.

"Thanks. I spent a while customizing and modifying the base design," Ax said, her fingers clenching into a fist that pulsated with light-blue electricity. She lowered her hand as the boy spoke further, her lips pursing to the side. Her eyes flicked away - a brief tell that hinted at her otherwise less-than-obvious hesitation for a faint moment. It seemed it was inevitable that her arm would make others curious. It had been a conversation starter on a few different occasions by now. It actually surprised her how easy it'd been to talk about lately... with the way people brought it up, she had expected it to be more of an uncomfortable subject for herself.

"Short, simple answer... yeah. Accident. Near the start of the year," Ax began, nodding her head. She spoke conversationally, simply, as though she'd talked about this plenty of times already. Her unease was subtle, but it still influenced the air around them as she spoke on.

"My partner and I were out on a routine patrol at the edge of Forever Fall. We were expecting the usual suspects out by the security nodes - Beowolves, Creeps, if we were unlucky maybe some alphas or a few Ursae..."

She looked down at her real arm as she spoke. Sometimes she forgot that one arm wasn't like the other anymore. It was a little surreal. She looked back to Azure.

"But intel dropped the ball and we ended up going up against something we weren't really prepared to deal with. I was lucky I wasn't alone, or with someone less competent. It could've been a lot worse," she finished. She was omitting some details, skipping over some of the extra stuff. Azure probably didn't want to hear the whole story, she figured.

[Azure Teardrop]

Another possible wrong step that, apparently, ended up going better than expected. The hesitation Ax apparently showed at first was kind of worrisome, yeah, but the fact she kept telling her tale regardless calmed him down quite a bit. The atmosphere between them did fluctuate from the goofy mirth it had moments ago, however, and the reason was more than just evident.

In respect to her stellar performance at keeping her cool whilst retelling such an apparently tragic event, Azure himself never looked away from his interlocutor. His lips remained a thin line across his features, and his gaze was nothing but solemn. He couldn't help but feel some degree of understanding towards her "accident," for he himself suffered a similar fate, albeit under very different circumstances.

After she was done with her tale, which felt a tad shorter than he would've had expected – not that he was going to complain, given the fact it was probably a tad difficult for her to fully elaborate on details. He was unaware of the actual reason for the shortening being a perceived lack of interest, though – interest that he definitely had in spades.

"Quite the awful way to start schoolin', I must say," Azure immediately commented, trying to drop a mild joke just to see if it would lighten the air a little bit. Here's to hoping it won't be received the wrong way, though.

"Gotta say though, if losin' a whole arm is all that was lost... then I definitely agree with ya: Could've been hella worse."

Naturally, however, a singular doubt arose the moment he began processing the whole tale, and given the track record that has already been established, Azure didn't waste much time before going with his gut.

"I s'pose this friend o' yours is still around and kickin' then? If they gotcha through such a mess, I'd certainly love to meet 'em sometime!" Perhaps share a couple blows, Azure thought about adding, but thankfully stopped himself just in time. He wasn't in the streets anymore, after all.

[Ax L Rose]

Azure's solemn and respectful yet unmistakably attentive approach to listening to her tale earned him a few bonus points. He was making a pretty good first impression so far, which was actually a little surprising to her. Conversations with guys seldom went this well this long, with many of them crashing and burning or saying something embarrassing by this point. Then again, there was still room for this to go disastrously wrong, she supposed.

"It is what it is," Ax said coolly, shrugging her shoulders as if going over the story was no big deal at all. Despite the nonchalant act she was putting on, she still managed to visibly brighten somewhat when Azure took note of the friend who had helped her.

"Oh yeah," Ax nodded emphatically. "My partner, Nym Magenta. If you hang around me long enough, it's only a matter of time before you meet 'er. She's... a close friend of mine."

Ax tilted her head slightly, her eyes squinting slightly as if deep in thought when she looked at Azure, but she didn't really slow down or stop speaking. She changed the subject again in a flash.

