It was a quiet morning for Team ANTE. Alice stretched her arms as the alarm on her scroll began to ring. She reached over and pushed the center button to turn it off. With a double clap of her hands, the lights came on.

The three boys began to stir.

Navy, due to his soldier-like nature, jumped up immediately and began making his bed.

Ebon and Turf, on the other hand, were groaning as the light burned their still sensitive eyes.

"Get up," Alice demanded as she pulled her uniform out of her closet, "Professa Maple is goin' over new material an' she said that it will be on tha final," She turned and folded her hands to her hips and frowned disapprovingly at Ebon and Turf, "an' I refuse ta miss it because you two decided ta oversleep because you allowed yourselves ta get beaten so bad by your Grimm that your auras broke!" She turned to leave for the bathroom, "I mean, really, I expected more from ya, Ebon."

"At least I didn't almost mix up my weapon with a pack of regular playing cards," Ebon mumbled, "Hey, Turf, you with us?"

He received no response. Upon observation, he saw that Turf was curled up into a neat little ball atop his pillow and snoring away.

"Wanna go play catch?" Ebon asked.

Turf's dog ears perked up while his eyes were still closed, "Ball…?" he mumbled in his sleep.

"Ball." Ebon confirmed.

"BALL!" Turf shot up and darted off of his pillow. His foot caught the end of his bedframe, sending him face-first into the floor, "Don't mess around like that, man…" he groaned. He rolled onto his back, and he caught Navy's death glare, "What? Something wrong?" Seeing Roland and Yamuna handle Alice and Navy gave him renewed confidence as a Faunus. He couldn't change, so he wasn't going to let people tell him that he had to.

Navy rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Just hurry up and get ready," Navy went to his corner of the room, where he kept a set of weights. He began doing a few reps, keeping a watchful eye on Turf and Ebon to make sure they didn't go back to sleep. They liked to take advantage of the clapper lights to make the room dark again without leaving the comfort of their beds.

Turf ruffled his hair and threw on his uniform as quickly as possible. Since Navy already forced them to learn how to get ready in under a minute earlier in the semester, he decided that it would be best for him to use that lesson against him, "There. Ready. Happy? Need me to comb my hair, or should I just shave it off and look like an Atlesian soldier?" being like this wasn't usually in his nature, but Turf was still angry over Navy stealing his hat. He didn't feel like he needed it anymore, but it still had sentimental value.

"You're gonna piss him off again, man…" Ebon whispered.

Navy dropped the weight he was lifting and walked up to Turf. Though he was only a few inches taller than his teammate, his frame was definitely larger. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, I didn't make it clear that you'd have a better place over at Atlas instead of Beacon? I mean, hey, Arty left that gods forsaken school. They've got a place nice and warmed up for you!" Turf used the lesson that Roland gave him about getting under people's skin, but also Yamuna's lesson in staying positive. After all, if they couldn't wipe the smile off his face, then they couldn't win.

Navy looked aggravated, but also confused at Turf's newfound confidence, "I think I could tolerate you better when you still had the hat." His workout officially cut short, he quickly got dressed in his uniform with his usual blue camouflage hat on top of his head. He opened the door to the hall and stepped out, "I'm going to breakfast. Alice expects you to be there and done eating twenty minutes before class," and with that, he slammed the door.

"He didn't… he didn't beat the snot out of you…?" Ebon looked on in disbelief, "No freaking way…" he gawked and slowly sat back down on his bed. He had just followed Alice and Navy's orders, but Turf had just proved that he didn't have to as long as he put his foot down, "Here," he reached under his mattress and handed Turf his hat back, "Navy had me hide it. I-I didn't want to, but I didn't… have a choice…"

Turf gingerly took the hat back. He wasn't surprised by any means that it was Ebon who was forced to do the dirty work, but he didn't blame him, "Thanks, man. I appreciate it."

"Anytime," Ebon began getting dressed, "Now I wanna try out being sassy," he pulled up his pants and fastened the belt, "Hey! Alice!" he called towards the bathroom.

"Just a minute, Ebon!" Alice called out as she blow dried her hair.

"You know, I thought that Arty's shirts were really orange, but then I saw your hair! You don't even need a safety vest to go hunting!" Ebon called out, hoping that he was loud enough to be heard over the blow dryer.

Alice ignored the banter. It was too early to get annoyed. She recognized the fact she had a short temper during her time in the infirmary. Though she still sort of blamed Yamuna for everything, she couldn't help but feel like maybe her short fuse didn't help it, either. "Just shut your trap an' get dressed, Ebon. I want ta get ta breakfast."

"Turf, it isn't working…" Ebon whispered.

