Oreonna's Revenge Part 14- Wounded

This was a stupid idea from the start.

It was never going to work out.

What were you thinking when you decided to come here?

All these thoughts and more were going through the head of Nichol Cuillere as she made her way down the hallways of Shade Academy. The entire event that had just transpired was replaying through her head as she walked to meet her fate at the hands of the academies headmistress. The silver haired girl remembered Eden's words from their last meeting, about how their would be consequences should she ever assault a fellow student.

"When I say that, know I'm not simply referring to expulsion."

The memory of the deer faunus' words played again in Nichol's head and she felt her stomach twist. It had been a simple request, and one Nichol had intended to follow... in her own way. After all, you can hardly have an issue with your teammates if you never interact with them. So she decided to avoid Maybelle, Oran, and Oreonna as much as she could, even going so far as to sleep on a couch in the student lounge every night instead of her teams dorm. It wasn't a comfortable arrangement, but it was a small price to pay for the training and knowledge Nichol could acquire from some of the most renowned Huntsmen and Huntresses on Remnant. That training would go a long way towards Nichol achieving her ultimate goal of killing the man that had destroyed her life.

It had been a fine plan, where had it gone wrong?

Angus.

that insufferable Grimm-... person had decided to make it his personal mission to provoke Nichol every chance he'd had. At first, she'd been able to endure, a few snide comments about her appearance were hardly an issue to Nichol, but eventually it started to pile up. Day after day of psychological abuse had the silver haired girl straining to resist a physical altercation, every moment in the bull faunus' company was a test of her patience.

What had she even done to deserve such treatment? Because she was human? What right did he have to persecute her just because she was-

Nichol stopped that train of thought as she realized just how hypocritical it was.

Then her mind drifted back to Oran, staring up at her, his expression a mixture of shock and sadness. She didn't... she hadn't meant to hit him, but her teammates had no right to be there! And she'd just been so angry and-

... And that was the real problem, wasn't it? Nichol was always angry. Angry at a race that hadn't even really done anything to her to deserve it, angry at her own people for the atrocities they'd committed, but mostly angry at herself for her own part in those crimes.

She'd wanted to be better, that's one of the reasons Nichol had chosen Shade over a long list of other combat schools she could have sneaked into. That, and who would think to look for a former member of an anti-faunus militia in a kingdom where the ratio of faunus to human was at least three to one? It'd be like looking for a shark in a school of tuna. But the kind of hate towards faunus that had been bred into Nichol didn't die easily, years and years of being taught that a race of people are untrustworthy, evil, and just generally unworthy of life made it hard to see the world any other way. It had taken years, but eventually Nichol had seen the truth, or at least gotten enough of a glimpse at it to realize the lies she'd been told, but it turned out just realizing it wasn't enough, and so the silver haired girl was left with massive chip on her shoulder in regards to the race of non humans.

Nichol thought back to what Oreonna had shouted at her, about how she was the real monster, and honesty the silver haired warrior had a hard time arguing against that point.

Nichol finally arrived at the elevators, there were three of them, side by side, cut into the wood of the giant tree. The ones on the left and right went to most floors in the academy, but the center one was the only way to access the top floor, as well as the headmistress's office.

The orange eyed girl stood outside the elevator with her arms crossed, not pressing the button to call the transportation system just yet. She just stared at the closed doors with disdain, and maybe a little worry. Why was she even doing this? Why even go the Eden's office if she was just going to expel her anyway? Why let the headmistress toy with her like this? What was to stop Nichol from just walking out the door and never looking back? She could just live out the rest of her miserable life under whatever rock was available, where no one would find her... and where she wouldn't hurt anyone else. That was the logical thing to do at this point, to not give the faunus headmistress the satisfaction of throwing her out, but at the same time, Nichol just couldn't will herself to do that.

That would mean giving up, she'd been letting Sterling win, and allow his -as well as the rest of the Hand of Humanities- reign of terror to continue unabated. No, she couldn't allow that man get away with what he'd done, not without at least seeing things through here to the end, she owed it to her mother to give it her best shot.