"So where you headin', Azure? And do you have a nickname, or do you prefer 'Azure'?" Ax asked. She found herself not really minding this guy's company so far, but she couldn't help but wonder if she was maybe slowing the guy down or keeping him from something. She had things to do later... but nothing so important she couldn't chit-chat with the new guy a bit. She could probably show this guy a better place to chill than out here with the other new arrivals.

[Azure Teardrop]

That was... a pretty strange pause, alright. And just to say they were good friends? Perhaps they weren't on such good terms anymore or something, though she definitely brightened up when he spoke about wanting to meet her, so...

Unfortunately, given how quickly she changed topics immediately afterwards, Azure lost his window of opportunity to question her on that strange happening. Inwardly deciding to let go of that previous train of thought, he instead focused on keeping the conversation going.
The possibility that – maybe – this was Ax's desired outcome with her sudden action didn't even cross his mind.

"A... nickname, huh?" Azure had been anything but chatty and cheerful so far, but that particular question managed to, if just momentarily, make him grow visibly hesitant.

Nicknames... "Chief" and "Boss" were the first ones that immediately came to mind, and naturally, they brought a lot of troublesome memories alongside them. However, he wasn't going to ask a fellow student who knew nothing about him to use such titles to refer to him. It definitely wasn't proper, or so he thought.

"People back home called me... Azu, so ya can use that if Azure feels like a mouthful sometimes," he finished up with a small chuckle, hoping that the mood didn't just take a dive due to his sudden pause back there.

It wasn't a lie per say, but the only person who ever called him that way was Rouge, and while that nickname definitely brought yet another share of painful memories, he felt that it was the proper thing to do. He figured she would approve of his choice.

"And... I'm not headin' anywhere in particular, really." In fact, just before his outburst minutes ago, Azure was thinking about wandering around aimlessly until nighttime arrived.
Thinking back on it, he truly didn't have anything planned, huh?

"Only speakin' for myself here, though. If ya got somethin' to do, feel free to go on, Ax."

[Ax L Rose]

She'd always been really easy to read, and she knew it. Her semblance also pretty much broadcasted her emotions full-time, even while she slept, so... it wasn't like there was much she could do about it other than own it and try to focus on the present moment. She challenged herself to pay attention in the moment and not worry about whatever she was broadcasting. She'd explain what was going on soon enough, assuming she had a chance to.

This guy struck her as analytical. Maybe it was something in those dark eyes of his. Maybe it was something about his body language subconsciously giving her an impression. She felt like there was something sort of intense about this guy. Most of the time when she met new people around Beacon, it could end up feeling like a reminder of how many people around her were kids at heart. This guy gave her a whole different vibe altogether. It was a little unnerving. It was also a little fascinating.

"Azu," she repeated, as if trying the name out. She tilted her head skeptically and then clicked her tongue lightly as she shook her head.

"I dunno. Azure sounds better, I think," she mused, a little grin forming on her lips. He made it sound like he didn't mind if she walked away right now, and she didn't totally buy it. He had really sounded like he wanted someone to talk to, earlier.

"I'm not in a rush to ditch you, pal. Where're you headed, Azure? I'll show you the way. I know this place like the back of my hand," she boasted.

[Azure Teardrop]

"If ya like Azure the most, then feel free to keep usin' it!" Azure quickly replied, feeling proud, and a tad relieved.

"Azu," in hindsight, did sound more than just a little bit embarrassing and dumb. No wonder that girl kept calling him that, huh?

However, despite that issue literally getting resolved on its own – the nickname issue, that is – there still was yet another one that was just beginning to be addressed: Just what in the world they were going to do, besides standing there talking?

The way Ax spoke made it sound that she was willing to play the guide for him, and that was fine, but the problem lied in the fact that Azure had absolutely no idea where to actually go in the first place. If this was the city, perhaps asking her out on some drinks or something would be acceptable, but from his very, very old experiences with school, such things weren't usually available on campus.