"You've got to mean it, buddy," Turf tossed him his jacket, "Finish getting rea… dy…" his ears perked up. He heard something that he thought was impossible. Footsteps from outside. Three pairs, "Team ARTS is already out of bed. Well, most of them, anyway…"

"No way…" Ebon ran to the door and poked his head out the door. Sure enough, Arty, Timbre, and Sepia were walking towards the stairwell, "They're up early…?"

Alice finally emerged from the bathroom, ready to go for the day. She found Turf and Ebon sitting around ready, but not out for breakfast, "Well? Get a move on!" That's when she noticed the green fabric in Turf's hands. She pointed to it, "Is that…? I thought I took that away from…" she paused, "You know what, just... take it back," she walked out the door into the hall, "Takin' your cap lost its charm a while ago." She sounded almost disheartened.

"Why are you telling me to take it back when I already took it back?" Turf followed her close behind. He pulled it back on and let out a sigh of relief. It felt good to have his hat back, "I mean, it kind of defeats the purpose. I wasn't planning on letting it out of my sight."

Alice turned her nose up, "I could easily take it back, but I think I've punished ya enough for being a F-..." she interrupted herself to fix her wording, "for hidin' things from me for so long."

The word 'Faunus' was about to pass her lips, Turf knew that much, but he was so taken back that she stopped herself that he didn't make a big deal of it, "Right, got it. Sorry for keeping it from you guys for so long. You know how y…" he caught himself as well, returning Alice's gesture, "You know how people can act towards Faunus. I didn't want to get beaten to a pulp."

Alice knew how much Turf wanted to include her specifically in that statement. It confused her. She had seen Turf as just a dirty rapscallion when she first met him, and the fact that she had to pass up being Timbre Forte's partner to get paired up with him didn't help her opinion of him. Things were fine for a time, but ever since his brothers revealed him as a Faunus, she didn't know what to think about him anymore other than the fact that he was still the same person he was before the beanie came off. "Yes. Well, you know Navy. He's a jarhead through and through, but he's a vital asset to have on our team and a… good… friend," she seemed to have trouble saying those last few words. She didn't know what to say or who she wanted to have by her side. On the one hand, Navy reflected her ideals towards people and desire to be the absolute best, and he was loyal and obeyed his leader without a second thought on top of that. Turf, despite being a Faunus, was a nice person. Though he lacked the same synchronicity as Navy, he was more… enjoyable to be around.

Alice pushed the thoughts away in order to focus on the day ahead. "After class, I'm going to study in the library. You two… go do whatever you want. Just make sure you review the material for finals."

"I was thinking about that, actually. How about we do some networking and exchange notes with Team ARTS and Team FREZ?" Ebon spoke up. He felt awkward just listening to Turf and Alice go back and forth, "I'm sure that FREZ has everything lined out so it's as simple as possible for Everest."

Alice put a hand to her chin and thought for a moment. Her relations with the two other first year teams from their orientation group weren't the best… "If you guys want to, you can ask. I think my notes will be fine enough for me."

"Let us know if you want us to make copies if you change your mind," Ebon looked hesitantly to Turf. It was strange to be having such a calm conversation with Alice.

They entered the dining hall where students crowded around long tables. The smell of bacon, pancakes, and eggs floated through the air, "Right, so, breakfast. I'll go on and catch up with Team ASHS," Turf had been eating with Team ASHS ever since his reveal as a Faunus so that Alice wouldn't bite his head off. That, and it was nice to be with his cousins, and even better when Yamuna decided to join in, "If… you two want to join in, then you guys can. They're a little wacky, but they do have some good advice for us first years. Well, Anubis and Hati do anyway."

Alice looked to one of the far corners of the hall. The four wolf Faunus brothers sat at the end of one of the tables, secluded from everyone else. All except for the one in the black leather jacket were jumping around and laughing.

For some reason, the usual sense of disgust and annoyance was absent in her mind. Instead, she felt uncomfortable. "No, that's okay. I want to get some reading in before class," she showed them the small, worn out textbook on the use of aura as a personal shield, "I don't want to be underprepared if Maple decides to give us another one of her beautiful pop quizzes."

"Emphasis on beautiful. I swear, everything that she prints is in at least ten different colors of ink," Turf chuckled, "Beacon's one heck of a place, huh? It isn't just the students that are crazy, but the faculty too! You'd have to be at least a little insane to work here, wouldn't you?" Maybe small talk could provide some insight to what was going on in Alice's head. Crack a joke here, crack a joke there, and pray that she pulls the stick out of her butt just far enough to get a laugh in before Navy kicked it back in.

"Yeah," Alice said absent-mindedly, "I'm going to grab my food. I'll meet up with you two in class."