Plus, even if Nichol would never admit it, there was a part of her that hoped against hope that maybe she wasn't about to get expelled, that there might still be a chance for this basket she'd essentially put all her eggs into, but most of her knew better. Regardless of what fate awaited her at the top of Shade's massive oak tree, Nichol knew she had decided to face it. So, her confidence restored, the silver haired spear wielder finally reached up towards the elevators buttons, but suddenly there was a "ding" and the doors opened on their own. Nichol took a step back in surprise as the tall, dark figure of Professor Neight stepped briskly out of the elevator.

"Ahh, Miss Cuillere, how are you this fine evening?" the faunus said with a small -yet still eccentric- bow of his head.

The bat teachers friendly smile and greeting was putting Nichol on edge, "I'm-"

"On your way to see Miss Evergreen, yes?" Neight interrupted as he tucked his hands behind his back, his red eyes twinkling in amusement as Nichol stared back blankly. "Well, I know Madame hates to be kept waiting, and as for me, I have my own... mission to attend to at the moment, so I shan't delay you any longer. Good day, Miss Cuillere." With another quick bow, Professor Neight turned and headed down the hall.

Nichol raised an eyebrow at the strange faunus' mannerisms before turning to face the empty elevator and found the surprise encounter had shattered whatever confidence she'd managed to build up. Was she ready for this? To face the headmistress after what she'd done? The silver haired girl was not a fan of uncertainty, she either did things or she did not, second guessing herself was a waste of time, but at that moment, when she thought about what was waiting for her, Nichol hesitated.

Elevators wait for no man -or woman- unfortunately, and as the doors started to close, Nichols feet took on a life of there own as the silver haired huntress awkwardly hustled in as the elevator shut. For a moment, the short cape covering her arm was caught in the door and a flustered Nichol quickly yanked it free. Once inside, the silverette took a moment to compose herself as she traveled upwards, she... really hoped no one had seen that just now. The mental image of anyone having witnessed her awkward fumbling was humiliating to the stoic girl.

The elevator whirred slightly as it went up, the long trip didn't help to alleviate the growing unease in Nichol. The silver haired girl reached up and ran her fingers up and down the braid on the left side of her head, an anxious tic Nichol had developed over the years that she hated, but she was out of view of anyone else and the familiar action did help calm her a little.

Much too quickly for her liking, Nichol found herself at the top floor of Shade. The elevator doors whooshed open revealing the entryway to the office of the academies headmistress, Eden Evergreen. The deer faunus' door was open revealing Eden sitting at her giant, tree stump shaped desk typing at a keyboard, a holographic monitor in front of her. The faunus looked up at Nichol and her brow furrowed, the orange eyed girl wasn't too keen on leaving the relative safety of the elevator after that.

Nichol would never admit to being afraid of a faunus, but... no, no she was definitely afraid of Miss Evergreen. Memories of the last meeting that Nichol had with the headmistress flashed through the young huntresses mind. Her orange eyes scanned the rooms perimeter for the roots that had nearly decapitated her last time, but the area seemed safe, in fact, the whole office had a different look from when Nichol had been there that night.

The large windows behind Eden's desk weren't darkened for starters, not only letting the warm sunlight into the office, but also it revealed a breathtaking view that even Nichol had to recognize as spectacular. The desert's of Vacuo took up most of the view, the golden dunes rising and falling over the landscape, but their was also several small oasis' sprinkled in the distance adding a touch of life to the barren land. The vibrant green leaves of the oak tree that made up Shade Academy could also be seen framing the edges of the window just out of the way, as if they'd been trimmed purposely to allow the view. Finally, on the horizon, you could just make out Vacuo's capital city of Mirage, the small bit of civilization appearing even smaller from this vantage point. All of these features were accentuated under the dimming light of the sun setting over the continent.

"Miss Cuillere." Eden's voice snapped Nichol out of her gawking, the faunus headmistress slid her keyboard to the side and rested her hands on the desk in front of her. "Please, come in, have a seat," she said gesturing to the small wooden chair on the other side of her desk.

"I'll stand," Nichol replied as she slowly and cautiously made her way into the office proper. She saw no need to get comfortable, especially if this meeting was going to go the way she expected it to. 

