Chapter 4

Friday was a day that everyone could appreciate at Beacon. For students, it was the last day of the school week before they got to cut loose, for teachers it was a relatively simple day often used to give refreshers on the curriculum throughout the rest of the week. For Xavier, however, it would be a stressful day as he was under the direct supervision of the one person he feared within the bounds of this school: Glynda Goodwitch.

While he had been passed back and forth between other teachers up to this point to provide aid with small things, such as catching Grimm for Port or keeping Oobleck in a constant supply of coffee, this would be the first combat class he attended. Something that Glynda seemed more than hesitant on in the first place. She was a strict instructor, delivering directions very poignantly and without any real sense of levity. It was clear that she prided herself on both her own martial skills and her ability to impart this knowledge onto others... Something that wasn't exactly well demonstrated with the first sparring match of the day.

Jaune Arc was a somewhat scrawny young man, made more evident by his tall stature. His shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes, paired with his casual clothing that wasn't so well hidden by the white armored breastplate and shoulder guards gave the appearance of an idealistic heroic archetype, an image that was heavily contrasted by his lack of any real skill. As his opponent seemed to run circles around him both metaphorically and literally, Jaune was only getting more tired, unable to properly block, counter or riposte the harsh overhand strikes that came down from the powerful mace wielded by his opponent, Cardin Winchester.

Cardin was another tall and broad young man, albeit with the bulk to fill in his frame. He wore decorated plate mail that bore a golden sigil of some great bird, his ridiculous hair was auburn, combed upward into a quaff that seemed more like the result of touching a light socket, at least as far as Xavier was concerned. However, what was undeniable was that Cardin had at least some semblance of skill with his literal blunt instrument as he ended the fight with a feint, getting Jaune to block high by motioning for an overhand blow, before bringing the mace crashing into Jaune's unprotected side. The leader of Team JNPR hit the ground with a resounding thud as many cringed from seeing the force of the blow, Xavier included, who felt a pain in his stomach from the memory of the other day as he winced. "That is enough." Said Glynda with just enough authority in her voice to catch the attention of the class, but without sounding particularly invested in the display. "Mr. Arc's aura has entered the red." She continued as she showed her phone-like device to the class, many of whom looked down at their own. "Under tournament rules this would mean that he is no longer able to compete, and would be removed from the match." Cardin's cronies gave a few celebratory, self-congratulating gestures as their leader proudly strode out from the small arena in the front of the classroom. Glynda cleared her throat to regain their attention, and would soon turn to Jaune. "Please retake your seat, and in the next few matches, pay close attention to defensive measures." Jaune hung his head in apparent disgrace as he made his way back to his own team, earning a few laughs from Team CRDL.

Xavier rolled his eyes, hoping to teach that particular group of arrogant students a thing or two at some point. Glynda would call for the next match to take place, this one would feature Lai Ren, another member of Team JNPR. After both stepped into the small arena, its internal lighting would kick on, turning the bulletproof glass that surrounded the ring into a one-way view. Those on the inside could no longer see outside, allowing the combatants to focus entirely on their opponent. Glynda would give the signal to begin, and approached Xavier immediately after. "...I would like you to attempt the exercise Professor Ozpin had you perform during the initiation."

Xavier gave her a curious look. "...what am i looking for exactly?"

Glynda gave a small, annoyed sigh. "I don't know what you see exactly, but your ability to sense aura has grasped the Headmaster's attention, and he would appreciate if you continued to practice it."

Xavier slowly nodded, not quite understanding, but complying. He would close his eyes and attempt to visualize the individual auras around him. It... Didn't go well at first. While Glynda's own aura standing beside him was perfectly clear, and strong, the clarity began to drop after only a handful of meters. The two sparring within the arena were easy enough to detect as their aura flared up and subsided during different intervals, but the others across the room were only barely visible. A small sea of barely perceived lights, he could hardly make out any individuality among them.

Glynda's voice would turn his attention a bit as she spoke in a low tone. "Think of aura not as something intangible like a soul, something that cannot be perceived by the naked eye, but rather as something that can be easily understood. It is light, heat, power. What does it remind you of?"

