Chapter 7

As Sunday morning came and went, Xavier found himself in Beacon's library. After learning almost everything he knew about this world from word of mouth, it couldn't hurt to read a few books on basic subjects. History, science, Dust, Grimm, he may not technically have been a student though he doubted his grades would be very high with just how limited his knowledge was. Surprisingly, the first person who would visit the table he sat at with a small pile of books at his side, would be Yang. The fiery blonde would take a corner seat adjacent to Xavier as he poured deeply into a tome on modern Dust refining. Yang would announce her presence with an exaggerated yawn. "...Man, that looks boring!" Before leaning over to rest her head on one hand. "What's up?"

Xavier gave a small shrug. "you'd think so but i didn't exactly get a standard education, so... reading, was the plan today"

Yang gives a couple of nods. "Cool, cool, so hey. I got to thinking, and if I find a movie or something, it'd be easier to get your number for it instead of finding you."

"..." Xavier placed a bookmark in the page he was reading, and debated for a moment on how exactly to tell her this. He did technically have a phone, but as far as Remnant was concerned, it was alien technology that worked off of literal video game logic. How else could you explain the old Earth internet continuing to function through these devices when Earth itself was destroyed long ago? "...how about i get yours and message you later?" He sounded unsure of that particular proposal, but Yang seemed to accept.

"Sounds good, got some paper? Or... Something to write with?" Xavier would make a show of reaching into his pockets as he used his power to manipulate energy to create a small sheet of paper. After pulling it out, a pen wasn't hard to find. This place was full of studying students after all. And once she had handed it over, Yang was quick to take off with a quick "See ya!"

Xavier would take some time to browse through the apps in his iGlasses, wanting to figure out if it was even possible to message Yang. After some time spent unsuccessfully experimenting, he would check out and captchalogue a few books before starting to leave... Unfortunately the disadvantage to being preoccupied with a screen in your face was not being able to see what was directly in front of you. Coincidentally, the same was true if you didn't take your eyes off of a person any time you could help it, and so this meeting of the blinds caused Xavier to collide with another young girl as they both crossed the aisles of the Library. "Ah!" The girl wound up on the ground within an instant, actually bouncing a bit.

He would fall back onto his ass, half tempted to just lay there and brush it off, but no, there were things to do. He quickly got back to his feet and offered his hand to the cute girl, not knowing just what he had gotten himself into. "sorry about that, you alright?"

"Um, y-yeah!" She smiled, bouncing to her feet without taking his hand. Seemed like the girls here tended to have an aversion to that for some reason. "Sorry about that! I was just uh... Toootally caught up in all these books and stuff!" Xavier took another look at her, as she seemed familiar. The ginger girl had prominent freckles dotting her cheeks and bright blue eyes, her casual clothing made it seem like she had just returned from the gym. Just as the thought came together, the other person with her made his presence known.

"How many times have I told you to look where you're going?" The tall boy gently bonked the redhead with a flat hand, before taking Xavier's hand and shaking it. "Apologies, Sir." Xavier's revelation came quickly, these two were members of Team JNPR. He had seen the boy... Ren, right? Sparring on Friday.

"ah it's alright," He shook Ren's hand briefly. "i'm not made of glass or anything, ...say, you're from team jnpr right? i'm trying to learn the names of my students,"

Nora, that was her name he remembered, would give a nervous laugh, she adjusted her grenade-launcher weapon's sling as she had dropped it from the earlier impact. "Yep! That's... all we are in case you're wondering! Hehe..." She blushed hard at the awkward statement, it seemed as though Ren was content to ignore it.

"We decided it was best to spend Sunday afternoon studying." He nodded a little. Seeming to only say what was necessary. In stark contrast to Nora, that is. Xavier smiled at this little dynamic of theirs, and much like with any man, he could tell instantly when a girl liked someone who wasn't him, so he gave a sly little nod to Nora's remark as if to say "suuuuure" and turned his attention to Ren.