Beneath his hat, Turf's ears folded down. Why do I care? She's been a jerk to me whole time we've been here, he thought. Still, he felt like she was showing a human side for once. She wasn't being… well, Alice, "We'll catch up with you in class. Early, as usual."

Alice nodded and they split up.

A few minutes later, Alice sat with her textbook and notes in front of her. As she scanned the pages, she occasionally took a sip of her tea or a bite from her breakfast plate laden with toast, sunny-side-up eggs, sausage, and baked beans. As she got to the chapter on training one's aura by using a Semblance in order to strengthen the potential barrier, someone laid their tray down next to hers.

"Hey," Navy said as he sat down, "Doing some last minute studying before class?" he asked in his usual expressionless glower and flat draw.

"Yeah, just in case Maple decides ta give us a pop quiz again."

Navy rolled his eyes, "Knowing her, I wouldn't be surprised." He noticed Alice was being quieter than usual, "Are you okay? You seem a bit… out of it." He looked across the room where Turf and Ebon were laughing with Team ASHS, "Did the Faunus say something to you?"

Alice looked up from her book and shook her head, "No, Navy, he didn't."

"I could push him around a bit to make sure it doesn't happen again."

"No, Navy. Just… just let it go. He's fine."

Navy's brow furrowed even further to show his confusion, "What?..."

"I said, it's fine."

"Just couple of weeks ago you were contemplating on giving him back his hat just so you didn't have to look at his deformities any longer."

"Yeah, well, I've realized I'm not exactly tha most popular person around here, an' bein' mauled by a wolf made me think that I might need ta rethink how I present myself around othas."

"So you're going back on what you believe?" he sounded disappointed.

"No, I'm just reconsiderin' what I believe."

"If you ask me, it sounds like you just don't want to get mauled by a Faunus again."

"That wasn't Yamuna's faul-"

"Like hell it wasn't. I understand that what you went through was pretty scary, since, need I remind you, you almost died because of her."

"I provoked her, Navy."

"Exactly. That's not changing your beliefs, that's hiding them because you feel like you have to."

"What has gotten inta you, Navy?"

"You said it yourself, all Faunus are the same. Violent backstabbing criminals. Yamuna's a monster, Team ASHS is just a bunch of good-for-nothing troublemakers, Roland is a walking temper tantrum, and Turf is-"

"Completely normal. I've been thinkin' about this Navy. The other Faunus 'ave their… problems, but that doesn't make them the people I always thought they were… an' Turf is the same person he was before I knew he was a Faunus."

"He lied to you about that though."

Alice shoved her book under her arm and grabbed her tray before standing up. "I need ta work this over on my own, Navy. I'm tellin' ya now, drop the subject," she turned and walked off to return her half-empty tray, "I'll see you in class."

Navy lifted a cup of coffee to his mouth, "You need more resolve, Alice. You're letting them get to you."

"I'm keepin' an open mind. You should take some notes," Alice glared at her lackie. She held her chin up and began trotting away. What has gotten inta me…?

.

The bell rang for class to begin, and, as usual, Team ANTE had been in the room for five minutes already and lined up along the front row.

Professor Maple paced the front of the room, waiting for the last team to arrive, Team ARTS. She was baffled by the fact that they weren't in class. After all, she had just seen them, minus Roland. She guessed that they were off trying to fix their problems as she suggested, but she didn't think they'd take it as her telling them to skip her class.

"Well then…" she took a final glance up at the doors before leveling her gaze to Team ANTE, "What was it…? Oh! Right! Team ARTS needs you four to take over as welcoming committee for the students from the other schools. Sorry for the short notice, but you guys were are next pick if Team ARTS wasn't available. Not to say that you all couldn't do the job, of course, but that the artists might add a certain flair to it," she bit her lip. She still wasn't fully composed after the little talk with Vincentas and Alabaster.

Alice perked up. She wasn't expecting to have to do something extra like this, but the opportunity was perfect to help get her mind off of the conversation she had had with Navy, along with everything else going on in her head. "Oh, yes. Of course Professa. We'd be happy ta do that."

"Great! So, onto today's lesson, but first…" She held up a stack of multicolored papers with a forced grin on her face, "Pop quiz!"

The students all groaned in response.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding…" she put the papers down, "They're just the ones that I haven't graded anyways… Just a poor attempt at trying to lighten the stress of finals. So, today's lesson. Aura abnormalities, or I guess a more polite term would be anomalies."

The students now seemed to look interested for the most part. For Huntsmen in training, aura was a common thing to talk about and deal with. The possibility of there being something that set one person's aura apart from another besides color and strength piqued their curiosity.

