"Okay, Frost, Zero. Both of you, explain. Now." Rime demanded as she slammed her tray down on the table. She had been waiting all night to hear what Frost had to say about the events that occurred before they went to bed. She even dreamt about grabbing Frost by the shoulders and shaking her to get answers, but Frost just stayed quiet the entire time. Rime's experience with Dream-Frost had gotten her even angrier at Real-Frost, and it showed. "What was going on last night that you had to wait until this morning to tell me?"

Zero looked to Frost, "You seem to know much more about this than I do."

"Which is not saying much. I honestly do not know much about them. Judging from Zero's description of the person we chased last night, I told Professor Alabaster that I believe that they were a member of the Grimm Brotherhood. In short, they are a bunch of Grimm worshipping buffoons," Frost scooted her own tray to Everest, who happily went to town on it. She got up early that morning and gave her report to Professor Alabaster before breakfast, but the whole situation had made her feel uneasy, "They are terrorists, but I have heard that they like to do their research first."

Rime couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Grimm worshipers?... As in, the Creatures of Grimm?... Why would anyone-?"

"I don't know," Frost cut in, clearly agitated, "Maybe they got fed up with the world and decided to try a different route to changing it. Maybe they are just insane. I honestly do not know," she still sipped at a cup of black coffee in spite of her queasy stomach, "My mother has treated people affected by them. They are disturbingly barbaric when they attack, but then they just disappear until the next act. The last big attacks were at a natural history museum in Vacuo and more recently during a concert at Koruss Stadium. What they are doing on Beacon grounds is beyond me. It could be nothing, though. They have never been consistent in their tactics."

Rime tried to process everything "Right, I remember you mentioning Koruss last night. I remember seeing some vague report about it on the news when it happened, but I don't remember any mention of this Grimm Brotherhood since they went quiet after that. Are you sure that it was them?"

.

Nearby, Team ARTS were eating their breakfast and talking with one another when Timbre heard the words 'Koruss Stadium' cut through the chatter surrounding them. She turned from her group and looked around. She heard it again. This time, she watched as the words left Frost Aurora's mouth. She didn't want to eavesdrop, but she couldn't help but listen in on the conversation.

.

"Members of the group came in on some airships they somehow got their hands on and used explosives to blow holes into the roof. It is still not clear what they were trying to do, but if you ask me, those black-cloaked monsters were just trying to kill as many people as possible."

.

The mention of the black cloaks made the hairs on Timbre's neck stand up.

"Yo, Pop-Star, you okay?" Arty asked from the seat next to her. He put a hand over her trembling fingers. They were ice cold. "Timbre?..."

"It's… it's nothing…" Timbre shook her head quickly, "I'm fine. Really."

Sepia heard what Frost had said and her eyes flashed with realization. How could she have forgotten? 'Koruss Stadium was the place of your last show, wasn't it?' she signed.

Timbre didn't respond.

Arty and Sepia looked to each other worriedly.

Timbre shot up and walked around the tables to get to Team FREZ and sat next to Frost, who looked at her quizzically. "I'm really sorry to interrupt Frost, but… did I hear you guys talking about what happened at the stadium here in Vale this past summer?"

Frost and Rime looked to one another.

"Yes. Why?" Frost asked. She put on the usual calm tone of voice she usually did when trying to 'treat someone' as her mom would say. Frost knew full well why Timbre was asking, but she wanted to hear the story from her.

"Did I also hear you say something about the people who attacked the concert, the ones in black cloaks?" Timbre asked, ignoring Frost's question.

"It was in the news, so yes. I heard that the attackers killed a few people, but everyone was able to escape mostly unscathed. As Rime was just mentioning, the report was vague, so not many details are known," Frost answered, trying to bait Timbre into telling more about the incident. She knew how people might shrink up if they were put totally in the spotlight.

Timbre held her hands tightly together in her lap. She looked scared, but on all of her past interactions with Frost Aurora, she had learned that there was something with the way she talked that made Timbre want to open up to her. She had heard about the stress exercises and meditation Frost put her team through, so Timbre had a good grasp of Frost's ability to help ease the mind. Besides that, Frost also seemed to know a little about her attackers, "When you said black cloaks, I knew immediately what you were talking about. I… I was there. I was performing my last show at Koruss Stadium when those people attacked."

"I had completely forgotten that you played a show there that night. I am glad that you made it out okay," Frost placed a hand on Timbre's shoulder, "Will you tell me about what happened? The full story?"