"Very well, suit yourself," the antlered professor said, offering a small shrug before her expression turned serious. "You know why I called you here, yes?" Nichol's heart sank just a little as she felt her fate was sealed at that moment.
 
"I do," was all she could think to say in response. If Eden expected her to beg then she would be sorely disappointed. Nichol knew what she'd done, there was no point in dragging this situation out with pointless denials.

"I believe we had an agreement on what would happen if you were to attack one of your fellow students," Eden said in a astern voice. "You understand the seriousness of your actions, do you not?"

"I do," Nichol repeated solemnly.

Both teacher and student went silent for a bit before Eden spoke again, "Then tell me; do you regret what you did to your teammate?" The unexpected line of questioning made Nichol pause, she gave the headmistress a confused look, but did not answer. "I believe that's a rather simple question, Miss Cuillere: Do you regret lashing out at Oran Bellows like you did?"

The silver haired huntress in training had a lost look on her face for a moment before attempting to speak, "I... I don't understand," she said as Eden continued to wait for a response, "am I being expelled or not?" 

The headmistress placed an elbow on her desk then rested her head on her raised palm in a relaxed position, "Let's just say I haven't decided yet, now can you please answer my question?"

Nichol's mind fumbled at the still unanswered query, "I..."

"Let me ask you an easier question then;" Eden interrupted as she stood, but it wasn't like Nichol had come up with anything to say anyway, "why do you hate my kind?

Nichol still had a bewildered look on her face. This question was easier for her, granted, but she was sure the headmistress wouldn't like the answer that came to her. The truth was... complicated, and she doubted Miss Evergreen would understand her situation, she barely understood it herself if she was honest, but Nichol knew that lying now under the headmistress's heavy gaze was not an option.

"I... don't," the silver haired girl started, Eden raised an eyebrow at this, "or at least... I don't exclusively." Nichol let out a sigh, that did very little to alleviate the stress she was under, before elaborating on her statement, "Faunus are cruel, heartless, conniving creatures; that was what I was taught every day since I was born," Nichol looked downward as a darker look went across her face, "but as I grew older I learned that humans have the capacity to be just as perverse." The girl scowled as she clenched her fists at the memories surfacing before relaxing her grip and posture, "Truthfully, what I did had nothing to do with anyone's race, and it's quite likely that such an incident would have occurred even if I'd been placed on a team consisting of all humans. My... teammates being members of the race I was bred to hate merely... expedited things, I suppose."

Nichol really didn't know where these revelations were coming from, the words were almost pouring out of her now. No one had ever really asked her "why?" before, and she was as surprised as Eden with the answers that were springing forth. Make no mistake, Nichol did not "like" the other members of team MOON, and she was fairly certain that by now they hated her as well. 

Maybelle was... not a completely incompetent leader, she'd proven she was physically adept and resourceful in battle, but she lacked the kind of conviction required for leadership and that made it impossible for Nichol to follow her. Then there was the ice incident during the team exam, that surely hadn't endeared Nichol to Maybelle.

Any chance at an amicable relationship with Oreonna had been dashed after Nichols slip of the tongue on the first day at Shade, a word like Grimmspawn carried a lot of malice behind it after all. It may have been an accident, but that didn't change what she'd said, and the cat girl certainly didn't seem eager to forget. Oreonna seemed shy at first, but she also seemed to be a bit of a hot head at times, then again, so was Nichol, and that alone made it unlikely the two would ever see eye to eye. 

Then there was Oran, her partner, and the one she'd laid out with a punch earlier in her enraged state. Gods, she'd never met a more irritating example of his kind in all her life. The jokes, the cocky attitude, the fact that he seemed so insistent on calling Nichol "Nicky" despite her constant reminders not to, it was infuriating. The familiar nickname brought the silverette nothing but grief, she hadn't been "Nicky" in a long time... and Nichol was content to keep it that way. The silver haired warrior had no idea why Oran was so focused on her, much like with Angus, the orange haired nuisance seemed solely invested in annoying her, but the attention she received from Oran was different from the type she'd received from the bull faunus. He was always trying to get a reaction from her, saying the most idiotic things and then watching her patiently afterwards, almost judging her expressions. It was infuriating... or at the very least, Nichol found it... confusing.