"a good use of your time, you seem like a serious student, how well does that translate in the ring i wonder?" That was a bit of a teasing remark given that he had already seen Ren in one match, albeit an unremarkable one. The two looked at each other with a shockingly identical expression, before Nora laughed a bit.

"We're definitely not gonna fight you if that's what you're building to! I mean, you're like, totally on a different level! I always assumed that if there was anyone Pyrrha couldn't beat, we were all just doomed!" That got Xavier to shake his head a bit.

"well not here of all places especially, but i'm really not that great, just... think of me as something to work up to i guess?" He wasn't really good at this sort of thing, trying to not sound arrogant, though at this moment he felt truly like a teacher. However, amused as he was at their synergy, it went deeper than he expected...

"Welll... I dunno, Ren's always telling me to keep my goals in check." She wistfully sighed. "I mean it's not like- HUH!" She very suddenly unfolded her Hammer which had been hidden behind her back, sparks shooting from her upper arms as she swung it overhead, using the aisle between bookshelves as a guide to slam it down overhead onto Xavier! His eyes widened and Xavier only barely had the time to unsheathe his blade and bring it to bare against the head of the hammer, the impact practically forcing his arm back into his face, he grabbed onto his forearm with his free hand to push back enough to make it a stalemate. This girl was STRONG. He gave a sly smile and cleared his throat.

"fast, strong, good technique, are you done young lady?"

"You WISH!" She pulled the trigger on Magnhild's haft, causing a grenade to be launched from the top of the hammer's face directly towards HIS face! Xavier was forced to pull back and turn his back to the explosion to avoid being scarred by it as he was thrown forward. Using the explosion, she kicked off the ground and used it to send herself flying backwards. Nora would land gracefully on her feet, weapon held high and ready to give another lunging strike... But where was Ren?

Xavier staggered, trying to stay upright and had only just taken notice that her partner was nowhere to be found. The question would be answered as he turned his head to see an advancing Ren ready to blitz him from an odd angle. "so is this revenge for your teammate or...?" Ren had caught him entirely off guard with a feint. Xavier guarded high, Ren aimed low, sweeping Xavier's legs out from under him much like Pyrrha had two days prior. What's more, Nora would blast off using her grenade launcher to send her catapulting right towards Xavier, looking to smash him into, or most likely through the floor of the second-story library. With only one choice to avoid the crushing blow and a split second to react, he would snap his fingers, using an Aspect Pattern* to become briefly intangible.

Magnhild passed cleanly through Xavier and he landed back on his feet with grace, Nora wasn't quite as lucky given that the force of the blow caused her hammer to go partway through the floor. Ren would jump back and draw his twin machine pistols, Stormflower. Xavier looked between the two briefly. He could attempt to talk them out of this, or demand they stop and wait for a better time... He wouldn't, but he could. "i hope that's not your entire bag of tricks," He practically mocked as he looked at Ren.

"You wish." Came the quiet boy's response before closing the distance between them. Xavier played along and brought his fist right towards Ren... Only to have his arm used as a springboard, Ren leaping towards Nora as she freed her hammer, launching herself out of the line of fire as Ren opened up with both barrels. This, however, fit well into Xavier's experience. He would make a wide, sweeping gesture with his hand that set up a small field of antigravity, causing every shot to lose all momentum and simply float. Ren's expression changed to one of surprise for a brief moment. It was all the distraction Xavier needed to look for Nora. He would gesture an invisible tether between Nora and some of the rounds that Ren had fired, flicking them towards her, they launched forward with alarming speed and accuracy.

"W-woah!" She would quickly return Magnhild to its grenade launcher form to go on the defensive as she dodged the bullets... But found herself in freefall directly towards Xavier after blasting off high. With every confidence that Ren wouldn't arrive fast enough to make a difference, Xavier would leap high up towards Nora and bring his fist straight into her jaw with an intense uppercut that hurled Nora straight up to the high ceiling of the library. Xavier was likewise confident that her aura would be enough to protect her, having no idea just how tough this girl truly was.