Fire. He knew the answer immediately as she spoke, and the clarity of the moment made all the difference. These weren't imperceivable lights, they were small, flickering flames. This understanding would make his vision far more clear as the flames in his vision began to take shape, with some of the stronger ones among the crowd standing out from the rest that still blended together... Though before he knew it, the match was over. It didn't surprise him that Ren was victorious as the other kid didn't seem all that promising. Xavier opened his eyes and gave a nod of confirmation to Glynda, who returned the gesture. As the class continued, it was easy to determine the victors of most matches just from the announcement alone, Xavier attempted to switch his focus between the exercise of sensing aura and examining the techniques of the students as they fought. Before anyone knew it, there would only be time for one more match.

Xavier glanced at the bleachers curiously, wondering who would go on last... And catching the gaze of Blake. Xavier gave a warm smile, which was returned by a bit of a blush as she looked away. However, the attention of the entire class was re-focused once the first name was given. "Pyrrha Nikos."

That instantly caused murmurs from amongst the student body as many stared directly at the redheaded amazon clad in leather and bronze armor. She proudly stood and made her way down to the arena. It seemed there were few interested in the prospect of sparring against her, and Xavier could see why. Pyrrha was incredibly tall for a teenage girl, especially in her heeled boots. She possessed a warrior's physique and the confidence in her stride to show her skill without even brandishing a weapon, hers was an intimidating one however, as she bore an ornate bronze shield similar to the hoplite shields used by ancient warriors of his homeland, and her ornate red and golden blade was a work of artifice certainly. Even Glynda seemed to hesitate after calling Pyrrha's name, as if realizing how slim the pickings were. "Your opponent will be..." There was a last bit of hesitation before she finally said: "Xavier Mathis."

All eyes had turned to him now as his turned to Glynda, his eyes widened in surprise and he opened his mouth to voice some manner of concern or perhaps objection... Only for Goodwitch to glare daggers and immediately silence him. Xavier would look into the arena, and towards the crowd who were almost uniformly excited to see a member of staff take on the strongest student of their class. In an instant, Xavier realized he was entirely out of options, and so would remove his weapon from the back of his belt and place it upon the ground outside of the arena before stepping inside. Pyrrha would watch this display with a hint of confusion before deciding to ask. "Professor, are you not using a weapon?"

Xavier wanted to correct her, though decided against it, accepting the title for the time being. He would give a small smile and a nod. "yep, is that a problem?" His question was genuine, though may have come off as condescending to some. Pyrrha, however, seemed to not only take it in stride, but appreciated the prospect. She briefly excused herself to exit the arena and would leave her weapons with her team. Jaune specifically. Upon her return, Glynda seemed more than a little annoyed and would quickly call for the match to begin.

Xavier would give a respectful bow towards his opponent, a gesture that was returned immediately after. "Let us begin." Both teacher and student would assume fighting stances that came naturally to them. Xavier shifted his footing to match the width of his shoulders, keeping his guard at his chest in a boxer's stance, notably his right side faced towards his opponent instead of the left, showing his dominant hand was his left. Pyrrha took this into consideration as her own stance was similar, her stance was wider and a bit lower, keeping her guard higher and protecting her head more than her torso. Neither moved for a moment before both began to pace in circles.

In those opening moments, two experienced martial artists were looking for any hole in the other's guard, any weakness that could be exploited in the first few strikes, though none was found. Both noted an economy of motion, with no energy wasted in their movements. However, Pyrrha would have an advantage over Xavier in one regard here: She was more patient. Xavier would take a quick breath and lunge forward, closing the distance to his redheaded opponent in a split second before throwing a swift jab towards her head. In his mind, the opening gambit would see her reflexively block this strike, leaving her torso open for a harsh left hand. He was incorrect on both accounts as Pyrrha would almost immediately drop herself low, avoiding the attack entirely and countering with a long kick that packed enough force to sweep Xavier's legs out from under him.

Two things were made abundantly clear from that split-second engagement, the first was that her speed, precision and instinct for fighting made Pyrrha a dangerous opponent, someone that he shouldn't attempt to mess around with. The second was that, with aura serving as a power to bolster one's physical prowess, he would have to actually apply some real power. These were more of sensations, immediate understanding rather than conscious thought, much like his reaction to being swept off his feet. Rather than unceremoniously hitting the ground with his opponent gaining the upper hand, Xavier would catch himself by flattening his hands and pushing forward with the momentum as he placed his feet back on the ground, able to stand back up with a quick, fluid motion that caught Pyrrha just off guard enough that he could land a swift upward kick of his own.