"Frost!" Rime began to protest, "Don't you think that there may have been," she loudly cleared her throat and nodded her head towards Timbre, "a reason that there wasn't that much detail?" Despite Timbre ignoring her celebrity status, Rime hadn't forgotten that Timbre more than likely still had connections in high places, possibly ones with enough power to limit the release of details about a terrorist attack at one of her concerts.

"No, Rime. It's okay," Timbre assured her. "This is something I've been needing to talk about for a while, and my team has never tried to pry about it, but I need to get it out." She took a deep breath. If Frost knew much about this 'Grimm Brotherhood,' then maybe she would be able to get a better grasp on what had happened, "The news didn't have the full story. When they began to drop in from the ceiling… I stayed behind to fight them. I don't know why… maybe… maybe I just wanted to help. Maybe I just wanted to prove to my dad I could fight. Maybe I wanted to prove to myself I wasn't scared… But seeing the innocent people there. The Grimm," she shuddered, "their leader. The one in the metal helmet."

Frost held her hand up when she saw how upset Timbre was getting. "Hey, hey. Timbre. Listen to me. How about we go somewhere else and talk?"

"Or you could stop," Rime spoke up, "We talked about this last night, Frost. You can't keep going around and playing therapist! The day's barely started and you've got her on the verge of tears!"

"I'm fine, Rime!" Timbre yelled loudly. The room fell quiet.

"Okay, okay. Come on. Let's go." Frost helped Timbre up and they went to leave the cafeteria.

"Timbre! Are you okay?!" Arty asked as he ran up to them with Sepia at his side.

Sepia grabbed Timbre's other arm and scowled at Frost.

"Guys, I'm fine." Timbre said, her voice shaking.

"Are you sure?..." Arty was obviously concerned for her.

"Yes, Arty… I'm just going to talk to Frost for a little bit." She looked to the leader of Team FREZ, "She wants to help me get some things off of my chest."

Arty looked confused, "Timbre, what happened?"

"I'll tell you later, Arty. Just… just let me talk to Frost first, please?" Her voice trailed off as she lead Frost away.

Sepia began to follow Timbre, being her partner and all, but was swiftly met with Timbre's outstretched hand telling her to stop.

"Sepia, I'm sorry, but I don't want for you to see me like this either, okay?" Timbre told her while choking back an oncoming sob.

Her partner took a few steps back and stood by Arty. She glanced up at Arty, then back to Roland, who was still sitting at the table and chowing down on breakfast. Way to be sensitive… she thought.

"I'll see you in class, guys," Timbre said as she left, "Promise," and with that, she was out the door with Frost.

"I can't believe her!" Rime exclaimed. Arty and Sepia didn't even notice her walk up.

Zero showed up behind her, "Rime, just let it go. You can't expect Frost to change overnight, especially after what happened."

Rime let out a defeated sigh, "Yeah… I guess you're right, Z."

Arty cleared his throat to get their attention, "Um, I'm sorry, but what the heck is going on?"

"Oh boy…" Rime rubbed her temples, "We've got a lot of explaining to do."

"What happened when the Grimm Brotherhood arrived?" Frost asked. She brought Timbre to the locker room, which was completely empty. With everyone at breakfast, no one was worried about their weapons. With no one around, she hoped that Timbre would feel comfortable enough to let everything out, and maybe even give her some insight into the events of the night previous.

Timbre nodded, "I told my dad to run away while I fought off what I could. The leader cornered me while the others shot at me. I honestly didn't know if I was helping… but… I think…"

"It's okay, Timbre," Frost reassured her.

Timbre felt the tears start flowing, "They… they wanted to take me, Frost. I… I think I'm the whole reason they attacked the stadium in the first place."

Frost kept a straight face. If she was surprised by what she was being told, she wasn't showing it. She tapped her lips again as she considered how to continue. "How do you know this?" she asked, trying to avoid forcing Timbre to go into more detail than she could handle talking about. She didn't want the emotionally unstable girl to shut down.

"The head guy told me! He… he told me to go with them. He didn't tell me why…" the tears began to freely fall from her face. "I've… I've never been so terrified of a single person in my life, Frost. When we went with Team GLXY and Carmen to Mikado Village to deal with the Kokonatsu infestation, there was a moment when we were out in the woods and... I swore he had come back to get me. It turned out it was only Gavin, but I swear… for a moment… I couldn't do anything but scream and beg. It was horrible…"

"Timbre, I truly do not mean to alarm you by telling you this, but…" Frost bit her lip. If anyone needed to know about the night before, it was someone who had first hand experience with the Grimm Brotherhood, "Rime and I saw someone in a cloak like the ones that the Grimm Brotherhood wear. They were not wearing any armor or anything, so I do not think that this was the same person."