In the end, it didn't matter the reasons Nichol didn't get along with her teammates, they weren't the problem  really, she was. Clearly Nichol had underestimated her own ability to coexist with faunus -or even people in general- after the upbringing she'd had.

And with that, Nichol spoke the deflating truth she'd just realized, "Maybe... maybe it would be for the best for me to leave..." It was the easiest solution to her, she was poison to anyone she met now, too broken to be fixed and too proud to accept anyone's help. There was no place for someone like her here at Shade Academy, and that revelation hurt more than anything.

Eden looked at Nichol sadly, "Miss Cuillere-"

"Why do you keep calling me that!?" Nichol asked, her voice taking on a bit more sharpness than before. "You know my real last name, so why bother going along with this ridiculous charade I've created? Or do you just intend to toy with me some more?"

The faunus had no reaction to the teenagers outburst, she simply clasped her hands and placed them on her desk and sighed quietly. "I will call you by the name on your transcript, as falsified as it may be. Also I get the impression that the last name 'Acier' is a source of great pain and anger for you, and that you didn't merely try to hide it out of fear of being exposed, so I assumed you'd rather not hear it."

Nichol huffed angrily as she crossed her arms, this woman was a little too adept at reading her, but she had to admit her headmistress was dead on in that assumption. However the silver haired girl wasn't about to divulge any information to the headmistress, her secrets were her own to bare. Besides, it wasn't like just talking about her problems would solve anything.

"You seem to believe that my only intention in letting you stay here at Shade was to watch you squirm, and perhaps that's my fault," guilt flashed a cross Eden's face as she looked away from Nichol for a moment. "The last time we spoke in private my mood was already rather sour, and I was under the impression you were a threat to this school, a place that has been my home for many years, so I hope you can forgive my aggression. However I believe I may have acted rashly and that I was mistaken in my assumption of what you are."

Nichol looked puzzled at this confession, "And what exactly do you think I am?"

"I still don't know, but there was something familiar about your face from the moment I saw you, I was sure I'd met you before." Eden smiled in amusement as she leaned back in her chair, "I must admit, it took quite some time to remember where I'd seen a face like that before, but I believe I've finally cracked the case, as it were." The deer faunus reached towards the holographic display projecting out of her desk and with a swipe she turned it around to show Nichol what was on it.

When the silver haired girl saw the picture, it felt like a knife had been plunged into her chest.

"Ten years ago, this woman appeared on my schools doorstep, requesting an audience with me," Eden explained. Said woman was wearing shining silver armor with a golden crest on the breastplate depicting a five fingered hand with an 'X' across the palm. Nichol knew that symbol, as well as the woman bearing it, every feature on her face had been ingrained into the young girls memory. The picture quality wasn't outstanding, most likely a security monitor, one in this very office it seemed, as the woman stood more of less in the same spot Nichol was standing now. Her pale skin, her long ash colored hair tied in a long braid going down her back, a golden tiara in front, all that was missing was the double edged spear Nichol always remembered her carrying.

... Mom?...

Nichol felt repressed emotions threatening to overwhelm her, she hadn't seen a picture of her mother in years for exactly this reason, the pain erupting in her chest was extraordinary.

"I'll never forget the day this woman came to my school," Eden continued, but Nichol was barely able to focus now, she wanted to look away from the photo but she just couldn't pry her eyes away from her mothers face, but one thing the headmistress said did sink in; her mother had come here? But why? "As soon as I saw the emblem on her chest I assumed the worst, but I still summoned her to my office, ready to fight for my life. After all, who would expect the Hand of Humanities leader to show up on their doorstep?" The antlered faunus stepped around her desk, "Imagine my surprise when she came not only alone, but unarmed, and perhaps most surprising of all; she claimed to be here to negotiate peace."