"So, to start off, let's do a small exercise. We all know that when one's aura is depleted in battle, either through over-use or taking too much damage, you see a bright shimmer across their body. In layman's terms, your aura 'shatters', which leaves you open to be wounded. We're just going to talk about the point of the aura breaking to keep today's lesson light and not depressing. When the aura breaks, the aura is actually visible. Now that's not to say that this is the only way aura can appear, but that's besides the point. Aura is a different color for everybody. You may remember your aura activating during your training at some point, but not everybody really remembers the color, whether it be from being super careful and having it never break, never manifesting it in battle as a shield, or getting it confused with your chosen color you get or choose later in life. With a show of hands, how many of you don't know the color of your aura?"

Only a few hands raised.

Alice noticed that among those, Rime raised her hand. Hesitantly, she raised hers too. The two teams looked at their respective members with confused looks.

"Alice?..." Ebon leaned forward to talk to her, "you don't know what color your aura is?"

"Why else would I be raisin' my hand?" She snapped back.

"Okay then," Professor Maple looked around the room nodding to herself, "A few of you. Don't worry, it's completely normal at this point in your lives. You're usually not even exposed to situations that would shatter your aura this early," she walked up to Alice. "Ms. Crims…" she focused on her for a moment, "it seems to me that your case comes from being given or receiving a color earlier in life and your…" she thought for the right word, "inner energy… developed to have a separate color."

Alice looked shocked, "Really?... You're saying my aura isn't-"

"Red? No." Professor Maple was in full teaching mode now. Her enthusiasm taking over, "Did you inherit your color? From your mom or your dad?"

Alice nodded, "I got it from my fatha. Came with the family name as well. Every Crims since the Great War has had red as their colour."

Professor Maple smiled, "Exactly! You see, some families here in Remnant pass down some aspects of their identities. Some have hereditary Semblances, some pass down their emblems in one way or another, some, like Ms. Crims' family, pass down their color."

"So what colour is my aura if not red?" Alice interrupted.

"Your aura is white, dear."

Alice looked surprised. She never had any idea.

"Wait…" Rime of Team FREZ cut in, "How do you know that Professor?"

Carmen smirked, "Well Rime, you see, Semblances are a funny thing… Some people are able to move at extreme speeds, some can bend substances like water or rocks or even ink to their will, some can do more extreme things like change the force of gravity itself," she held her arms open, "I, on the other hand, am able to see aura even when it's not actively visible. I can't exactly use that offensively except in some very particular situations, but it does come in handy when teaching."

"You're just now telling us this?..." Turf questioned.

Carmen scoffed and faked offense, "I can't go giving away all of my teaching secrets in the first semester of school. So, moving on. Ms. Chione…" Carmen's eyes focused on the mouse of a girl.

"No, no, I'm not asking for me," Rime cut in. With the hand that wasn't preoccupied with twirling her necklace, she pointed to her leader, "Every time I've seen Frost's aura break or seen her use it as a shield, it's a different color. There were even a few times when it shifted color mid-use! She refuses to give me a clear explanation so could you please tell me what the heck's up with that?"

Professor Maple paused, her smile fading as she looked to Frost. "That is pretty weird, isn't it? You see, Ms. Aurora's aura has no defined color. Her aura actually looks like an aurora. Frost Aurora's aurora aura, if you will." In her eyes, she could see a glowing outline around Frost that was every color of the rainbow at once, swirling together in a shimmering array of light.

"So I'm not crazy…" Rime sat back in her chair and sighed in relief.

"So, I am one of those... anomalies then?" Frost asked, not sounding particularly surprised.

Carmen nodded, "Oh yes… definitely. Do you have any idea as to why your aura would have developed this way?"

Frost thought over the question, "Well… I did not inherit my color. My parents let me choose it. Growing up, I constantly changed my mind. One day I liked green, the next I liked red, and the next I would like blue. It never stayed constant. Then one day I found out that all colors exist in white light. That is when I found out white was the best pick for me, but I think my aura had other plans. I have stayed with white because I have thought of it as all of my favorite colors together."

Carmen kept her eyes locked on the rainbow haze around her student, "That certainly makes sense. As you grow up, your aura develops with your personality, which is why your Semblances often develop later. They're an extension of your aura…" she realized she was rambling a bit, "In short, your Semblance is part of aura, aura is based on personality, therefore Semblance is based on personality. Basic stuff you already know, right?"

The class nodded in silent agreement with the crazy lady.

"Okay, great. That's pretty much my lesson for today, or at least some of it. Just do the readings and you'll get most of it… hopefully. Finals are super soon, so I'm letting you kids out early to study!" Carmen looked up at the exits, "Don't tell Alabaster that I dismissed class an hour early. Just… avoid him at all costs, okay? I don't want to get in trouble for 'not conducting my classes in a professional manner' again."

