Sunbathers and Stargazers (Private)

[Nova Starr]

Like most students, Nova had favorite subjects. Grimm Studies was up there for the practical demonstrations and the odd story that the Professor would tell when going off on a tangent, but History was what truly enraptured her. Tales of past events in beautiful, faraway lands and wonders of the ancient world that lie in ruin, waiting on a wandering soul to re-discover them. It all sung to the Starr's heart. She wanted to get out there and see all of the things that could be seen, thinking it unthinkable that parts of the natural world might never have their stories told.

Ironically, today's History class had quite the opposite effect on her. She'd caught but a few hours of sleep the night before and, as good as she could normally hide exhaustion, it'd taken a toll on her ability to concentrate the next day. After she stirred awake from the beginnings of an ill-timed nap, Nova barely caught the tail end of the Professor's instruction for the next class activity.

"... like you to turn to the person next to you and discuss where you come from. What events transpired there in the past? What are the key issues that it faces to this very day as a consequence? If you're from the same Kingdom, think smaller. Perhaps something happened in your town or down your street. Even seemingly insignificant events can have a significant effect on the world at large. I'll give you a few minutes."

Hardly in a state for chitchat, she rubbed her eyes and put on as friendly a smile as possible. The students to the left of her seemed to be chatting away already so, with one other option, she turned in place to face the boy on her right. "Hi there," she greeted, holding her hand out, "Nova Starr! I'm from Vale."

[Bastion Sandstone]

History was always an academic study for Bastion. Other classes challenged the Vacuoian, but learning history and how people dealt with their problems activated the diplomate side of his brain. Did they decide war was the only path? Was war a goal of one side? What did the diplomats, politicians and ambassadors of the time say to further or push against conflicts? History was a cold lens to look at people through and Bastion felt that only half of reality was captured in history books. His chin was in his hand most of these classes, pondering between the lines of history of the possibilities.

"... like you to turn to the person next to you and discuss where you come from. What events transpired there in the past? What are the key issues that it faces to this very day as a consequence? If you're from the same Kingdom, think smaller. Perhaps something happened in your town or down your street. Even seemingly insignificant events can have a significant effect on the world at large. I'll give you a few minutes."

Bastion turned to the pretty girl next to him. She was rubbing her eyes and smiling. "Hey, I'm Bastion Sandstone." He shook her hand. "I'm from Vacuo." Being in class he was wearing his uniform, not his usual getup and hat, but he still kept a worn-looking red bandana tied around his neck. "That place is full of things happening, bandits and tribes in the desert. Not sure where to start..."

[Nova Starr]

"Oh, vacuo?" Nova seemed to perk up, sitting a little straighter. Although conversation with a fellow Valean wouldn't have been completely drab, she knew a great deal about her home kingdom already. There was something magnetic about the denizens of the other kingdoms that just surrendered Nova's attention. And upon listening to Bastion's unique choice of words about the Western-most kingdom, she already had a cart-full of curiosities to unload.

"Start there," she offered, her finger bouncing eagerly on the desk. "The tribes, the nomadic lifestyles. Vale has nothing like it - like, at all. I mean, we obviously have villages that benefit from being sort of close to Beacon. Lots of Huntsman nearby to help them out in a pinch, my folks are always posted out there." Nova rolled her eyes just a little. "But, those settlements are on a map. They're easy to locate, supply, protect, etcetera." She flicked her wrist upwards to accentuate the 'etcetera.' "How does that work over there? I mean, with all the moving around, and... stuff."

[Bastion Sandstone]

Bastion nodded his head and hummed in thought for a moment. "Well I'm actually from one of those nomadic tribes. We got around mostly on trade. The winds change the dunes on an almost weekly basis, no place looks the same twice round the year. But with the moving sands comes valuables or treasures that were lost. That could be the remains of travelers or ancient settlements or whathave you. 'N same way you got bandits out in the forests, we got bandits out there. My specific tribe did our best to be peaceful and diplomatic. Spillin' blood ain't something that's good for anybody out on the deserts. Revenge politics are rampant, y'see. So it falls to those designated as warriors to fight off both Grimm and marauders.