Nichol's eyes went wide, "I don't mean to boast, but aside from the chieftain and his family on Menagerie, and perhaps the leaders of that dreadful White Fang organization, I am considered by many to be the most influential representative of my kind, though that may have a more to do with my position as headmistress here. In a way, I suppose it made sense for the Hand's leader to come to me to talk about such things, but I was understandably skeptical. However, I granted her an audience regardless, I had a school full of huntsmen and huntresses that would ensure she'd never leave alive if she tried anything." Eden stopped and leaned against the front of her desk, her emerald eyes still focusing on the image on the screen, a wistful look on her face. "I've never met another human quite like her," Eden turned her head and looked to Nichol, "it's quite a resemblance I must say."

The silver haired teen clutched her fists and grinded her teeth together, but it wasn't out of anger this time, Nichol was in agony. Her insides were in knots, her head throbbed, her throat was tightening. She didn't want to talk about this, but there seemed to be no escape.

"Unfortunately, I never saw this woman again. She did give me a name before she departed though; Noire."

Nichol was barely holding it together at this point. Raw, repressed pain shot through her, and yet she continued her rebellion against the unwanted emotions as she tried her best to remain steadfast. However the token resistance was akin to a beavers damn against a flow of lava.

"I won't ask you who this woman was to you, but I must know; is she-"

"She'd dead," Nichol spat, her voice cracking slightly as her eyes started welling up, the teenager looked away, her face a mask of anger hiding the sadness her voice betrayed. 'Dead' wasn't even the proper word for what had happened, Nichol knew the truth, her mother had been murdered in cold blood by the most evil man she'd ever known. But she didn't elaborate on the point, she didn't trust herself to speak again without completely breaking down in front of the headmistress. 

"I see... that is a shame," Eden gave the girl a look of genuine sympathy that Nichol didn't know how to process right now. "Like I said, I've never met another human quite like her," a gentle smile spread across the faunus' face, "Well, until you, that is." Nichol barely had the strength to react anymore, so she merely raised an eyebrow at the headmistress, "Your stride, the purpose you carry yourself with, but mostly it's your eyes, that look you share. It's the look of someone who's seen horrible things, a darkness that would devour a weaker soul. But I also see the same spark of resistance in them, a strength that won't allow itself to be swallowed by that darkness." 

Nichol's eyes were still glassy as she looked up at the headmistress, she so badly wanted to say she was right, but she knew better. "You're wrong about me," the silver haired girl said despairingly, "I'm nothing like her, I'm not strong like she was..." 

Eden stood up straight, "Well, I believe that remains to be seen, but I have to ask, do you share the ideals of peace that Noire did? Do you believe there is even the slightest chance for our races to live as equals?"

Nichol gave the faunus a confused look, where was Eden going with this? What information was this woman trying to fish out of her? "Why are you asking me this?" she asked as she tried to re-stabilize the emotional walls she'd put up over the years. 

Miss Evergreen sighed, "I told you, my intention in allowing you to stay wasn't to torture you. I see the same potential in you as I have in many of the other students I've taught over the years. Not only that, but I think this is a rare opportunity for someone in your position to learn more about how the world truly works, and I've found the lessons I pass on have the potential to one day have more of an impact on the world than anything else I can do in my life."

Nichol was baffled by the faunus' words. She came to this school to become stronger, there was no greater calling in her life anymore according to Nichol. "So am I expelled or not?" she said impatiently. Nichol wasn't sure why the headmistress had decided to turn a two minute conversation into a lecture. 

Eden narrowed her eyes at the student before her, before walking back around her desk and taking her seat behind it. "That's not up to me," Eden said, hands clasped in front of her, "You assaulted one of your own teammates, someone whom you must be willing to faithfully place your life in their hands on a regular basis, and I think it's only fair that he decide your fate."

Oran? The headmistress was leaving Nichol's fate in the hands of that buffoon? 

"You will apologize to Mr. Bellows and if he forgives you, then so do I."

Nichol had to suppress an eye roll. She might as well have just expelled her on the spot. There was no way Oran would just forgive her for the (mostly) unprovoked assault. If Eden was trying to prove to Nichol that she wasn't just toying with her, she was failing miserably.

"I can tell by the look on her face that you believe I've only prolonged the inevitable," Apparently Nichol hadn't resisted the eye roll as well as she'd hoped, "but I believe that you might just be surprised what happens if you try."