As the class filed out, Alice turned to face her team, "Look chaps," she pulled the books she was carrying closer to her chest, "I'm… gonna go ta the library. You three just… go do whateva."

"Just as long as we don't go hanging out with ARTS or FREZ?" Turf finished what he thought Alice's orders were going to be.

"No. Just... whateva." Alice waved them off as she began to walk down the hall, her eyes to the tiles as her jumbled thoughts crashed around in her head.

Ebon watched on with horror and confusion in his eyes, "What is up with her today?"

"I don't know, but I'm not complaining." Turf shrugged and headed the opposite direction, "I'm gonna go find Team ASHS. I'll see you guys later…"

"Right, then I guess it's just me and you, Navy," Ebon clapped together his gloved hands. Even in Beacon uniform, he still donned his ski gloves, "Think we should go get some supplies to set up the ballroom to welcome the exchange students?"

Instead of saying "okay" or "I'll pass", Navy just turned and walked away to go the direction that Alice had gone.

"Cool…" Ebon waved meekly, "See ya later, buddy…"

.

Alice made her way down the hall, walking to the library as if on autopilot. Her eyes weren't even focused on where her boots stepped. The day before had sparked a string of thoughts that still hadn't stopped, and refused to stop anytime soon.

...

"Team ANTE!" Professor McGouran shouted from across the room as Alice and her team entered the Grimm Combat classroom, "So glad you could join me!" He shifted some papers on his desk, "You four must be very eager to raise your grades since you signed up to go first. Are you worried your writing wasn't… satisfactory?"

Alice shook her head, "No, sir. We just wanted to guarantee our good grades an' get some more trainin' fightin' Grimm in a controlled environment, which is what I think we," she glanced to Turf and huffed, "or at least a few of us desperately need."

Ebon noticed Turf's dog ears drooping a bit from Alice's comments. Granted, Turf didn't have the best luck with some of the faster Grimm, but his skills were nowhere near the level Alice seemed to be making them out to be. Ever since Turf was revealed to be a Faunus, Alice's prejudice only expanded the rift within Team ANTE. Navy only supported her in her questionable actions.

"I see…" McGouran looked up at the collection of writhing cages for a moment, "Who will be going first, then?" he asked with his eyes centered on one of the cages above the battlefield. There was one Grimm up there that he had to special order from Vacuo just for the chance that Team ANTE would sign up for the alternate assignment. Luckily for him, they did, and that meant that he could write off the expense on Beacon's pocketbook.

The three young men looked to their leader. They had learned quickly that if anyone was going to have first say between the four of them, it would be her. As expected, she raised a hand with a ruffle of her sleeve, "I will Professa."

"Oh, how nice!" McGouran slammed down a lever, making the cage that he was staring at come crashing down into the dirt. Sheet metal rattled and shuttered around the box. Inside, molten discs flashed and zipped around inside. Its plumage could be seen waving around just above its eyes.

"So…" Turf cringed and stepped back from the arena, as if the Grimm in the cage could lunge at him any second, "that's a Ripper?..."

"Looks like it…" Ebon watched on not in fear, but what seemed like worry for Alice. Everyone in Beacon knew about her weaker-than-average aura. What made her think that taking on a Ripper was a good idea, he hadn't a clue. But here she was, triumphantly standing above it as it struggled in its cage.

"Ms. Crims," McGouran waved a hand towards the cage, "I'll only release it once you're down there. This Grimm is particularly vicious, so I want to make sure that you don't sustain a major injury."

Alice brushed off his comment and slid down into the battlefield, "I'll be fine, Professa." She withdrew a few cards from her dress pockets. With three in each hand, she braced herself for her target to be released, "I can handle myself."

"Fair enough," McGouran put his thumb over the release button. Poor Alice didn't know what she was getting into, but he paid too much for this Grimm just to let it die in captivity. With his final concern thrown to the wind, he pressed the button, "Enjoy yourself!"

The first Grimm fight of the day didn't begin like the others that followed it. This Grimm didn't make a show of its release. No. The Ripper lunged at Alice as soon as it was free of its prison. Had she not jumped back, it's razor-filled maw would have closed around her neck. A pair of parallel talons ripped through the hem of her dress.

"Oh bloody 'ell!" Alice sidestepped another swipe, this one aimed at her eyes. That's what she got for choosing the most intelligent Grimm on McGouran's list. Of course she had to choose the smartest one. Of course she had to choose the most aggressive one. She had more in common with this Grimm than the majority of the student body at Beacon.

