Faunus Student Club

[Nero Zine]

*Nero was strolling the halls, searching for something. Or well, someone. But not a particular someone.
Her serpentine tail flowing behind her, she was eyeing students, trying to find those that belonged to her kind. Flyers were in her hands.*

[Phlox Fessenden]

Phlox had just finished a course in weapon engineering and was leaving the classroom. Although the class wasn't boring or difficult, he felt like his talents were being wasted on something so mundane. The group work on designing a basic gun-sword weapon felt like a child's play to him, and being in a group slowed him down. He couldn't help but feel frustrated with his classmates. However, he reminded himself that patience was a virtue he needed to work on. In any case, he was looking forward to the new episode of 'Forgotten Ones' that had just been released.

As he walked through the hallways, he observed the various students. They were galavanting and laughing about life, talking about silly crushes, monstrous teachers, and that type of thing. This was a stark contrast to his intense focus on his own goals and ambitions. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy at their carefree attitudes. He felt a bit down on himself, but no matter, he could pass this year by himself. He thought he didn't need help, but he wasn't entirely sure.

[Nero Zine]

"Yo."
*Nero saw a dude who looked a bit down. And he had animal ears. Well, might as well take the chance. She stood in his way and gave him a flyer.*
"We recruiting for a faunus student club, you'd be interested ? Chill place where only club members can enter."

[Phlox Fessenden]

Phlox, with his bat ears flipping out like a held piece of paper in the wind, turned around and saw a woman standing a few feet away. At first glance, she seemed like a human, but upon tilting his head, he noticed a reptilian tail peeking out behind her. Intrigued, Phlox tried to guess what type of faunus she was. The tail appeared to be long, suggesting that she could be a lizard faunus. However, it was also slender, leaving the possibility that she could be a snake faunus.

Receiving the flyer from her outstretched hand, Phlox read the thing in a flash. A club, for people like him? It could be nice, but his alone time…and all the tech he was working on..and 'Forgotton Ones'

"Ummm…" He freezes, thinking of either a lie or a truth, or both, before finally deciding on a response. "Is there an initialization time, or..."

[Nero Zine]

"What do you mean ? Like a time to get to decide ? You know, it's not a sect or anything. If you don't wanna come, you don't need to.
And it's not like we do a lot of stuff anyway. It's more of a safe place for faunus students, a place to share our experiences, and maybe advise those who need a hand, you see ?"
*That dude's eyes were weird. Not the colour, but his way of watching others. He seemed... Tired. Old, even, and yet somewhat naive. Like a hurt puppy."

[Phlox Fessenden]

…Interesting… very interesting. Also, thank whatever runs the universe e for this opportunity to stay home.

"Yeah, sorry, but I'm ok.." Phlox lied to himself, though his eyes betrayed his true feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. He knew deep down that he was not okay, but he didn't want to burden anyone with his troubles.

"I mean, I know some other faunus students that would really like to join if you want to recruit them."

[Nero Zine]

"Sure, why not. What about you though ? You look like you could need someone to talk to. And it's not like place got any kind of therapist anyway, soooo.... Though sparring's a great way to let off some steam. Ask my brother, he loves fighting other people. Not losing though."
*She answered with a cocky smile.*

[Phlox Fessenden]

"Oh… I mean, are you serious, though?" Phlox asked in a polite tone, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

"You seem kinda…nice, and I don't mean it in a bad way, but you geniunely want to spar with me?"

[Nero Zine]

"Nah, I was talking about my bro, not me. Fighting me isn't a good way to let out steam anyway, I'm a hit-and-runner, when Jack's a close-quarter one. You also have the holographic chamber if you wanna train against Grimms without endangering yourself."
*She said while raising her shoulders.*

[Phlox Fessenden]

"Oh… well, It's alright madam, I'll be ok." Phlox replied, as he didn't want to worry her any further, really don't wanting her to get into unnecessary stress over his well-being. He forced a small smile, hoping to reassure her that everything would be fine.

Remind me to get a therapist, and get some sleep, I've been up for a unnatural amount of time

[Nero Zine]

"If you say so. At least take the flyer please, I'd like to get rid of all of them and I can't just throw'em away."
*She handed him one.*
"You should take a nap, you've got eyebags bigger than my futur."

[Phlox Fessenden]

"Thanks…I'll try." Phlox gave a dry chuckle and a reassuring smile before turning to leave for his dorm.

"Good luck on the club."

[Nero Zine]

*Nero would come across the same tired bat student a few days later, except that he was now sporting a bruise on his cheek the size of a fist. More precisely, the size of her team's leader fist, with whom the poor fool had a fight. More specifically, a close-quarter fight. The snake girl knew that, if she wanted to have a chance to defeat her giant armoured leader, it would be from very far away... As always, but even more so than usual. Even her brother, who's slowly climbing up the ranks of the best close-range fighters of the place, would regularly loose against her. So, an underclassman....*
"Hey. You ok ?"

[Phlox Fessenden]

As Phlox made his way down the hall towards the nurse's office, he suddenly stopped in his tracks upon hearing a familiar voice. It belonged to a girl he had met before, but he couldn't recall her name. He felt a sense of shame and embarrassment wash over him as he struggled to remember where he had heard her voice before. Despite the uneasy feeling creeping up his spine, he tried to push the memory out of his mind and continue on his way. However, his injuries made it difficult for him to move quickly and caused him a great deal of discomfort.

[Nero Zine]

*Was he... Avoiding her ?
Damn, did Grise messed him up that badly ? Wait, what did she told him to make him run away from her ?*
"Hey, wait up !"
*With a light tap of her middle-sized staff on the ground, she propelled herself forward at great speed, cutting his escape route.*
"What's the matter ? You avoiding me ? I ain't gonna do anythin' to you, ya know. I mean, sure, you were a bit rude to my friend, but... Hey, she's a big girl. In every meaning of the word."