Ren would make full use of the distraction to reload his weapon, this time with Dust... Just to experiment. He would load one with electric rounds, and the other with gravity. By the time Xavier turned back to Ren, the former hadn't noticed much of anything. Ren would aim at Xavier and open fire with the gravity rounds... Which passed right through Xavier's field, much to his shock. It was only by a hair's breadth that a bullet missed his face when he dodged before the Dust inside detonated, the small explosive force threw Xavier forward and caused the field he had set up to collapse, several bullets hitting the floor. He was suitably impressed at this point, upon picking himself up before Ren, he smiled. "am i gonna have to start taking this seriously?"

Ren would fire two shots towards the ceiling with his other pistol that Xavier jumped back from once the weapon moved. "That won't be necessary, sir." Xavier was getting mixed messages from that particular display, but before he could really ask, Ren would make it clear what he meant. "Because you've already lost."

Xavier's eyes darted towards the ceiling, but a moment too late to react as an electrically charged Nora came plummeting down straight towards him with a powerful two-handed blow. The impact sent Xavier hurtling straight through the floor of the library and embedded him into the floor of the first-floor hallway, landing in a small crater. "oooooooww... good trick," He clutched his aching ribs as he slowly got back to his feet, though his legs threatened to give out on him, he was still fired up. "i'm not... done... just yet-"

"Oh yes you are!" Came the booming voice of Glynda Goodwitch, who was marching straight towards Xavier. Within an instant he found himself held up in midair with a stinging energy all around him causing a somewhat intense pain, especially in the exposed skin of his hands and face. She had been doing paperwork in the nearby teachers lounge when she heard the crash. "What do you think you're doing, Mathis!"

Xavier stammered out a few nonsensical noises before he was released, plummeting the short distance back to the ground. "ow... look i can fix this i just-" He would look back up to see that the two students had vanished entirely. Smart. Once he picked himself back up, he nearly fell over once again, bracing himself up against the nearby wall.

Glynda was visibly furious as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Sparring with students at your level is something Professor Ozpin decided to allow, DESPITE my objections. But sparring in the library of all places is completely unacceptable!" She sighed before swatting his forehead with her crop. "Who else was involved?"

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"ow fuck-" He hissed under his breath as a red mark began to show up on his forehead, he struggled once more to come up with something, not wanting to get the kids in trouble. "...uuuuh, well, a pair who were talented enough to get the drop on me, but i didn't catch any names," And with hands in his pockets, trying to stop himself from meeting her gaze... his knees gave out. "ow... damn that hammer hurt" Whoops.

Glynda groaned, rubbing her eyes under her glasses. "Nora Valkyrie. I'll have to take this up with Oobleck. In the meantime, you go back to your quarters and wait." She floated up through the hole in the ceiling, closing it behind her and putting the room back together...

"i could've done that too... my mess anyway," He grumbled to himself as he slowly got back to his feet. While he was in immense pain, he could still concentrate on mending his injuries. Broken bones weren't exactly anything knew, and his matter manipulation let someone with immense knowledge of human anatomy like Xavier piece himself back together pretty much on the fly. Though once again, the pain would have to disappear on its own. For the second time this week he would take a walk of shame back to his room, and for an entirely different reason. While the temptation was strong, he didn't smoke inside, just instead idly waiting for the worst, or a surprise.

As Xavier sat at his desk chair, looking out the window at the falling summer rain, his door opened slowly, then was latched behind the silver haired man who stepped in. Ozpin, whose reflection he could see in the window, nodded a bit at Xavier before sipping his cocoa. "I heard you had a fairly intense study session in the Library today, Xavier."

The reply was nearly instant. "indeed, i myself was tutored in the arts of teamwork combat," He sighs, dropping the act immediately. "...i would've cleaned up that mess, it was my fault anyway," Taking responsibility for the actions of others was hardly something new to him, but Xavier would much rather get into trouble than have to students face the possibility of something like expulsion. Even if that was a worst-case scenario that was very unlikely.