"For travel, it's mostly by the stars, like I've heard sailors do for the sea. No landmarks on land, gotta use other markers, y'know? It's hard to learn orr teach, but you spend enough time out in the desert moving around, looking at the stars with your friends... You sorta just learn the relative position of things.

But with Vale you got detailed maps and distances and everything. It's quite marvelous, really."

[Nova Starr]

Nova sat with her chin perched upon her hand and her arm propped up on the table. God, she could have listened to him talk for hours.

In what read like the starting chapter of a gritty biography, he'd offered nothing but the most concise summary she'd ever heard of what life is like in a place she did not know. Nova felt like she could place herself there, shielding her eyes from the blazing sun and the roaring sands of Vacuo. And, of course, he had to go on and mention stars...

So utterly immersed in his words, the girl almost failed to realize when he was done speaking them.

"Amazing..." She quickly followed up. "Not, y'know, the bandits, the killing, and all of that. I guess that's just how things work out there. How things have to work." She adjusted herself, turning a little more toward Bastion. "Everyday life over there is just so different. It's true, everything in Vale is mapped out and anything you could want is always a hair's length away, especially in the city. Most people are pretty comfortable, there's no real central 'struggle'. I guess... the biggest issue in Vale isn't revenge politics, it's just plain old politics. There's so many people, so many conflicting ideas on how things should be. It's peaceful, generally, but there's a non-zero number of bigots and idiots that try to shake things up, rile up the crowd, throw crap at the wall to see what sticks... etcetera."

She sighed, offering a smile. "But, we don't need to use the stars to navigate the kingdom, so I shouldn't complain too much."

[Bastion Sandstone]

"Strange how despite the Grimm constantly wanting to kill us, some people get so cozy that they start up their own trouble... As nice as peace is, I think we are built to have something to fight for or against. Without it, we find something to fight against, make our own trouble.

"I mean, I was astounded and love the endless supply of milk and fruit juices in the cafeteria. I love some of the stuff established civilization has brought to people. But sometimes... the simple life of being in the tribe is something I would far prefer over a house here in Vale. I know what I have to worry about and do every morning. I know what I have, close bonds with the people around me, you know?

"But what are some greater things about Vale? I'm sure the food isn't the only thing you got going for yourselves."

[Nova Starr]

She nodded subconsciously. Beside the odd stare and infrequent confrontation with prideful men, Nova wasn't often a victim of senseless discrimination nor misguided violence, but she knew of it happening to plenty of others; Faunus friends not least. "Mhm. As progressive and safe as it is here, people will always find something to fret about. Mostly drunk men who haven't got anything better to do, But, some people go out of their way to be... just, the worst."

The rural life intrigued her, and always had. A clear view of the stars, rarely if ever worrying about how cloudy the sky might be, and always being safe in the most remote regions of Remnant... almost a fairytale. "I do know. You make it sound like a very... natural? Yeah, natural way to live. How the powers that be intended. It's one of my reasons why I wanted to be a Huntress, to explore the world, live in it in as many ways as possible."

Then, Bastion's question caught her for a loop. What was great about Vale? Her facial features seemed to twist in indecision as she thought. "Mm... what's great about Vale. Well, it's got lovely forests surrounding the city. Forever Fall is absolutely huge, if a little dangerous, and absolutely beautiful. It's always... well, Fall there." She thought a little harder. "And transport is good? I don't know anybody that complains much about getting places. But, that's a boring answer." Stating that last bit plainly, she huffed. "I dunno. I guess it's got a slice of everything, you can make whatever life you want here. Want remote villages, bustling metropolia, vacation spots, boat life? Vale's gotcha. I don't really love much about it, though. All the other kingdoms are way more interesting to me. The grass is always greener, right?"

[Bastion Sandstone]

He nodded. "Life as intended. I'd think so, but I can't exactly knock people trying to better their lives by fixing problems. One solution will always lead to another, and that's just how it is. Best to keep life simple and take the pain that comes with life."