Timbre felt like she was going to pass out. Her face contorted as she began to sob. She fell against Frost, her back heaving as she cried.

Frost wrapped her arms around Timbre and allowed her to let it all out. "Shh… shh… everything is okay, Timbre. You are safe here. You do not know what those insane cultists are even doing here, or if it is really them."

"You don't know that!" Timbre yelled. "They're back for me, Frost… I… my dad was right! I'm not safe at Beacon! I'm not safe as long as they're after me!"

"They aren't here for you, Timbre," Frost held her close, "Listen, if they were here for you, then they would not fool around with scoping out Beacon. I am sure that they have just gotten too big for their britches and decided to bite off more than they can chew. This is a Huntsmen Academy. There are hundreds of highly skilled warriors here that are trained to deal with whatever comes, and you are one of those warriors," she held Timbre out in front of her and locked eyes with her.

"Timbre, all of Team FREZ has your back on this, and your own team most certainly has your back. If it came down to it, then Team ANTE would have your back too. Team GLXY and Team ASHS are some of the greatest warriors here, and do you know what? They have your back too. This is not a place that you should be scared in. There is not anything that we cannot get through, especially the Grimm Brotherhood. They are no match for a Huntsman or a Huntress. You have held them off before, so obviously you can do it again."

Timbre's sobbing seemed to calm down. "Are… are you sure?..."

"Of course I am sure." Frost smiled, "Try to name one thing that Everest could not handle all by himself. I mean, just look at him. If he does not club whatever it is to death, then he would just eat it. How about Professor Maple? I heard about her laser swords. Or maybe Turf. I have seen the way that he looks at you. He would protect you until the bitter end." Frost sighed, "I told Proffesor Alabaster about it this morning. He promised to increase security after dark."

Timbre's crying had almost stopped. She reached up and wiped away the last of her tears with her sleeve. She knew Frost was right. There was no safer place than Beacon Academy. "Right…" she pushed herself away, "Thanks, Frost." She allowed herself to smile.

"You are welcome." Frost stood up and helped Timbre up by the hand, "Let us get going. We have about twenty minutes before we have to be in combat practice. What do you say that we get you back to your team?"

Timbre fixed her hair back and spent a moment to straighten up her uniform as a few students began to walk into the locker room. "Yeah. Right."

.

Frost returned Timbre to her own team, and then went to join back up with Team FREZ. She could sense that Rime was still a little upset with her, and she felt that she needed to address the issue. Since Rime was practically her second in command, it was a must for them to be open with each other.

"Look, I pushed the issue because the Grimm Brotherhood is a serious issue. Sometimes we can help people individually while helping all of us, and in this scenario we have to get as much relative information to Professor Alabaster that we can. Helping Timbre is important, but preventing a potential terrorist attack on the school takes priority," she explained without any prompting from Rime. She just wanted to get the lecture over with as soon as possible. "As if they would ever try anything like that." Would they actually be that direct?

Rime couldn't argue with the reasoning, but she knew how… sensitive, Timbre could be. She sighed, "I guess that makes sense. And I guess I don't have to like the fact that you did that, but if it ends up helping in the end, even if that guy last night was just a prankster… If Professor Alabaster puts something in place, then maybe it'll make people feel safer." They sat down in the curved desks in Professor Maple's classroom, "Just the thought of those creeps makes me shutter. I mean, Grimm worship? How backwards must they be?"

Frost nodded in understanding, "Incredibly… I just really hope that whatever may be going on is nowhere as serious as I believe it to be."

Rime waited for an explanation.

"If the Grimm Brotherhood has the gall to have someone run around one of the four Huntsmen academies, then they must be planning something, right?"

"Or, they may just be trying to scare people, like usual. Get everyone into a tizzy before going one step further and making demands for whatever they want.."

"That's just it, Rime. Nobody knows their true motives… they've changed so much over the years and their higher-ups, if there even are any anymore, never come out of hiding. They get their grunts to do all the dirty work for them. What the end goal is for a bunch of Grimm worshipers is beyond me, but I say, for the time being, they are not much of a threat to us. Like I told Timbre, we are currently in the safest place in all of Vale, if not the safest place in all of Remnant." Frost took out a pen to take notes as Carmen moved to the front of the class, behind her podium. "Nothing is going to hurt us here except for a bad grade or a small injury in combat practice… well… those and whatever happens when playing Compost King with Everest."