Nevertheless, actually denying her on a willing desire for help didn't sound good, so... he decided to just be honest, and take a shoot at the dark.

"And well... I really, really have no idea where to go, being new 'n all that stuff, y'know?" he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "But if ya want to keep talkin', perhaps you'd led me somewhere where we'd sit down and drink something while at it."

If Azure didn't know himself better, he would think that he just tried to hit on a fellow student, day one. He definitely didn't mean it that way, though.

[Ax L Rose]

Ax couldn't help but notice that some of the intensity of Azure's demeanor and emotional state seemed to simmer down at her decision to simply opt for his real name. She took this as evidence that she'd made the right choice.

She nodded her head as he spoke, subconsciously sensing a hint of what seemed like pretty normal nervousness. Ax knew what she looked like and how she tended to come off. She'd been pretty open with this guy so far and as far as she could tell, he seemed to appreciate her company. A small, reassuring smile came to her lips as he continued. She wasn't having the easiest time gauging it, but it sounded a little like this guy was inviting her out on a date, what, with mentioning having a drink and all. Could she blame a guy for shooting his shot? Not really, no. He was clearly very handsome... she wouldn't have blamed anyone for thinking this guy was kind of hot, but guys weren't really her thing, generally.

"Let me show you to the dining hall, then?" Ax offered, turning and thumbing over her shoulder, hoping to reassure the guy in a way that would hopefully sound platonically-motivated. It was a little walk away, and it'd give them a little more time to talk. She could play this by ear - if she got a better feel for this guy, maybe she'd hang out a little longer and grab a bite while she was at it. If it felt more natural to split, she could excuse herself after they arrived without making him feel blown off. She was a busy bird these days, but she liked to make at least a little time for new students when she could.

[Azure Teardrop]

The more they interacted, the more Azure felt that Ax being the first person he met in Beacon was like winning some kind of game of luck of the draw. He didn't consider himself as a particularly lucky fellow, mind you, but the last minutes could only be considered nothing but that: Luck. It... made him feel rather peppy, nonetheless.

Ax was definitely comfortable to be around, and he chalked that up to her somewhat rowdy behavior and appearance. She reminded him a bit of how his pals back home used to behave themselves, and it was that sense of familiarity that had him ease up to the woman standing there before him. Not that he has had a chance to demonstrate this fact, but if they kept the conversation going, perhaps said chances would show up eventually.

For the time being, however, the way forward was clear to him.

"Ya really need ta ask?" Azure smirked. The answer, he felt, was quite obvious – for both of them.

Thus, as soon as Ax were to begin leading the way, Azure would immediately follow behind her, making sure to remember the way they were heading – it wouldn't do for him being unable to find something as important as the place where he was supposed to feed himself, would it?
There was something Azure was meaning to ask for a while now, however.

"Say, Ax," he began, waiting to confirm that he had before continuing. "Are ya third graders s'posed ta have this much free time on 'em?"

He then began rubbing the back of his neck, before adding: "Not implyin' anythin' here, just in case. I'm just wonderin', since ya don't seem particularly busy... right now, anyway."

He had this preconception, ever since he was a child, that students from advanced classes didn't have any time to spare for things not related to their studies, and while he was aware that Beacon wasn't really your average school – for it was a combat school, after all – it was still a school, nonetheless.

... Not that he would mind if that wasn't the case, though!

[Ax L Rose]

Ax led the way at a leisurely stroll. Her pace suggested that she wasn't in any kind of rush. Azure would be able to easily catch up and walk alongside her, assuming he wouldn't rather stare at the pink bunch of tail feathers that bounced along with her deliberate, probably-practiced stride. Fortunately for Azure, there were signs and directories interspersed along several sections of the walkways that would help him stay oriented and reduce his chances of getting lost, should he need to find his way again later without help.