Listening to her talk about Vale, he had to smile. "The trees sure are nice, keep the ground firm and the shade up. Though with how I understand them, a forest that is forever in Fall doesn't make sense. You'd think the trees would die but... they don't." He nodded again. "Always greener. I've always wanted to see what Atlas is like. Heard it's like Vacuo but ice. Be interesting to see dunes of Ice and what not. Though a fella like me would freeze faster than a burglar with a gun at his nose there."

[Nova Starr]

She offered a shrug when Bastion talked about the peculiarities of the Forever Fall. "Who knows, I just love that it's weird and wonderful. Never thought too hard about it, to be honest." Nova trailed off briefly, jotting down a mental note to go and visit the place sometime soon.

The imagery made her laugh, a Vacuoan nomad in the middle of buck-ass Atlas tundra? "You'd be a little out of place, yeah." Quietening down after a glance from the professor, she continued. "I don't know much about Atlas. My Dad did a string of jobs there a few years ago, all he really said was there's lots of snow and some foresty areas on the way to the city. Or... cities? The capital's, like, split into two right?" She'd an uncertain look in her eyes.

The professor, seemingly distracted with an important matter, announced his brief leave from the classroom to take an incoming call. The class immediately grew a little restless, some students blatantly abandoning their previous discussions in the absence of supervision. Nova leaned back into her seat with her arms folded, setting her eyes on Bastion again. "So, why'd you choose Vale instead of Shade? You have any ex-nomad family here?"

[Bastion Sandstone]

"Forests... Huh. And yeah, two cities. Or, one split in half. I haven't really looked into other kingdoms, to be honest."

With the teacher leaving, he also leaned back, thumbs in his belt and one foot laying on his knee, showing off his cowboy boots. "Nah, my family is all back in Vacuo with the tribe. We had some run-ins with some bad folk and Grimm, and my parents are retired Huntsman. I wanted some experience outside of the deserts. Atlas was too cold, and I figured Managerie would just be far too different from my normal. Like a salamander out of sand, you know? So, Vale. Temperate, got some trees, and my father attended this school. Seemed like an easy choice."

"What about you? You're from here, did something make you stay in Vale and not branch out to another school? Or just convenience?"

[Nova Starr]

As Bastion divulged his reasons for attending Beacon, Nova took a second to look him up and down. He was definitely taller than her, and by quite a bit, given he was sitting at a steeper slant and she was barely his shoulder height. Eventually, Nova's gaze settled on his boots. She unenthusiastically twiddled one of her feet around, suddenly whelmed with the urge to get a pair for herself; Beacon's school shoes left much to be desired in comparison.

The "What about you?" question brought her attention back to his eyes, to which she shrugged. "Hm... convenience, I think? My Dad also went to Beacon, and my Mom, too, so it made the most sense to come here. I also want to see the other Kingdoms, but there's plenty of time for that once we graduate. Plus, I feel they wouldn't have wanted to ship me off to somewhere like Atlas or Vacuo." That last part came out entirely wrong, evidenced by her facepalm as she backtracked just a little. "Sorry. I didn't mean it like... it's just, Vacuo gets a bit of a bad rep around here. It sounds like a place that you either need to know the right people or be able to defend yourself before you should go there. I'd be like... well, a city pidgeon in the sand, you know?"

[Bastion Sandstone]

When she mentioned Vacuo, as if it was a bad place, he raised his eyebrow and kept his lips tight. She backtracked. City pigeon in the sand...

He burst out laughing, no longer able to keep his straight face. "No, no need to apologize. Vacuo is a hard place to live for sure, and that's right. You don't know the right people or know how to fight, you end up as vulture meal. I take no offense, it's the truth. Sending ones kids there, even to the city, is a little mean. Just a little." He winked at her, smiling with teeth. "Though I still think it's hard to beat the views at night or when the sun kisses the horizon. All these trees here get in the way."

[Nova Starr]

Nova raised her eyebrows in turn, more out of surprise than anything. Still, she quickly settled into relief upon seeing that he took no offense to her unfortunate statement [or, at least, that he was hiding any offense so impeccably well], and smiled with just the slightest bit of strain in return.