Rime had to agree with her. But the idea that there were people out there that not only didn't fear the creatures they were currently being taught how to kill for the sake of humanity but also worshipped them honestly scared her. She knew full well that people had different ideas about the world and how it should work, but this was something completely different. She pushed the thoughts to the back of her head as Carmen began her lecture.

Timbre sat beside Sepia, putting her partner between her and the rest of their team. She began to feel a little shaky after Frost had parted with her. Images of blown out walls and citizens fleeing for safety filled her mind. It felt unreal that she survived Koruss, but she had to ignore that. She had to keep looking forward. Her fists were clenched on the trim of her skirt, her knuckles blanched white.

Arty wanted to ask Timbre what had happened. As he watched his teammate, he noticed that she was really on edge, but not so much so that she wasn't able to function normally. He watched as she jumped a little when Sepia accidentally dropped a pen on the floor. Arty decided that he would ask when they got back to the dorm. Whatever Frost talked to her about, it brought up some bad feelings, but somehow, Timbre didn't seem as on-edge as he had expected considering the condition she was in when she left the cafeteria.

The concern on Arty's face was obvious, or at least to his partner. Roland was aware of what was going on. Though he didn't come off as having paid much attention, he certainly had. As far as he understood, Timbre was whining about how her life had be so hard. If she wanted to whine about the bad things in her life, the least she could do is work it out within herself before exploding on everyone.

"Get over whatever it is, Pop-Star. You're no good to the team if you're caught up in your own self-pity," he crossed his arms and kept his field of vision trained on Professor Maple as she went over the lesson for the day. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Timbre's deadly gaze. A little clarification seemed to be necessary, "Grow up and get over your past. So many people have it worse than you. You aren't special."

Timbre couldn't help but laugh in sheer disbelief, "Excuse me?..."

"You've lived a cushy life with your music career. Don't act like you know what a real struggle is," Roland still didn't even look at her, "You're a singer turned Huntress. Nothing more, nothing less."

Timbre stopped writing and gripped her pen tightly, "Don't start with me, Roland."

"I'm not the one going off and complaining about my problems to another team," he shrugged, "Right, I shouldn't start with the one who's scared out of their mind and doesn't trust their team. Makes total sense, huh?" he shifted his gaze away from Professor Maple and onto Timbre.

Arty leaned his head forward and glared at him, "Roland, cut it out."

"No," Timbre held her hand out to tell Arty to back out of the conversation, "You don't know what you're talking about, Roland. I went to Frost because I heard her say something that led me to believe that she may know something that would help me. And you know what? It did help," she pointed a finger at him, "so back off."

"Then by all means, enlighten us so that we may help you in the future," the sarcasm in Roland's voice was unmistakeable. Timbre seemed ready to play ball, and he was ready to go, "We're your team, so it would be great if you would be so kind as to fill us in."

Timbre dug her nails into the edge of the table. How could he be so apathetic? She lowered her voice as to not distract the class, "I was attacked and nearly kidnapped back at Koruss Stadium," she tried to keep herself under control, "The Grimm Brotherhood attacked a bunch of people and even killed a few of them. I fought them off, but I nearly got taken away, Roland. That's what happened."

"That's the world that we live in," Roland still showed no sign of any semblance of concern for Timbre, "That's over and done with, so suck it up and keep moving forward."

"How can you be so cold, Roland? The past echoes into the present, even if it's just in the mind. I'm hurting, and you're sitting here telling me to suck it up," Timbre shook her head and stared down at her notes to prevent herself from jumping over Sepia and teaching Roland a lesson, "Like you can preach about sucking it up. You won't even talk about your past."

"It doesn't hold any relevance to the team," he told her defiantly, "I got over my past when I came here. I dealt with my demons already. There is no point in me spilling my feelings to you guys because it won't do anything."

"You want to push my buttons about sharing, but you won't even share for yourself. That's real mature."

"I have nothing to share-"

"What about those letters that you refuse to send?" Timbre cut in.

Roland was taken back by this, "Letters? What letters are you referring to?"