What did that mean that she was, though?

The Ripper pounced, and Alice snapped back into reality for just long enough to dodge. It growled in its displeasure. Its beady eyes glowed with primal fury behind its skull mask. Thin black feathers stood on end, making the already towering beast seem even bigger. Its forelimbs tucked close to its chest, and the hind legs that it stood on folded back into a crouching position.

"So, tell me what you know about the Ripper!" McGouran pulled down what seemed to be a magnifying lens from his goggles to get a better view on Alice's… situation.

"It's an odd Grimm discovered well afta the Great- BUGGA OFF!" Alice threw down a Three of Diamonds to create a temporary ice barrier between her and the monster, "War. The Rippa is a Grimm simila in appearance to the fossils of raptas found in Vacuo. It's like a dinosaur ratha than just your average monsta!" she threw a razor-sharp Five of Clubs through the ice, managing to trim off a few feathers from the end of its tail, "Very cleva, deadly, and known ta gut entire teams of Huntsmen and Huntresses when they attack in packs!"

"You definitely know a bit about the history and deadly reputation, Ms. Crims, but how do you kill this variety of Grimm?" McGouran watched carefully as the Ripper whipped around the ice wall to snap at Alice again. It caught the edge of her sleeve, but she managed to yank away fast enough.

Alice held up a hand of glowing red cards, "In whateva way ya can!"

"That's about all you can do, so get to it!" McGouran leaned forward in his seat. He feared that he might have to intervene in this fight.

Alice launched her cards at the Ripper. With her aim, they were sure to hit. They could not miss, but a chill clutched her heart. No explosions came. No light burned her irises. That clever little bugga ducked and weaved around her cards, letting them explode harmlessly behind it.

The Ripper's talon dug in against her aura, sending her rocketing back into the curve of the pit. With its prey dazed and helpless, it waltzed towards her with predatory lust in its eyes. Its jaws opened up to take a chunk out of Alice's middle, but its teeth only glanced off the galvanized steel blade wedged into the hinge of its jaw.

Alice looked on in shock as her partner stood in front of her, holding the Grimm back with his shovel in its jaws. She watched as he struggled to hold the creature back. Despite its size, it was strong. Very strong.

"Turf! What in Remnant are ya doin'? This is my fight, not yo-"

"I'm not letting you get put back in the-" Turf gritted his teeth and pushed against the creature. Veins popped along his biceps from the strain the Ripper was putting on him, "Get! OFF!"

He yanked out his shovel blade and slammed the flat of the blade against the Ripper's nose. He swung again, digging the blade into its ribs. With a loud bang, a shotgun blast sent it rocketing into the other end of the pit.

"As I was saying…" Turf huffed, "I'm not letting you get put back in the infirmary."

Alice was dumbstruck. She wanted to call him a "stupid Faunus" or a "mangey mutt", but nothing came out. His voice snapped her back to reality.

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to kill this thing?!"

Instinctively, she reached into her pockets and filled the spaces between her fingers with cards, all of them Spades. "Watch my back while I finish this?"

Turf nodded, "Yeah, I've got you."

Alice defiantly began her casual toe-to-heel walk towards the monster. The Ripper was shaking off the blow from Turf's shovel. It glared at her with its burning eyes and let out a loud shrill cry, echoing from its glowing insides. It clawed the dirt and charged.

Alice wasn't going to give it another chance. The Diamonds, Clubs, and Hearts all failed. Keeping space between herself and the Grimm and hitting it alone weren't good enough. Her only option was to do both with each attack. She focused, training the ability she'd honed over the years. She imagined time slowing down around her as the Ripper drew closer, now only about ten feet away from her. In a few seconds, it would have her in its jaws. She wasn't going to allow that.

With a swing of her arm, she released a card, hitting it square in its damaged rib cage. With a shower of shadowy bits and chunks of bone, it was sent backwards against the sloped wall again, but it wasn't enough to make it give up. It tried to charge again, but only found another card slam against it. Again and again, the cards slammed it backwards. Alice continued her dainty stroll up to the creature, now a mangled mess against the wall. She tilted her chin upwards and stared down at it, "I will not be outdone by the likes of you."

As it reached a claw towards her, it let out one last shriek. Even in pieces, it was hell bent on killing her.

All it found was another card right between its eyes. Its skull imploded inwards before showering the wall behind it.

Alice let out a triumphant "hmph" before turning to Professor McGouran and curtsying, the creature fading away behind her.

...

That fight had nearly gotten her killed yet again, ruined yet another dress, and led to McGouran saying that her essay grade would remain the same due to Turf's interference. She wanted to be mad, but as she sat down at an empty table in the library, all she could think about was the fact that the dirty Faunus on her team had defended her… saved her. That moment did something to her. The world she knew was gone.