To what he said next, her smile grew into one you might get when you see a kitten purring or a puppy rolling over. "Well, that's probably the cutest description of sundown I've ever heard." Adorable imagery planted in her mind, she unfolded her arms and pushed more into her seat to sit flush with the backrest. "They do. Not that I'm, like, ever awake for sunrise, but there's a few spots where you can get a decent view of the horizon, like the loading docks in front of the school. The dormitory roof is good for stargazing, too. I got there all the time. It's... kinda my favorite place in the entire school."

[Bastion Sandstone]

He chuckled at her calling his description cute. "The roof? Do you think you could show me sometime? I'd love a good quiet spot away from everything else."

[Nova Starr]

The last time Nova bumped into other people on the rooftops, the situation quickly devolved into a series of shenanigans that were, in her opinion, best left forgotten about. She found it a comforting thought to have some calm, regular company up there for once, and Bastion seemed to be all that and more. "I'd love to," she accepted, reigning in her enthusiasm just a little bit.

Briefly reaching down to find her bag, she dragged it onto the seat next to her and rummaged around for her scroll. She tapped a few buttons and then tilted her scroll so that Bastion could see the 'New Contact' screen, awkwardly half-offering it to him. "You, uh, have a scroll?"

[Bastion Sandstone]

He smiled with teeth once again at her question. "In fact I do, miss. Parents made me get one once I made the decision to leave." He took her scroll and put in his contact info. "There, message me whenever you got time." He handed it back to her. He hoped she messaged him soon.

"Oh, quick question, what is your favorite fruit juice? I've been getting a kick out of apple and orange, anything you like in particular to add to my list?"

[Nova Starr]

She sent him a message of a single star emote to complete the contact info exchange, then shoved the scroll back into her bag so as to not get caught with it out.

Thinking she heard him wrong, Nova looked at Bastion as he started to talk about fruit juices, a subtle raise in her eyebrows. "I did not pin you as being a juice enthusiast. Uh... are talking smooth or with pulp?" She put a finger to her chin. "If you're wanting smooth - and don't knock it till you try it - tomato juice. If we're talking pulp, the only right answer is none." As badly as she wanted to appear serious, her smile betrayed her.

[Bastion Sandstone]

He got the Star message, and decided to save her name as simply the star emoji.

"Well Vacuo isn't exactly tropical. Fruit is hard to come by, and never in juice form. So I'm taking it all in while I'm here." He explained before his jaw dropped. "Tomato juice?!" He shouted in disbelief. "Like the stuff they put on pizza? That can be a juice?" He honestly hadn't considered it before. "And, while that throws me for a loop, no juice is good with pulp? What about Orange Juice?"

[Nova Starr]

"Ew! What!?" she shouted in equal amounts of disbelief. "Not tomato sauce, that's all cooked up and stuff. It's just super refreshing juiced-up tomatoes. You've never heard of that?" Vacuo might've been even more isolated than she thought. Of course Nova knew it was far from a fan favourite, but the revelation still shocked her all the same.

She raised an eyebrow before getting smacked by a realization. "Oh. Do you not have smooth orange juice in Vacuo? You can get smooth and pulp varieties in, like, every store you go into. Pulp is just... I dunno, doesn't it make your mouth feel all weird after you drink it?"

[Bastion Sandstone]

Bastion shook his head. "I ain't never heard of tomato juice, sorry." Not even in Vale. Just, never heard of it before she said it.

"I hardly have orange juice in general in Vacuo, let alone two options for it. Like, trees and such grow on the coast I guess, but most of my life we visited those places or others who had to restock on supplies and then continued in the sands. Coming to Vale, I didn't know so many trees even existed. ...Oranges grow on trees, right? Not bushes?" He was going to be super embarassed if he got that wrong.

[Nova Starr]

For the life of her, she didn't know how to react to Bastion's ignorance of tomato juice. It wasn't that ludicrous a thought in truth, but to have never even heard of it before? 'Brothers, help this boy.'