"That binder under your bed, the one that it full of a bunch of letters that you haven't sent to your mother. What's the deal there?" she wrinkled her nose in disgust of the rage on Roland's face. His face was turning blood red, "Oh, what? You going to get mad about that? Why don't you fill us in on that, huh?"

"Timbre! Roland!" Professor Maple began to talk the students down from the impeding screaming match, "If you have a problem with each other, then g-"

"How dare you go through my stuff!" Roland shouted and shot up from his seat. He was ready to settle this, "Leave my mother out of this!"

"Did I strike a nerve?" Timbre stood and took a step towards her teammate, "What? Are your mommy issues preventing you from having a good time here at Beacon?"

Roland held out a hand, causing all of the notes that Team ARTS was taking to go flying towards Timbre. He bounded over Sepia with a raised fist, but his arm and tail were caught by Arty and Sepia respectively.

"Knock it off, man!" Arty shouted to be heard over the waterfall of profanity coming from Roland and onto Timbre, "Get a hold of yourself! We're in class!"

Timbre pulled herself up off the floor and took a few steps back. She had seen her teammate enraged before, but never this… out of control, "Roland, I didn't mean to-"

"IF YOU EVER SPEAK OF MY MOTHER LIKE THAT AGAIN, I'LL MAKE YOU WISH YOU DIDN'T COME OUT OF KORUSS!" Roland yanked against Arty and Sepia's holds on him, "DON'T YOU EVER GO THROUGH MY THINGS. STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM THAT BINDER!"

Professor Maple ran up between the restrained Roland and shaking Timbre, "Get out of my classroom. Both of you!" she looked between them both, "This is way out of line. Leave, now."

Arty pulled on Roland. He was infuriated with his partner, but more concerned with the ticking time bomb that Roland apparently was. Prying wasn't an option as it seemed that prying could get the doing it killed, "Go to the dorm. We can talk this out."

"I'll go myself, thank you," Roland shoved off of Arty and Sepia. He couldn't even look at Timbre. He just turned on his heels and stomped out of the room.

Timbre held her arms against her chest and began walking out the opposite way. After being brutally attacked once again, she felt like throwing up. The blind rage that Roland displayed threw her right back into Koruss. That one comment about not making it out of Koruss brought back too much for her. She left the room with tears streaming down her cheeks.

The entire room was silent. Not even Alice had anything to say.

Rime couldn't believe it. She glared at Frost accusingly.

Frost could only sit there with her hand over her mouth as if contemplating what went wrong.

"Arty. Sepia." Professor Maple addressed them sternly, "Go with them if you have to."

Arty was in a complete daze from what he had witnessed. He hadn't a clue as to what to do, but he had to think of something, "You go be with Roland. You can be more… affectionate than me to him," he told Sepia. It wasn't so much his decision, though. He could see the concern in her eyes. She wanted to help them both, but knew that she was about the only one there that might be able to bring Roland back down to their level for a while.

Sepia darted off. A quick message was sent to Arty shortly after the doors closed.

Sepia Hughes: Timbre is a touchy person. She needs hugs. Just let her vent.

Arty left through the same door that Timbre had.

Arty Umber: Got it. Good luck with Roland.

.

Sepia was at the dorms in no time, hoping that she would beat Roland to the punch. Unfortunately, she went to turn the knob and found that it was locked from the inside. A few knocks gave no results. She began pounding on the door, but this went ignored. A text was sent to hopefully make up for her inability to vocalize her concerns.

Sepia Hughes: Open the door. We need to talk about what happened back there. It's okay. I'm not here to judge you.

Nothing was sent back to her in return.

Sepia Hughes: Please.

Still nothing.

She shut her eyes and focused on her corner of the dorm. A glowing orb of light appeared where her pillow was. She could see Roland sitting with his back to it. He seemed to be trembling. What she didn't see was that he was biting his neckerchief to refrain from sobbing out loud.

I've never seen him like this… she thought. Then the unexpected happened. A book slammed shut around the orb, sending a bolt of pain between her temples. She gasped for air when she opened her eyes, Roland, please...

Unable to do anything, Sepia just sat against the wall next to the door to their dorm. She sent a text to Arty to fill him in on her objective's status.

Sepia Hughes: He locked the door and isn't answering. I tried to send an orb in to check on him, but he smashed it. How is Timbre?

.

Arty Umber: I dont know. I cant find her anywhere!

