RWBY: Legacies

Good Enough?

"Faunus..." The energetic voice of a rather eccentric professor begins. He looks out at the accumulated students. "Though disparaged by some as beast-men or half breeds, individuals with a single animal trait are known by the umbrella term of 'Faunus'." He zips around the floor of the lecture hall, disturbing papers on the main desk with his speed, his tie flailing behind him along with one flap of his untucked shirt.

"There was once a great war between the Faunus and the humans. A war that led to terrible losses on both sides. With the lessons gleaned from that terrible bloodshed, we now live in a society where humans and Faunus alike are treated equally and coexist peacefully." The professor tells them, raising his finger upwards as he now paces back and forth. Behind him hangs a world map of Remnant, various notes pinned across it that are connected by lines of string, like an intricate spider's web of information.

'Good old Bartholomew, always blissfully unaware that few people think as fast as him.' Theodore muses from one of the back rows. He looks down over the amphitheatre of students, amused by how many of them look a little lost. 'A shame he hasn't revealed the ingredients of his 'Special' brew; some of them might need it.' He thinks, glancing at the students that seem half asleep.

"But the gulf has not yet been entirely bridged." The professor continues, then pauses, the calm silence strange after the rush of speed. "Can anyone tell me which organisation demonstrates this best?" Professor Bartholomew Oobleck scans the faces of his students until deciding upon his unfortunate victim. "Perhaps you know the answer, Gray?" He points his finger straight at the poor boy.

"Uh, what?" Gray mumbles, barely awake.

"Incorrect! Amend your ignorance and produce for me a thirty-page essay by next week on the role of race within society from a historical perspective." Oobleck fires at him before taking a sip from his flask. Gray stares at him in dismay and confusion and a few of the other students subdue snickers. "My fine students, the future is no more than the accumulation of the deeds and misdeeds of the past. This is the ultimate truth," the professor adds, zipping back to his desk. "Those who take the past lightly will have no future to speak of."

"That's a little melodramatic," Eliza says, rolling her eyes in Theodore's direction. "Are you sure he's not just... yah know?" She swirls her finger beside her head and whistles quietly, disturbing one of her small plaits and earning a muted chuckle from Theodore; Surtur remains undisturbed, perched atop the railing behind Theodore's head.

"I suppose Bartholomew is somewhat of an acquired taste." Her partner responds, not taking his eyes of the professor as he repeats his previous question to the room. Eliza sighs with another roll of her eyes and puts her hand up to catch Oobleck's attention.

"It's the White Fang sir." She answers.

"Correct Marigold. Can you explain for us the White Fang's goals and the issues that have arisen around them?" Oobleck points his stick at her, taking another sip from his flask immediately afterwards. All the students look to Eliza as she stands, blowing a stray strand of hair from her face.

"Well," she raises a quick eyebrow at Theodore before turning back to the professor. "Their main goal was to address the widespread discrimination experienced by Faunus in society through peaceful means, like debate and negotiation." Eliza responds before she pauses and clears her throat slightly, crossing her arms. "But five years ago, a change in leadership led to a change in their strategy. They started stealing dust; smuggling it, dealing it on the black market... even kidnapping and murder became a part of their radical agenda."

Theodore spots Blake and Weiss shift as the explanation goes on, he can feel their unease. Blake looks down a little, flicking her eyes around before settling on staring at the map on the wall. Theodore wishes he could tell which location she's looking at, but he can't from this distance. Weiss almost winces, fiddling with her fingers and taking deeper breaths for a moment before she abruptly retreats behind her indifferent shell again.