[Phlox Fessenden]

Actually, that did not help. It did a little bit, but not enough. Fessenden immediately halted in his tracks and stood on guard after hearing this, his bruised body doing its best to protect him from any further harm, especially when she just appeared right in front of him.

"How did you know about that!?" Phlox snarled with a mixture of surprise, shame, fear, and anger in his voice. "And it's not something I want to discuss right now and is none of your business." He finished, crossing his arms defensively.

[Nero Zine]

"Wow, calm down. She told me about a fight she had with an 'ill-mannered' bat faunus who looked very tired, and I kinda knew it was you. Hey, she wanted me to tell you she apologizes for your cheek. She also told me that she would've liked to do it herself, but that you probably wouldn't wanna see her again. And, huh... She asked me to tell ya to think about the club I told you about."

[Phlox Fessenden]

"Cool, cool… So, like, do you like to ask badly beaten up people to join a club? Because you seem to be a natural at doing this, keep it up." Phlox replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes and still heading to the nurse's office. With a limp, he desperately tried to hide.

"And I'm not 'ill-mannered'; I just don't like, and want to talk to people other than my superiors." He finished with a sneer . His disdain for social interaction was evident in his curt and dismissive tone, making it clear that he preferred solitude over company. Speaking of solidarity, he should start on that new project, which may finally let him enact his vengeance; he doesn't know.

[Nero Zine]

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger, there's no need to get angry at me..."
*She couldn't help but notice his limp.*
" What do you mean 'badly beaten up' ? She didn't hit you that hard, right ? Or did someone else attack you ?"
*She seemed to hesitate a bit, clearly he had no intention of talking to her, but on the other hand she couldn't leave him like that. With a sigh, she lightly tapped his body with her black-gemed staff, and he suddenly felt his body become much lighter and easier to move, as if he was on the moon. She easily lifted him by the collar.*
"I'll get you there... And then I'll do my best to avoid you. I feel like it would just sour both of our moods."

[Phlox Fessenden]

"No-I mean-" He mentally curses himself for not being able to articulate his thoughts clearly, feeling frustrated with his own lack of communication skills.


"Look… I'm..sorry for the way I reacted earlier. I didn't mean to come across as rude or dismissive. I just have... things on my mind right now, and I didn't handle them well." He said this, hoping that his apology would be accepted and understood. He took a deep breath, and with tears glistening in his eyes, he tried to calm his racing thoughts and find the right words to express himself more effectively.


"… Let's try this again; my name is Phlox Fessenden, and you are?"

[Nero Zine]

*She raised an eyebrow while still dragging him towards the nursery.*
"Oh. Well, I'm Nero Zine. Written with an 'r', but pronounced with an 'l'. Part of team GNJR, but you probably know that already."
*She smiled a bit.*
"Anyway, maybe I was a bit too insistent on the club thing. I apologize too. But hey, ya didn't answer my question. How come you're still hurting ? Did you get beaten up again, or is your aura level just so low that it can't heal you ?"

[Phlox Fessenden]

"What do you mean, that..spar just happened a while ago?" Phlox asked, confusion and a tint of venom evident in his voice. How long has it been?
"And no, If I would be any more injured I would have broken bones…maybe internal bleeding, who knows."
He responded in a morbid tone, not wanting to dwell on the possibility of serious injury.

[Nero Zine]

"Hm. Well, anyway, I think it was like... Two or three days ago ? She told me about you like monday evening, and we're wednesday. You sure you ok ?"
*She kept a somewhat neutral expression, but her reptilian tail flickered with worry.*

[Phlox Fessenden]

"Okay, it's getting annoying that you're always worrying about me. I appreciate your concern, but trust me, I'm okay and I can handle this," said Phlox.
There was a long silence as the two walked down the hallway. "By the way, nice staff, I guess," he mumbled.
He wasn't sure if his comment was genuine or just an attempt to change the subject. He hoped it would ease the tension between them, but he didn't feel like talking right now. He started to walk a little faster, not enough to completely leave the other person behind, but enough to create some space between them.

[Nero Zine]

*She sighed and shrugged.*
"Alright Mr Tough Guy, sorry for being nice with you."
*She remained silent for a little while, before he spoke again.*
"Oh, you're interested in my Caduceus ? Yeah, it's pretty handy too, lots of surprises in reserve."
*She spun it around a bit.*
"And you ? What's your weapon ?"

[Phlox Fessenden]

Phlox kept himself silent for a few minutes as he tried to think of a response. Tell her the truth? Nah, probably tell half-truths instead. It was always better to keep some things to himself, especially when it came to delicate matters like this.

"A guantlet." Phlox finally spoke up, having chosen his words carefully.

[Nero Zine]

"Hm."
*She raised her shoulders.*
"Sounds cool. You've ever been on missions before ? Fight Grimms out there ? Bandits, maybe ? Or rogue Hunters ?"
*They arrived at the nursery.*

[Phlox Fessenden]

"Of course." He muttered, his eyes darting around nervously, searching for an escape route from the uncomfortable conversation. "It's the main reason I'm here in the first place and the reason why I'm in this state."

As he spoke, his hands fidgeted with his collar as his bat ears drooped to the sides of his head, a telltale sign of his social anxiety. The weight of his words hung heavy in the air, creating a tense atmosphere that seemed to suffocate the room. Arriving at the nurse's office, he hesitated for a moment before slightly turning his back on her.


"See you around, I guess." He said it in a soft tone and with a slightly forced smile