He ran through the lecture hall building's corridors where he had last seen Timbre running. He jogged down the hall as to not make too much noise. "Timbre! Timbre!" He called in a harsh whisper. No response. He held his hands to his head in a panic. It seemed to him that his whole team was falling apart. That's when he heard the sobbing coming from the other side of the nearby exit door. He ran to it and pushed it open. Timbre was sitting on the short stoop leading to the door.

She had her head resting on her knees. Her hair and arms covered her face.

"Timbre!" He ran over and knelt down next to her.

"I don't get it, Arty…" she sobbed, "He's a monster!"

Arty wanted to say the usual 'he doesn't know' or 'that's just the way he is' whenever Roland got into trouble with others, but he knew that wouldn't help in this case. What they had said to each other really drudged up something from deep inside both of them. What they were, he didn't know. "Timbre… what happened at the stadium?"

"A bunch of psychos killed people and tried to kidnap me, Arty! That may be normal in Roland's twisted view of the world, but I've never had to go through something like that before. I tried to be brave! I wanted to prove I wasn't scared. I thought I was handling it fine. But… something was dragged up, Arty. I'm not okay… I'm a coward." She sobbed heavily.

Arty sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her, letting her grab onto the sleeve of his uniform and cry. "Timbre… you're not a coward."

"Yes I am, Arty!"

"No you're not! A coward wouldn't have run into a forest full of Grimm to make sure that her friends weren't hurt. Timbre, anyone in that situation would've broken down. You wanted to help and you made it out alive. That's all that matters now. So what if Roland doesn't give you any sympathy?"

"Because Frost told me I was safe here, Arty… She said that Beacon was the safest place for me right now…" her face twisted more as the tears flowed freely and her face turned a deep red, "but Roland just showed me that I'm not even safe within my own team…"

Arty took Sepia's advice and hugged her awkwardly. That's when he remembered what Timbre had said to Roland to make him blow up at her. "Timbre… what exactly did you find?..."

"It was the day we went into town to hang out before we started fixing up the library. Roland wanted me to bring him his toolbox and… I saw something under his bed hidden behind all of his books. It was a binder stuffed with letters. I didn't read any entirely, but every one that I looked at started with the same phrase… 'Hey Mom'."

"Timbre-"

"What kind of guy writes letters to his mom and doesn't send them, Arty! If my mom was still alive I'd talk to her every chance I had!"

"I'm sure he-"

"He's not normal, Arty! We try to talk to him and he keeps pushing us away! He keeps telling us he's accepted the fact he's stuck with us for four years, but he refuses to open up! I know I can't force him to, but it's hurting our team! The longer he hides these secrets from us the more violent he gets!"

Arty let go of her and stood up. He held a hand out to her. "I'll have a talk with him."

"Arty-"

"Alabaster made me leader of this team. I have a responsibility to uphold with my teammates."

Timbre smiled and took Arty's hand. When she got to her feet she hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Arty… I don't know what I'd do without my team. I don't… I don't want us to be broken up."

"I'm going to meet up with Sepia and see how she's doing with Roland. You go back to class. Okay?"

She nodded and wiped the tears away.

"Good," Arty turned and ran towards the dorms as Timbre walked back inside. As he ran, he typed out a message to Sepia on his scroll.

Arty Umber: Im headed your way. Ts feeling better-ish. I told her Id talk to Roland. Howre things going with him?

She replied almost immediately.

Sepia Hughes: I can't get him to open the door, and I don't have my key. He isn't texting back now.

Arty was just as annoyed as he was concerned now.

Arty Umber: Hold on. Im coming up the stairs now.

Arty ran up to Sepia with his key at the ready. He knew that as soon as Roland heard the tumbler of the lock moving, he'd be ready to kick someone's teeth in. In one fluid motion, Arty unlocked the door and flung it open. He held his hand over his face and stomach in preparation for any attacks coming his way. He braced himself, but nothing hit him. When Arty uncovered his eyes, he found a mess. Roland's books were scattered across the floor. "Roland?..." he called out.

"Go away, Burne," a muffled voice came from the mass of sheets on Roland's bed. The books scattered about vibrated, primed to work as projectiles.

Sepia pushed past Arty and sat on the side of Roland's bed. She placed a hand on where she assumed that his head was.

"Both of you, get out," Roland ordered, but made no effort to get Sepia off of him.

After a few moments of examination, Sepia motioned for Arty to come over. 'All clear,' she signed out with her freehand. When all of the books stopped moving, she figured that the room was relatively safe for the time being.

Arty sat on his bed, across from Roland's. "Roland… what's going on, man?"