She stared at a cluster of books. Each of their title shared a common word: Aura. After Carmen's description of how aura develops, she couldn't help but wonder how her personality had affected the one thing that kept her safe in a fight. Her aura was significantly weaker than the average student's, but it felt almost… weaker after her brush with death with Yamuna. Who was her bad attitude affecting more? The people around her, or her?

"I see that Professor Maple released you kids early today. I'll have to have a chat with her about that."

Alice jumped and clutched her heart, almost dropping the book she was looking at. "Professa Alabasta… You about gave me a heart attack!"

"Believe me, my students do that to me nearly every day," he chuckled, "Did Professor Maple not cover aura in enough depth for your tastes?" he asked with his cane angled at the books that Alice had been staring at.

Alice glanced at the book "How to Train Your Aura and Semblance" in the direction her headmaster's cane was pointed. "It's not that. Something she said just pushed me ta… do some extra research. For myself." She fidgeted. She didn't feel like herself, as if out of place in her own body.

"She told you all about her Semblance, didn't she?" he smiled warmly at the worn book. He knew it well, and so did Carmen.

Alice nodded. "She explained the basics again. Y'know, 'your Semblance is a direct extension of your aura, your aura's the physical manifestation of your personality, Semblance is based on personality,' but there was somethin' with the way she put it that… resonated with me, I guess."

"I'm not too surprised about that… resonance, as you put it. She didn't happen to tell the story of her Semblance, did she?" Professor Alabaster plucked the book out from the shelf and opened it to the front cover. Inside, the name 'Carmen Maple' was printed about thirty times in the top left corner, and dated twenty years back, "It's an odd one."

Alice cocked an eyebrow, "What do ya mean, Professa?"

"It's a little strange that someone would develop a Semblance with no practical use, isn't it? Seeing aura is quite… odd, but it suits her quirky personality," he handed the book off to Alice, "See, she had quite a rebellious side to her, and didn't quite understand the concept of teamwork. She loved to do everything on her own, including breaking the rules. It stunted her growth quite a bit."

"Stunted her growth?..." It took her a moment to realize what that meant, but when she did, her eyes widened in astonishment, "She came ta Beacon without a Semblance, too?..."

"That she did," he shut his eyes to think of the moment that Carmen's Semblance came to light, "Her team was training for the Vytal Tournament, and decided to run out into the Emerald Forest to use the Creatures of Grimm as training dummies. Things went downhill, and all of them managed to break their scrolls in a fight with a particularly nasty Minotaurus. With no way to get an aura reading, Carmen's Semblance developed out of necessity. It allowed her to take on a more defensive position for the injured members of her team."

Alice scanned the images and text in the book. It looked like it had been written for children… or idiots. Basic stuff. "Right… that would explain it…"

"She tried for three semesters to force out her Semblance," Professor Alabaster pulled back a series of twenty pages near the center of the book and began flipping them. He was showing Alice that all of them had lost their corners, "I watched as she read over those pages, dog-eared them, and then checked the book out everyday for a month. I swear that she had that section, the one about developing your Semblance, memorized. At the end of that month, I informed her that she could keep the book until her Semblance came about, and it came back to me in the middle of her second year here. She began changing into the woman that you know now after that night."

Alice looked up to him, "She went through all that? But she's so… so…"

"Before you say it, I would never use the word 'perfect' to describe Carmen Maple. She's the student and the instructor that has practically defined Beacon for years now, but she is by no means perfect. She is scatterbrained, lazy, forgetful, brash, overly-emotional, and outright ridiculous at times, but…" he turned the pages of the book that Alice held, stopping at some diagrams of an aura surrounding human and Faunus forms. All of them had been carefully colored in with an array of colors, "She is the most passionate person in everything that she does that I have met in all my many, many days. Those added colors are so that students can know exactly what aura looks like. She did that before she turned in the book for other students with similar difficulties as hers. Beautiful, wouldn't you say?"

Alice chuckled, "Looks like something Umba would do."

"You've always been one to compare, haven't you?"

"S'cuse me?"

"Arty to Carmen. You to your father. The Faunus students to…" he tapped his cane on the carpet as he chose his words, "animals?"

Alice closed the book and clutched it close to her chest, "I… I guess I do 'ave a knack for makin' comparisons between things… but I've never seen it as a problem!" she rose her voice, acting defensively.

"Did you ever consider that not seeing it as a problem might be the problem?" Professor Alabaster waved towards the doors leading outside. He made his way out, knowing that Alice would follow. If she was going to start screaming, then it didn't need to be in the library.