Ozpin would take a few steps into the room as he spoke. "It's better if you keep as many of your powers a secret as possible." He glanced at Xavier, who by now had turned back to face the older man, before taking another sip of his coffee and resting on his cane. "Explaining space manipulation as a Semblance can only go so far. I understand many students have simply assumed that any different powers of yours that have been seen thus far are your semblance. What would happen if they began talking to one another about it?"

Xavier winced a bit, having tried to not let himself get caught, but this time he had taken it a bit far using his intangibility and gravity control like that. "i- ...well, what was i supposed to do though?" He wasn't defensive, but it was an honest question. "i'm supposed to be teaching them, right? if two first years can beat me, it kinda sets a bad example," Of course, he could just be projecting, remembering his own teacher as an insurmountable obstacle. "...oz- sir,” He quickly caught himself, remembering this was to address his mistakes. “i'm glad you've put your faith in me but i don't even know how to do this job properly,"

Oz laughed a bit, realizing what the issue was immediately as it was one he had seen far too often. "A second person of somewhat equivalent skill in anything is equal to at least twenty years of experience. Lai Ren and Nora Valkyrie grew up fighting for themselves outside the kingdoms after a Grimm attack claimed their homes... As a unit, I would say they have about 40 years of training." He gave a somewhat amused smirk. "That's not quite as bad as you seem to think, yes?" He sipped his cocoa once more, content to stand where he was as he gave his small lecture. "With the circumstances you're in... I promise you would be far greater trouble to me outside of this academy than in its walls. Although I suggest you not use that as an excuse for me to forgive everything." He shook his head, not mentioning the black ribbon he spotted under Xavier's bed.

Xavier and Ozpin had a bit of a strange relationship at this point, Ozpin was the only person he had been truly open about his past with, Oz was someone with enough experience and secrets to actually understand Xavier's troubles. In a way, it was like having his brother back in his life, only far less toxic. Giving a deep sigh, Xavier would speak. "i don't expect forgiveness for my mistakes, i'm... only human..." He sounded rather unsure of himself in that regard. Though he found it difficult to look Ozpin in the eye, given that what he feared wasn't exactly getting chewed out or punished. "i'm sorry for making this week so... chaotic,"

Ozpin took a moment before speaking again, seeming to actually finish his drink. Or perhaps he simply needed a strong sip. "I believe what's troubling you is simply a lack of maturity. You find it difficult to associate with the students as peers due to your position, yet you're struggling to truly feel as though you're any different than they are." He gave a small chuckle. "As much as I would like to solve this in a way that you'd enjoy... I cannot permit you to join this academy as a student." He would put on a rare, serious expression, looking Xavier in the eye now. "So I'll solve it the other way. Starting next semester, you will begin teaching a proper class, by yourself."

Wait what. "wait, what?" He quite frankly had no idea how to react to that, taking a pause to even find the necessary words. Of course, the first ones had to be: "...what are you wanting me to teach?"

The answer came nearly instantly following a small sip. "Non-lethal technique."

That caused Xavier to deflate, not because he had any real argument against the idea aside from a lack of confidence in himself, but because it felt like such an obvious solution that was starring him in the face. "well, ...i guess if they've ever got to fight people it couldn't hurt to know how to incapacitate someone," Xavier would stand now, beginning to pace as he thought this over. Though, something popped into his mind. "is... glynda still mad?"

Ozpin nodded. "Mm, furious." He smiled. "I may be capable of quite a bit, but I'm not a miracle worker." He smirked a bit at his own irony before stepping back out of the room.

"...and he's gone," Xavier sighed, so many details missing, but he figured today would serve as a day of rest before the coming storm. Oh well, he knew how one should be taught, though, he wouldn't take such a drastic approach as his brother did. He would lay back in bed and look up at the ceiling. "...the dreams don't tell the future anymore, i miss prospit," After some time spent in contemplation, he would make his way to the cafeteria for dinner. Despite the risk of showing his face around Glynda, food seemed like a good idea.