Nichol gave the headmistress an incredulous look, it was completely preposterous to think that her teammates would ever accept her after her outburst. Nichol had been on thin ice to begin with, there was no way they'd just forgive her, especially after seeing what the silver haired girl had done to- wait.

"What about what happened with Angus?" Nichol asked.

Eden snapped her fingers, "Ah yes, thank you for reminding me. You will serve detention for the next three weeks, as well as... let's say... a hand written apology to Mr. Carne." Nichol gave the headmistress a deadpan expression, "You see, I am well aware of Mr. Carne's... viewpoints on humanity, and unfortunately you are not the first victim of his unjustified campaign." Eden sighed, "It appears you were correct about both our kinds being capable of acting out in anger, not that I ever had any doubts to begin with."

Ultimately Nichol didn't really care, she'd only asked about Angus out of morbid curiosity. Besides, it wasn't like she'd even still be at the school to serve any punishment anyway, she was still sure there was no way her partner would accept any kind of apology from her.

"However, as lenient as I am being now, know that this is your final chance, Miss Cuillere. I may be kind hearted, but you'll find that only goes so far, so I expect you to be a your best behavior from now on." Eden's face lost all semblance of joking as her face turned deadly serious, "Future acts like this will not be tolerated." the headmistress's expression shifted back to her typical soft smile, "That will be all, Miss Cuillere, you may go. I believe you need to have a chat with your teammate now." Nichol gave the faunus one final quizzical look, before re-entering the elevator behind her and with a whoosh the doors shut in front of her as she began her decent down the tower.

Once she was gone, Eden let out a short, quiet laugh before pulling out her scroll and putting it on her desk. The technology in the log shaped table connected to the device and a small window popped up as Eden sent out a call to Professor Neight. After a moment, the bat faunus answered, "Good evening, Madame," his voice was coming through clearly on the desks speakers. 

"Hello, Adrian, I was just curious about how your assignment went," Eden said with a sly smirk.

On the other side of the line, Neight chuckled, "Well, I don't like to toot my own horn, as it were, but I dare say it went quite well, Madame Evergreen."

"Excellent."

"If you don't mind me asking ma'am; it's not like you to go to such lengths for a team of freshmen hunters, any particular reasoning behind this?"

Eden stood from her desk and turned to her giant windows, watching as the sun set over Vacuo, "No real reason, I suppose. A lesson needed to be taught and that is our job as teachers at this academy, after all. But not all lessons can be simply told or taught, the ones that truly matter, they must be experienced."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thirty minutes earlier, Maybelle was standing out on one of the many balconies of Shade Academy, overlooking the golden sands as the sun hung low in the sky over Vacuo.

The cow faunus rested her forearms on the railing, looking over the edge to the ground below. She was on the fifteenth floor of the school, and while many people would have a sense of vertigo from the height, Maybelle never experienced such a feeling, her semblance eliminating any fear of heights pretty quickly after she'd unlocked it. If she wanted, she could easily hop the barricade right now and land soft as a feather on the ground... for the most part. Her semblance took a lot of concentration, and maintaining a near weightlessness as she fell got more difficult as the decent continued. The highest she'd ever fallen was about eighty stories and even then she'd left a small crater at the impact, even when the cow faunus had been trying to land as softly as possible. Thankfully she'd been no worse for wear, what with aura and all.

One could go as far as to say that May enjoyed heights, she wasn't an adrenaline junky or anything, but looking down over the steep ledge just gave the cow girl a feeling of levity, something she felt like she sorely needed after today.

Maybelle frowned as she slouched forward onto the sturdy railing, what a disaster today had turned into. Oran had waved off any suggestions that he should see the nurse after getting laid out by Nichol, the hyena faunus had just kind of wandered off, rubbing his swelling jaw. Oreonna had barely said a word as well, walking away muttering something about getting to class on time, Maybelle had been too distraught to hear. Nichol was... who knows where, but honestly, Maybelle wasn't really looking forward to seeing her again right now anyway. May had been the last to leave the scene, she mindlessly wandered the halls of Shade for a while until she stumbled upon this spot and just kind of settled into place. So now here she was, the bell signifying the start of the next class had rang out about ten minutes ago. 