Ax turned her head a bit to acknowledge his words as they walked. His question immediately reminded her of her intentions prior to meeting him. She'd nearly forgotten what she was doing. She was supposed to be making some time for personal training. Eh... oh well. It wasn't the end of the world. She could always make time to train. She'd been pretty diligent so far this week.

"Not always," Ax answered with a shrug, apparently not thinking much of it. "One of my afternoon classes got canceled today. I was gonna go do some drills over at Training Hall A, before I bumped into you, but it's just routine shit. So don't worry. Making a little diversion for little ol' you isn't much of an act of personal sacrifice," Ax assured him. It was really tempting and easy at times to feel pressure or anxiety about her oftentimes demanding schedule, but she did what she could to try and focus on the present moment.

The walk took them under a stone archway that passed the main ceremony hall. There was a fast way and a short way to get to the dining hall from beyond there; they could either take the long way around several buildings or they could cut between the buildings through the grass. Ax decided to take the fast way, leading Azure off the path. It wasn't like it was breaking any rules... but it did take them right past an administrative/faculty building. Evidently, Ax wasn't concerned about this. She turned and started to walk backwards along the way, raising her hands to gesture as she spoke.

"Dining Hall's right ahead. You could also have headed right at the fork we were just at and just followed that along the curve, but this is faster. As you pointed out... third years like myself tend to be pretty busy people."

[Azure Teardrop]

Well, that wasn't much of a surprise, is it? Doesn't make it any less of a disappointment, though — Azure was actually looking forward to having an easy time, but education rarely is that... well, easy, isn't it?

At least it didn't look like getting lost in Beacon was even a possibility, what, with the many signs that made it clear where each facility was located — the dormitories being one of the few directions he began memorizing as they walked, then the training hall and, lastly, the classrooms. Knowing himself, however, that latter one will be forgotten pretty quickly.

Turning back to Ax, he decided to at least show some gratitude for what she had done for him so far — from just putting her plans aside to make time for him, to actually showing him around.

"Well, that surely's gonna be useful in the future... And, hey, goin' so far for 'little ol' me' still means a lot, regardless," Azure began, trying his best to not sound... too cheesy or anything. They were just a couple acquaintances at best, after all.
"I doubt many would treat a complete stranger like they were friends, so thanks a lot for everythin', Ax."

Well, that still sounded kind of corny, didn't it? Perhaps going at it a bit more directly would've helped, but that seemed kind of wrong somehow... Like, it would make his words sound a bit insincere, wouldn't it?

Realizing that it was too late to reformulate his wording regardless, Azure decided to instead add something else to even things out, and with a smirk, to boot: "By the way, if ya ever wish for a partner on these trainin' sessions, feel free ta let me know. I'm kinda curious as ta just how strong ya really are, if ya don't mind. Plus, trainin' with others is very fun, don't ya think?"

"Just no flyin' around or anythin', or else things wouldn't be very fair." He said, referring to the feathers he had been trying hard not to focus too long onto until now.

[Ax L Rose]

If Ax was bothered by Azure's word choice, it wasn't apparent just by looking at her. She barely skipped a beat. She seemed pleased that this stranger was so keen to express his gratitude. She'd honestly been expecting this guy to be a lot rougher around the edges, but it seemed all he needed was someone to pay a little attention and show a little patience.

"It feels like it wasn't all that long ago that I was new here," Ax reasoned aloud, gently shrugging her shoulders.

"I got as far as I did thanks to people willing to be kind to me, who helped me out and actively anticipated my needs. We all gotta look out for one another 'round here, way I see it. You never know what's gonna happen, and you never know who you might have to count on down the road."

Maybe it sounded a little soapboxy, but it was the truth as far as she felt. Connecting with people was the ultimate source of Ax's strength. It was what made humanity powerful - interconnectedness. Sure, she wouldn't have done this for just anyone... but sometimes, someone gave her a good gut feeling.