Midway through his meal, Yang would come up from behind and place a hand on a sitting Xavier's shoulder. "Hey hey!" Xavier gave a silent nod, midway through a bite as he was, Yang would keep talking. "So I have something extremely important to tell you. The stars must have aligned or something because get this: Mr Chicken 2 is coming out Saturday! We can actually leave campus!"

After swallowing, Xavier nodded along. "sequels like that are always worse," He actually had a grin at the idea. "especially when made years and years later like this,"

Yang grinned wide and gave a cute little energetic hop in place. "I knooow! I already bought tickets~!" Xavier returned that level of smile as he saw the perfect opportunity.

"i haven't been asked out in a long while, but what can ya do if the tickets are bought?" Yang nearly spit out her drink, having taken a sip right after she last spoke. That gave him some small relief. "...tell you what, how about i pay you back by showing the next movie in that series? it's called mallrats," He had briefly considered Clerks 2, but he wanted to actually keep a friend.

Yang nodded excitedly. "Hell yeah dude! We can grab lunch in-between and it's a whole day." She would take a seat across from him now. "I can't believe there's another one, I mean the first one's like 15 years old now, it's gotta be horrible!"

Before long, however, the obvious question would come to his mind. "...i don't suppose word already got around about what happened in the library?"

Yang nodded as she finished her soda. "Yep, Nora told me everything. I'm so mad I didn't get to see it!" Though, after Xavier's expression turned sheepish, she seemed to sympathize a bit. In her own way. "Well... At least it didn't get recorded, right?"

That gave Xavier a bit of a laugh. "yeah? well... i know what they can do now, it won't happen twice, ...it makes me curious what you and ruby can do actually,"

Yang shrugged. "We grew up by ourselves, so we have way more experience fighting each other than fighting together." She laughed a bit. "Ren and Nora though... They've clearly been together a long time, right?"

Xavier looked around briefly to see that the room was beginning to empty out. "oh no doubt, and at least one wants them to stay together a loooong time, if you catch my drift" It seemed he was a fan of gossip when he could access it. Yang's eyes went wide.

"You're talking about Ren, right? God I couldn't stop staring at them in History class, every little thing she does he feels the need to respond to, like every single time, even though he never speaks to anyone else."

Xavier looked a bit surprised. "really? i saw how much she was into him but i did not notice that at all... oh man those two are adorable," He had a small laugh at that, leaning back and stretching a bit.

Yang's jaw fell in surprise. "...Wait, really? She's into him too?" It seemed that she had the totally opposite ability as Xavier. Being able to instantly tell when a guy was interested in a girl other than herself.

Xavier nodded. "oh totally, i know that kind of look from a mile away... unless it's being given to me, but hey, that's most guys"

She snorted a bit as she laughed. "Ahh, so THAT'S why you totally ignored me giving you that look like twenty times the other day."

And that got Xavier to also give a good laugh. "yeah, right," That must have been one of her jokes in his mind, and so he fired back with his own. "just try not to suck any dick on the way off campus,"

She snickered a bit, putting on a very sultry, sensual voice... Wayyyy too intense for a garden variety joke. "No promises~ Mm~" Before laughing once more.

He was glad he had turned to leave so she couldn't see the blush she just gave him, but he replied in kind. "ha, don't flirt too hard or ruby might kick my ass"

Yang would also stand, starting to follow. "Nah, that street's one way. Anyone touches my sister I pound 'em. Wouldn't even matter if she was two years older." She laughed a bit, having finished what she wanted to tell him, but didn't mind hanging out a bit more. And neither did he honestly, with a few hours left before curfew they headed out towards the courtyard while chatting the entire way, mostly making bad jokes and sharing some small, embarrassing stories from their younger years before Beacon. Though, after the sun had fully set, Yang had a thought. "Oh man, I haven't showered yet. I just got back from jogging before dinner so I'm suuuuper sweaty."

Xavier nodded. "not the worst idea, i'll see you around?"

Yang stuck her tongue out and gave a wink before saying. "You'd like to~" And with that, Xavier was left to his own devices. He would get a smoke in, staying long enough to watch the moon rise before getting some rest. He had survived his first week, somehow.