Look at you, cutting class just like the old days. Guess Angus was right about you not changing.

The cow faunus' frown deepened, her thoughts weren't being very constructive as she tried to think of just how she was going to fix things with her team. Try as she might, Maybelle just couldn't get what Angus said out of her head. He was a jerk, a bully, a poor excuse for a person, and worst of all; completely right about her. She'd done a terrible thing, been a horrible person and now she was paying the price for it. The cow faunus had hoped things at Shade would be different from Vast, and for that first week, things had been good, shaky, but good. Now, her team was fractured, Oreonna would probably never speak to her again, and no doubt Angus would be eager to start spreading those rumors again once he recovered, and to top it all off; she still had no idea what she was going to do about Nichol.

"What a mess..." May said to herself as she stared vacantly out at the skyline before her.

"Oh I don't know," a voice behind Maybelle almost had the cow girl leaping off the balcony in surprise, she turned to see Professor Neight standing there. "I've always found the view quite relaxing myself," he said, hands clasped behind his back and a sly smile on his face. Noticing the cow girls distress upon his intrusion, Neight offered a bow as he always did, "Forgive me, Miss Daffidys, I hadn't meant to intrude. I'm simply not used to finding anyone at this particular balcony at this time of day."

May pushed herself up off the railing, "Oh, sorry, did you want me to go?" she asked.

As the cow faunus went to leave, her professor held up a hand signaling her to stop, "Heavens no, my dear girl. As I was saying, I've always found this balcony to offer the most spectacular of views, if you need to clear your head you'll hardly find a better place in all of Shade." Neight took up a spot next to May, "That is, as long as you don't mind me, as the kids say, 'cramping your style'."

Maybelle gave the bat faunus a strange look, she didn't necessarily mind the company, it's just... okay, if she was being honest, Professor Neight creeped her out a little. "It's fine, I was just leaving actu-"

"You know, it's evenings like this that remind me of when I first came to this school," May stood awkwardly, looking from the exit and back to her professor who was already lost in memories staring into the distance. Maybelle sighed silently to herself and settled back into place on the railings edge. She didn't want to add being rude to a faculty member to her list of offenses that day. "I was born in the mountains to the southeast, in a small cave community called Calsite. Not the most thrilling place to grow up, but it suited my family just fine. Me, however, I wanted more..." May settled in, it looked like she was going to be here a while. "I was, believe it or not, quite the rapscallion back in my day, and once I was old enough I decided it would be a smart idea to leave home and throw in with the local bandit gang, all just to escape the monotony of my hometown," This got May's attention, she really couldn't see the straight laced, overly formal professor as a common thug.

"It wasn't an... ideal lifestyle choice looking back, I brought pain to many who didn't deserve it. I pillaged Vacuo for years with my new 'family', I was taught no good came from mercy, and pity was a waste to give and an insult to receive. I dare say I didn't know a single day of kindness back then. Much like the desert herself, my 'family' was harsh, cruel, and often unforgiving," the bat professor grimaced a moment as he began fiddling with the glove on his right hand. Then, Neight's expression perked up, "but then I was greeted with the most fortunate thing to ever happen to me."

"What's that?" Maybelle asked, now fully engrossed in this tale.

"I was stabbed!"

The cow girls mouth went agape, as Neight smiled in that unsettling way that he apparently thought was comforting. "That is a popular reaction to that part of my story, but perhaps it was more what happened after my injury that was truly fortuitous." Neight cleared his throat before continuing, "It happened when we were raiding a caravan traveling across the desert, one of the guards got a lucky hit in. It was a most dreadful wound to be certain, so much so that I'm afraid my colleagues at the time felt I would be too much of a drain on their resources to bother taking back to the camp for treatment. So they saw fit to leave me to die. Charming chaps, they were."

"What happened?" May said, her brown eyes wide and shining with interest now.

Neight smirked a bit as he went on, "Well as much as leaving my mark in the world as a sun bleached skeleton seemed lovely, I started wandering the wastes of Vacuo. I patched the wound as best I could, but without proper medical care my prognosis looked grim." Neight looked upwards at the great treetops over Shade Academy, "But you'll never guess what I saw on the horizon that gave me the strength to press on." The huntsman walked over and placed a hand on the bark of the oak, "I dragged myself towards that bizarre looking landmark, collapsing as soon as I set foot on the campus grounds. That's were Madame Evergreen found me, barely alive, nearly dehydrated, and without a friend in the world."