Pyrrha attempted to step back from the quick strike but found the tip of his boot only barely missing her chin. However, she couldn't properly capitalize, and readjusted her guard before attempting to go on the offensive, rolling her shoulders and putting what momentum she could into a straight punch, aiming high as his only chance to defend would be to move into a more advantageous position for her. Xavier, to his credit, realized this. He would take her blow quite literally head-on rather than give up the position he had, instead rolling with the left-handed punch to throw a stiff right elbow into Pyrrha's side. With both sent reeling from the force put behind their respective blows, there was a brief moment where they locked eyes, a silent, mutual respect plain in their expressions as the audience outside watched in silent disbelief, the fight had not even lasted a full 30 seconds and already so much had happened. But now, they were done testing the waters. Now it was time to commit.

Xavier started aggressively by grasping Pyrrha's right arm and pulling her closer, she attempted to counter by raising her knee up and into his stomach, but her leg was blocked with his own as he shifted his weight onto his back foot before releasing her arm and committing to tackling the amazon to the ground, wrapping his free arm around her torso as he brought his shoulder against her. It was an awkward, impractical way to gain an advantage, but as ever, he rebounded quickly. With Pyrrha momentarily disoriented from the unexpected bit of offense ending with the slightly older man on top of her, it gave Xavier the moment he needed to rise back to his feet, pushing up from his hands before attempting to bring a harsh stomp down upon the prone Pyrrha.

He wasn't the only one who could quickly recover, however. Pyrrha would quickly bring her knees up to guard her torso, catching his foot in the process. She would pivot Xavier's leg with her own before shifting onto one side and unloading a harsh kick directly into his stomach, causing the man to stumble back a few steps as she quickly got back to her feet. Now it was her turn to go on the offensive. Pyrrha would throw a quick kick from the side, causing Xavier to reflexively block. Just as intended. Pyrrha would grab onto his wrist and pull his arm over her shoulder, dropping down just enough to pull the shorter man a bit over before standing up into an impromptu armbar. Any attempt that Xavier made to shift his body away from this perpendicular position would cause Pyrrha to pivot, keeping him in this vice grip that threatened to break bone if he didn't do something quickly. Bereft of any other options, he made one good shot count and put a great amount of force into a kick, driving his foot into the back of Pyrrha's knee.

She gasped as her leg buckled almost immediately, causing her to lose her leverage. Not wasting a second, Xavier would throw his other arm around Pyrrha's neck and throw himself back, bringing the redhead down with him as he applied a rear-naked choke. She would release his arm to attempt with both hands to pry the other arm off of her throat, ironically letting him lock the move in tighter. Seizing the opportunity, he would wrap his calves around her own to spread her legs, halting any possibility of Pyrrha gaining an advantage in leverage.

Running swiftly out of options, she took what little breath she could and proceeded to drive her right elbow repeatedly into Xavier's ribs. He gave a harsh cry with each swift, devastating impact until finally letting go. Any lesser fighter may have taken a moment to recover from such a hold being placed upon them, but Pyrrha saw her opportunity and quickly grabbed Xavier's already injured arm, pulling up just enough that she could apply another hold, straining his arm under hers as she swiftly got back to the ground, practically laying on his arm as she applied upward pressure against the elbow joint. Xavier gritted his teeth as he attempted to shift onto one side, only to narrowly dodge her heeled boot coming for his face. Feeling a sense of bitter irony for placing her in such a desperate situation a moment ago, Xavier gave a small laugh through the pain as he attempted what would have been impossible for many others. Sitting up. Pyrrha would wrap her legs around his torso in an attempt to force him back down to the ground, but while their techniques were comparable, and she had the advantage in stature, Xavier had the advantage in raw physical might. Straining through the sheer pain of his arm, he would begin to stand, lifting Pyrrha up to be entirely vertical as her eyes went wide with shock... Before dropping back down and slamming her right onto her back with a harsh cry.

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Having the wind knocked from her a second time, Pyrrha would let go before scrambling away to get back onto her feet, however, it would prove unnecessary. "That's enough." Came the calm, yet stern voice of Glynda. "Miss Nikos's aura has entered the red, the winner of this match is Mister Mathis." When the arena lights were turned off following the announcement, Xavier could see how the entire class was in a state of stunned silence. However, as he was catching his breath, he would turn to the downed Pyrrha and offer his hand. While she wouldn't accept it to get back to her feet, she would shake his hand once she was standing. "That was an excellent match. Thank you, Professor." Xavier once again wanted to correct her, but simply smiled through it, giving an awkward chuckle and nodding.