To what he said next, however, she offered him a kind smile, if not one with a hint of pity in it. "Okay, as much as I would love to mess with you, yes. Oranges grow on trees." Her face lit up with excitement. "Oh! My friend has a farm with a little orange orchard, actually. Lemme just..." Nimbly navigating past her scroll's home screen and into her gallery, she went in search of the aforementioned photo.

She must not have heard the Professor step back into the room, nor shut the door behind him, nor his annoyed cough as he sought to gather the attention of the class. Scanning the faces of students like a hawk, he noticed a few students that were too absent on their scrolls to pay attention to the front of the class. Seeking to make an example, and perhaps to get the class back on track, he singled one out at random. "Ahem. Ms Starr?"

Try as she did to hide her scroll in style, Nova had all the tact of an elephant, instead throwing it into her lap. She locked eyes with the Professor like a deer in headlights, trying to look attentive. "H-hm?"

"Mhm. Well," the Professor started, looking to the boy just beside the girl. "Mr Sandstone, is it? Perhaps you can summarise the points raised by your partner in your discussions."

[Bastion Sandstone]

He let out a breath when she confirmed that yes, Oranges did infact grow on trees. She went to looking for photos when the Professor walked back in.

Bastio turned mostly back around in his chair, glancing at Nova. She hadn't put her phone away, still scrolling. The professor coughed to get attention, not evenone had really noticed him but most did now. And Nova still hadn't. He smiled that wicked smile, knowing he could nudge her and bring her back and keep her from getting in trouble. And theeeen he called her out.

He chuckled and covered his mouth until he was called on too. Clearing his throat he twidled his thumbs quickly as he thought.
"Well, sir, uhm, Vale has a lot of trees. And tomato juice. And oranges grow on trees."

[Nova Starr]

An eruption of giggles tickled the class, though the Professor kept notably stern as he scowled at the Vacuoan boy. His gaze gradually flicked back to Nova, then to the rest of the students, and, with a sigh, to the ceiling. "Indeed, Vale is famous for its forestry and, by extension, trees. And, though I sincerely doubt that it was your intention, Mr Sandstone," he made a brief side-eye to the boy once again, before addressing the rest of the class. "This raises two important points. Firstly, Vale's agricultural successes are a key part of why people could settle here in the first place; where there's food, there's prosperity. Secondly, Vale's natural defenses are important to its habitability..."

The Professor quickly settled back into a rhythm, and Nova was all-too-happy to be out of the harsh spotlight. "Thank you," she whispered to Bastion, flashing a grateful smile as the red drained away from her face. Seeing the picture of the orchard on her scroll, she covertly retrieved her device and went about sending the picture to Bastion. "There. In case you ever get an itch for some good ass orange trees. Or, according to the Professor, the very backbone of this nation's great natural defenses...? He lost me already."

[Bastion Sandstone]

He chuckled with the rest at the class at himself. Yeah, it was a funny answer and he'd rather people laugh at him than Nova. He nodded and mimed tipping his hat(he didn't bring it to class) to Nova. "My pleasure."

His scroll buzzed and he took a look at the orange tree. The cowboy giggled a little more. "Well when they're that delicious it's hard to just walk past them. They slow the enemy down because the soldiers just want to climb up and eat, you know? Perfect defense system."

[Nova Starr]

She held in a little laugh. "Very true, they're hard to resist."

The students' conversation would eventually peter out. The Professor steered the discussion away from the class exercise to something slightly more engaging, and most returned to their notetaking as they listened on in silence. A mundane lesson overall, with the high point being the part where no actual teaching took place. Finally, the bell tolled just as the topic shifted to the Great War, and the class was soon dismissed with a wave of the Professor's hand. "We'll stop there. You don't have any homework from me but remember that there's a class quiz next week; I strongly suggest reviewing last week's material."

The warning would go over most student's heads, Nova included. She left the class in haste, though not without saying goodbye to Bastion. If there was one good thing she could take away from the class, it was a new friend; a fellow stargazer, even.

The girl smirked as she walked through the hall, looking down at her scroll.

Changed Bastion's display name to 'Orange Boy'.