"So that's when you became a teacher here?" May asked.

"Oh no no no no no, my dear, that was still quite a few years off. I'm afraid my story merely begins with my unceremonious arrival here at Shade," the bat faunus folded his arms behind his back again, "and I'm afraid I was a... less than grateful house guest upon regaining consciousness. My time amongst the ne'er-do-well's I had been with had left me with a rather cold disposition when it came to receiving help, but Madame would hear none of it, and I was far to weak and hurt to offer much resistance to her care. She gave me food, water, even a place to rest whilst I regained my strength, and in return I was rude, arrogant, and more often than not, completely ungrateful for the help. I truly didn't believe I needed help, I was taught that such charity was a sign of weakness. If I was to survive, I was convinced I had to do it on my own or not at all. But Madame showed me I was wrong." Neight smile softened and, much to Maybelle's relief, looked much more natural and calming.

"I wasn't always kind, patient, or gratuitous, but she never gave up on me. She saw good in what was left of me, and was determined to make me see it too. She wanted to help me, but also knew she could only do it at my own speed, not hers, and I'm proud to say that eventually she was able to get that idea through my thick skull." Neight closed his eyes and placed a hand over his heart, "I truly owe Madame my life, and once my body and mind were healed I assumed I would be sent on my way, there was no longer any need for the headmistress's kindness now that I was back on my feet, and though it pained me to do so, I knew I had to leave. There was no place for me at an establishment like Shade Academy, but imagine my surprise when Madame not only opened her home to a teenager whom had nothing, but also allowed him to attend one of the most prestigious huntsman academies on Remnant." 

The professor took a proud step towards a still wide eyed May, "That, my dear, is how I became the huntsman, and teacher I am today. All because Madame was kind, but knew I'd lived a strained life and needed time to learn to accept such kindness." The bat faunus put one of his gloved hands on his pupils shoulders, "Do you understand why I'm telling you this, Miss Daffidys?" Neight's red eyes were full of intelligence and wisdom as he did his best to pass on the lessons he'd learned long ago.

Unfortunately, the cow girl standing in front of him just gave a blank look as she slightly cocked her head in confusion.

Professor Neight blinked a few times a silence filled the balcony. "Um... perhaps my tale brings someone else to mind?... Someone you may know who's going through a similar situation?" he said hopefully.

May just continued to stare, for she may have a big heart, but the cow faunus wasn't always quick when it came to picking up on subility. Someone I know? Who do I know that's-

"Oh... OOOOHHHH!" May exclaimed as the -honestly not very subtle at all- meaning behind her elders story got through to her. She'd been so absolutely entranced by the tale that everything that'd happened today had been pushed to the back of her mind, but now she knew what she had to do... or at least had more of an ideas than she did before. For Maybelle Daffidys may be a little slow on the uptake, but once those gears in her head started turning, there was no stopping her.

"Thanks professor! I gotta go find Nichol before it's too late," May quickly ran back into the hallways of Shade, but only got a few steps away before she stopped. The cow faunus stood in place a moment before returning to the balcony where Neight was now staring off into the distance as night descended on Vacuo. "Professor?" she said softly.

Neight merely looked over his shoulder and offered a short, "Hm?" in response.

"In your story you made it sound like Ms. Evergreen was headmistress when you were a teenager," May said inquisitively.

Neight just smiled. "Did I now? How odd," he said nonchalantly, "well, I think we both know that would be quite unlikely, would it not, Miss Daffidys?" 

Maybelle just stared for a moment before nodding slowly, "Yeah... I guess it would..." the faunus girl shrugged and continued on her way.

The bat faunus smirked as he turned back to face the vista before him, "... Quite unlikely, indeed..." he said to himself. Just then, Professor Neight's scroll began vibrating in his pocket and when he took it out his smile grew fonder as the caller ID revealed who it was.

"Good evening, Madame."