Alice sneered, "How in Remnant would that be a problem?"

"You have a Dog Faunus on your team, Alice. Not a dog," he held open the door, "Would you join me for a stroll and talk about this?"

She humphed again, "Do I 'ave a choice?"

"Of course you do. You don't have to come along by any means, but I feel like you want to."

Alice didn't want to admit it, but he was right. With the book still in her arms, she followed the headmaster out the door.

Professor Alabaster drew a long breath of the crisp autumn air floating around Beacon. Hopefully that would calm Alice as much as him, "You see, Ms. Crims, I was aware of your family's outlook on Faunus long before you attended my academy. That was part of the reason that I placed Mr. Fescue on your team. I thought that he might eventually… bring about a period of growth in you."

She had heard this speech before. Every time she made a comment about Faunus, somebody would stand up and call her out on her beliefs. Normally, she'd defend herself, but after the fight with the Ripper, she honestly didn't want to anymore. "I'm… startin' ta think he did, Professa…"

"How did you see Turf before, and how do you see him now that you know his secret?" Professor Alabaster pressed further. Hopefully she was learning the lesson that he had intended her to.

The prejudices she had held to for years had spilled from her lips countless times before, but now, she felt dirty saying them. It was as if she were drinking rotten milk; it left a bad taste in her mouth. "I… I saw Turf as normal before. You know, like me… only a bit messy. When I found out he was a Faunus, I didn't want to believe it. I just wanted ta… yank his ears off an' pretend like it was just a big joke. I felt betrayed… disgusted… humiliated…" She sighed, feeling her conflicting thoughts fighting it out within her, "After yesterday… I… I don't know. He was the same ol' dog-eared Faunus, but the same beanie-wearin' boy at the same time. He interrupted my fight to save me from bein' torn ta shreds." She shook her head, "I honestly didn't believe anyone here would eva do that in a million years. Not even Navy. I don't get it Professa. Why am I feelin' this way? Has everythin' I've eva felt up ta this point been wrong?"

Perhaps choosing her as a leader wasn't a mistake, "That is a hard question to take on, but I can say that it's okay to be wrong. If you were never wrong, then you would never have the opportunity to grow. Your opinion, or perhaps former opinion of Faunus is what you're seeing as wrong. Personally, I can agree that it is, but it's just as important to acknowledge why it is wrong. In addition, it is important to ask why you felt that way in the first place."

Alice's nose scrunched up, "I… I guess… Faunus always had something I didn't. I grew up thinkin' I was the best at everythin', that I had everythin', but every time I saw someone with antlers or a tail or… dog ears, I felt… jealous. It meant that there was an advantage that they had that I knew I could neva possess. Papa neva corrected those feelings… Papa was actually where I got those views. I never saw them as wrong until I got here."

"I guess it didn't help that the Faunus students here all seem to have rather… unique Semblances. Taking on a wolf form, controlling words… changing elevation of the earth at will… I'm sure that makes things even more complicated for you."

"No kiddin'..."

Alabaster looked over at his student, "You don't need extra traits or a Semblance to be a good Huntress. You've trained so hard to compensate for your lack of both of those, and that has made you a formidable opponent. You can push yourself hard, but it is not a shortcoming if you can't attain what is unique to someone else."

"I realize that… now…" She rubbed her arms, "I'm tired of takin' tha hate I have for myself out on othas. I want ta work with everyone to get to where I want ta be, not… through forcing my worldview on everyone else.."

"From checker to bishop, I see."

"S'cuse me?"

"My speech from the beginning of the semester. I said that I saw pawns and maybe a rook or a knight. I honestly saw you as a checker. But I can now see that you've gone from playing the wrong game with the wrong rules to playing on the same board as everyone else. I say you are now a bishop because you aren't quite the queen that everyone calls you, but you are certainly one of the most valuable pieces. The question is, are you the black or the white bishop?"

"You're losin' me, Professa."

"While each team has two bishops, each bishop holds control of only half the board a piece. One bishop can only land on the white squares, the other only on the black, they cannot switch mid-way through the game just because their side is losing. They have rules, or a mantra they must follow through until the end. You may have gone back on your old way of thinking, but you're still stuck on the path you choose. Either way you go, you cannot switch in the midst of battle just because you're not winning," he put a hand on her shoulder, "I have no doubt that if you stick to your path, you'll end up where you need to go."

"If I'm followin' your chess metaphor, sir… you didn't say that I was guaranteed ta win."

Professor Alabaster removed his hand and turned to go back inside, "Ending up where you need to go doesn't always mean winning, Ms. Crims, but in some cases, that's not always a bad thing."