Back in the bleachers, however, the other redheaded member of Team JNPR was looking between the stage and her scroll, furrowing her brow a bit. "I smell shenanigans." She hissed under her breath, to which Jaune and Ren both looked over to her with a bit of confusion, though for different reasons as Jaune would soon ask "Nora, what do shenanigans smell like, exactly?" Ren rolled his eyes as Nora answered. "Trickery. Deceit." She made her statement somewhat dramatically as Glynda would dismiss the class. Pyrrha, despite her loss, seemed to be in good spirits as she took her weapons once more and joined her team. Once the last of the students had left, Xavier gave a sigh of relief before wrenching his shoulder back into its socket, giving a harsh growl through the pain of it. His ribs were bruised, his left arm was experiencing a torrent of pain, and he couldn't help but smile.

Glynda looked rather concerned at seeing the display, but soon sighed, deciding against lecturing him for that. "I hope this alleviates your concerns about our student body being fragile."

Xavier nodded. “i’m used to having to treat people like they’re made of glass, this was... refreshing, in a way”

Glynda gave a curt nod. “Keep in mind, you are hardly an imposing figure to a professional huntsman. Dismissed.”

After collecting Brotherhood, he would exit the classroom. Xavier's thoughts turned to the weekend, he hadn't exactly made any plans and was rather flying by the seat of his pants throughout this entire ordeal thus far. He would make his way out to the courtyard, dinner would be served before long, but after that workout, he was craving a smoke. The bottom of the main stairway in front of the fountain that decorated the entrance to the school itself was becoming a frequent spot to visit for a bit of peace and quiet. He would sit down on the final step and light up, taking slow, deep drags. The warm summer breeze was a welcome companion as he began to relax, closing his eyes and appreciating the moment of stillness... That is until he sensed something approaching from behind, he couldn't make out anything other than the barest sensation, the presence, but there was still someone... Someone who would take a seat not too far from him on the bottom stair. He turned his head just a bit before opening his eyes, while he couldn't distinguish the Aura, not yet anyway, he could hazard a good guess as to who it was...

Blake would softly smile for a brief moment before her usual neutral expression returned, more out of habit than anything, her tone however conveyed some genuine concern. "H-hey..."

Xavier would finish the last drag before crushing the butt of the smoke in his hand, with it disappearing as he smiled at her. "hey, not joining the others for dinner?"

Blake shook her head a bit, not as confirmation but rather because he entirely missed the point. "Are you alright? That looked... Painful."

"it was," Xavier said without a hint of hesitation, nor regret. "but she's a damn good fighter, can't expect to walk away without some bruises"

Blake laughed a little. "Have you tried not getting hit?"

"what fun is that?" He teased, likewise getting a chuckle from the lighthearted mood of the moment. There was a bit of an awkward silence that followed where both would look down and away, a blush coming to their cheeks before Blake spoke again.

"...Everyone is going to be in the cafeteria for awhile ...I was thinking ...We could s-spend some time t-together and talk?"

Xavier's blush grew harsher as he felt a pang of nervousness, a feeling he somewhat recognized, but it was... strange. "that sounds nice, you're not allowed off campus until next week though,"

"I know." She said immediately, having some trouble parsing together what she wanted to say, the cat having her own tongue as it were. Though she did eventually manage to get out a sentence. "I was thinking since the dorm will be e-empty..."

Xavier's eyes widened, his first instinct was to object to this but... There weren't exactly that many options otherwise to spend time with her... He mulled it over for a few moments before slowly nodding. "that sounds alright... but uh, what about your teammates?"

Blake was already familiar with the routines her teammates had, and imagined that tonight was no different. If anything it would be more likely given the lack of leisure outside of the usual. "Yang will probably head to the amphitheater to practice, Weiss will be at the library studying, and Ruby will probably be bothering one of them... We should have at least a couple of hours to- ...t-to talk." She sounded unsure of herself in that. Her intentions weren't impure, she wanted to get to know him better, to dispel this awkwardness between them, and they needed privacy to be able to do that. Despite how it may look to anyone else, and it would be a world of trouble for both of them to get caught... But waiting was just too much.

Xavier could see this for what it was, earnest, wanting to get to know one another better and away from prying eyes. It was only the positions they were in as teacher and student instead of coeds that made this so... Difficult. He shrugged his shoulders, wincing immediately from the pain, but did agree. "that sounds good, why don't we?"