It was a little quiet as they finished cutting across the buildings. Soon enough, they were in front of the dining hall - there was a fair bit more student traffic here, even though it wasn't prime meal time. It was around this point that Ax turned to face Azure again, stopping and standing in place, raising a hand and adjusting the strap of her guitar case. She gave him a small, coy expression at the note of training together.

"It is," Ax agreed. She crossed her arms beneath her chest, giving him a brief look over as if trying to get a feel for what he'd fight like. While she could maybe make some assumptions, she knew too little to really form any kind of clear idea. She also wasn't sure if he was suggesting that they fight together against a shared adversary, or if he wanted to go toe-to-toe with her. At least, not until the last bit he said. She let out a low chuckle.

"If you think you're up to it... sure. Anytime. I've never said no to a match before, and I don't see any reason to start now."

[Azure Teardrop]

Though he never saw Beacon as one of those places were people acted high and mighty, Azure expected the academy, as prestigious as it was, to be a bit akin to a gathering of rich people and people who thought highly of themselves... Not that he disliked any of that, mind you.

However, if everyone here – or at the very least, most – were like Ax, then having arrived with such a mindset in mind was rather shallow of him, in hindsight.

School definitely is going to be much more interesting this time around, he truly felt, and he smirked at the woman to at least show his agreement to her admirable point of view.

That smirk of his vanished only halfway, remaining a mild smile for the duration of their trek to the entrance to the dining hall, which is when Azure made his offer to train with her – a request to which Ax nonchalantly agreed upon, much to his brief surprise. Not only did he get such a nice acquaintance day one, but even a potential sparring partner, too?

Then, a noticeable glint of confidence flared in Azure's gaze in response to Ax's choice of words. 'If you think you're up to it,' sounded too much like a challenge to him, and it certainly made him excited for a bout.

"I dunno if I can measure to a senior with plenty of field experience, but..." He began, the smirk from moments ago returning with full force, though this time a bit cockier than before. "I got a lotta pride of my skill when it comes to fighting fellow people, so ya bet I'm gonna do my best to not lose."

In fact, he was so confident in his skill, that he truly wouldn't have minded heading straight to the training rooms rather than the dining hall, but his stomach interrupted that train of thought by making its desire for snacks known – loudly.

"... B-But I guess that oughta wait, since I'm starvin'," Azure said sheepishly, as he rubbed his stomach. "Let's go eat some grub, a'ight?"

He then walked past the woman, though rather than barging into the hall, he instead made a gesture for the door as he looked towards Ax. He might have been raised on the streets, but even then he learned that treating girls with respect was common courtesy... Not that he didn't quite understood why exactly was that.

"Women first, though?"

[Ax L Rose]

Ax's lips curved into a warm little smile when Azure spoke his reply. Well, she couldn't blame anyone for wanting to see her put her money where her mouth was after a line like the one she'd just given him. 'If you think you're up to it,' wow! What had been intended as a well-meaning warning could have easily been taken as willful provocation. Fortunately, Azure seemed like the kind of guy to take it in stride.

"Sure. Let's eat," Ax agreed. Well, it looked like she was sticking around with this guy for a bit. But maybe not too long... unless he was really serious about sparring. Now that she was thinking about it, it might've worked pretty alright with her schedule. If they ate quickly, she could probably still get a room for practice. She seemed to be a bit deep in thought as she stepped ahead through the entrance, seemingly not thinking much of his show of chivalry. She at least seemed to have the presence of mind to slow her stride unconsciously for Azure to catch up afterward.

"You know, like I said... I was gonna get some drills in earlier anyway," Ax turned to look over at Azure. Ahead of them was a short hallway that led to the main dining hall, full of tables and students.

"If we make this pretty quick, I could maybe fit in a couple rounds. It's been a bit since I've trained against new blood," Ax rolled her shoulders. She was honestly a little skeptical about a first year's odds against her, but who could say what might come of it? Maybe his style of fighting was unconventional, or his semblance would change the rules of the fight in some way. It would be good to see how she did in a blind style of fight where she knew nothing about her opponent going in.