Blake's bow shifted a bit as her eyes widened, though she regained her composure before standing up slowly, her gentle smile returned and she offered her hand. Xavier decided to take it, though winced once more as a shot of fresh pain coursed through his left arm. Blake quickly let go and the concern returned. "Are you sure you're okay? You should have healed by now..."

Xavier laughed that off. "i'm fine, it just... took alot out of me, i'm not ashamed to admit she almost won, so, it's gonna hurt a little while longer," Not a lie in any sense, but he had to carefully skirt around the whole not having aura thing. Fortunately, Blake seemed content with that answer. The two made their way back to the student dorms with no hassle, keeping quiet and attempting to avoid drawing the attention of the few students that weren't eating currently. Once they had made it, however, Xavier was in for a bit of a shock as he saw how Team RWBY had their room situated. Instead of having four beds all on the ground, they had arranged things in a bunk-bed style by suspending one with ropes, and setting another on top of one by stacking a substantial number of books on each corner post. That... Didn't look safe whatsoever, and he had to stifle a harsh laugh because of it. Blake rolled her eyes playfully as she shut the door behind them. She would give a sigh of relief and sit on her bottom bed before kicking her shoes off and stretching a bit.

Xavier would take a seat on the other bottom bed, though right on the edge as to not mess up the neatly-folded bedding. He placed his chin on one hand as he leaned in a bit, and this time he would be the one to break the silence. "so... let's get the first thing out of the way, when were you going to tell me you're a faunus?"

Blake's jaw dropped for a moment, and she struggled to say anything at all before taking a deep breath, steadying herself. "...You're not exactly subtle are you?"

Xavier shook his head. "never was my strong suit... don't get me wrong the obvious disguise is a good one, but i've seen your ears move enough that i pieced it together,"

Well, there went her first couple of questions, she would blush once more and turn away from him briefly before sighing and taking off the bow on top of her head, showing her black cat ears. "...I haven't told anyone since I arrived in Vale. Promise me you won't either."

Xavier nodded. "i promise i won't tell a soul, but... can i ask something?"

"You may as well..." She said with a hint of remorse, already starting to think this was a bad idea.

Xavier could guess at her thought process from her body language and tone, so decided to choose his words carefully. "...i grew up with different peoples who were all able to get along, for the most part, it was always personal issues but no general animosity, ...i'm telling you this so i can ask you without offending, but... why exactly did you feel the need to hide it?"

Blake was... Caught off guard by how maturely he managed to phrase it, despite having no personal understanding of the plight he was curious in a harmless way. The ignorance was a bit frustrating, but this was as good of an opportunity as any. She took a deep, shaky breath. "...Faunus around the world are treated as second-class citizens. As no better than animals in some cases, I guess you've never seen the news about the labor riots or the movements for equality."

Xavier shook his head. "afraid i was a bit sheltered in that way,"

Blake gave a small, dry laugh, as if unable to believe it. "I envy your ignorance." She said with a hint of malice, though she couldn't hold it against him for long. "When you look at me, you just see another person?"

Once again, he was forced to consider his response. "...when i look into a crowd what i see are people, random faces that i'll probably never see again, ...when i look at you i see blake belladonna, i'm still not sure exactly who she is yet, but i'd like to find out,"

And once again, she was taken completely off guard by that. She turned her head away again, this time being overwhelmed with awkward embarrassment. She would move closer to one side of the bed, a hint that she would like him to come closer. Xavier hesitated, catching on but... Deciding to not let the moment pass. He would sit beside Blake, who would in turn, rest her head on his shoulder. There was another long pause as both realized the intimacy of the moment, and were both terrified to progress any further. Though, Blake did eventually ask... "Why do you want to know me so badly...?"

He let out a low hum, considering for a moment. "...you're an interesting person, do i need a reason beyond that?"

"It would be nice." She admitted, giving a quick laugh at how ridiculous he was. And she found an unfamiliar feeling like this. She felt... Safe. Like she could just close her eyes... "I'm... Not ready to talk about the past." She admitted sheepishly. "But I would like to spend more time with you." At the end of her sentence, she would yawn cutely.

Xavier would gently place his arm around her shoulders, a gesture which would be returned by a gentle embrace of her arms around his torso. It was difficult to not make a noise of discomfort and ruin the moment, but he managed. Before long, the cat girl was asleep. He supposed she was more exhausted than she let on. He would gently lay down, attempting to not wake her as the prospect of closing his eyes for a little while seemed all too tempting...