New Beginnings, Old Habits. [OPEN]

Markus sauntered into the courtyard with his small metal briefcase in hand. It swung with his arm carelessly, yet seemed so balanced and familiar in his grasp. Today he did not wear his black tie and dinner jacket in which he was most comfortable. No, today he wore the school uniform of Syne, this a much less familiar object to him. Although he was more than used to formal wear not all that different than his current uniform it still felt strange. He wasn’t dressing up for a patron or a customer, he was dressing up for his peers and teachers, an all together different feeling. One that would soon pass he was sure but none the less a foreign feeling for the time being.

    He took a seat on a long stone bench which stretched around the outside of the courtyard. The whole scene was rather beautiful if not a tad old fashioned for his tastes. The foliage was in full bloom, vibrant greens and pale marble statues gave a serene feeling to the whole courtyard, making it feel more like the garden of a palace than a school for the monster slaying hunters and huntresses it housed. Hunters and Huntresses Markus thought to himself in quiet realization. I’m not so sure this was a good idea. I might need a drink sooner than I thought. Markus exhaled slowly staring up at the towering school before him before talking to himself out loud. “What have I gotten myself into.”

Not one willing to change into the uniform, Joan had just woken up. He was somewhere in the courtyard. He blinked a few times, the sun getting in his eye. He probably hadn't been noticed by many, probably because he just randomly collapsed in a random corner. His jersey and general college kid looked keyed in that he probably fell down and passed out drunk.

He did fall down and pass out. He wasn't drunk, he just kind of did. He had been up for... 36 hours? Probably. He was a little tired, so he had passed out. Of course, he was awake now. This meant he had to get up. He looked kind of like a zombie. He, albeit slowly, got up. Once up, he dusted himself off before walking out into the proper courtyard, to see a guy sitting on a large, stone bench. Joan, figuring company would do himself good, went and sat next to the guy.

"Sup."

"That is a question I still ask myself." Hyght said suddenly, his words spaced out between each labored breath. The young speaker was bent over at the waist and used his knees to keep himself up. His face was slick with sweat and his clothes, the physical education uniform of the academy, were more black than the usual dull grey color they held which made the black, emboldened lettering on the shirt were nearly impossible to make out. Hyght continued to breath heavily and wiped his face on the sleeve of his shirt. "Hope I didn't startle you." He said with a friendly smile. "I just found it amusing that I'm not the only one that asks that question."

Hyght Briggs was a young man with black hair and equally dark eyes that were housed behind a pair of half-moon glasses. With an initial look the word "Huntsman" would be unceremoniously far from the list of things people might think him to be. He was six feet tall but he had a belly that pressed  against the fabric of his shirt without causing any strain to the stitching. His limbs while not very muscular, had noticeable signs of training;  the dark purple color of bruising as well as cuts of various sizes that have yet to fully heal.  He seemed bone tired but held no reservations of stepping into the thoughts of someone thinking aloud. "If I'm not bothering you two," He said and gestured back and forth between the two young man, "would you mind if I steal a seat?" He nodded to the stone bench opposite of the thinker.

Markus began to draw out his personal flask from his coat pocket but upon hearing footsteps quickly returned it. Maybe later. He thought to himself. In its place he drew out a thin cigarette from his left pocket. Gingerly he set it between his lips before pulling a match from the same pocket and striking it up along the stone bench. Shielding the small stick of death from the wind he brought it to a low orange glow before flicking out the match and stomping it under his foot. He took a short drag ensuring it was lit before withdrawing the cigarette from his lips and exhaling the faded grey smoke in the opposite direction of the new acquaintance.

"Hello there." Markus spoke out with a casual wave of his free hand. "My names Markus. Who do I have the pleasure of addressing?" He spoke formally as though he was serving a customer back at his grandfathers. A habit he would have to change he was sure to avoid alienating his peers. He wondered how long he would have to remind himself that he wasn't tending bar but instead taking classes.

He took a longer drag on the cigarette once more, again attempting to keep the smoke from blowing in the direction of the rather over-casually dressed newcomer. He was definitely a fit fellow, about six and a half feet tall if he had to wager a guess. Though the way he carried himself made him seem far taller. His jersey was a mess as though he was sleeping behind a bush and his eyes betrayed his rather recent nap. But he seemed friendly enough, and Markus could use some human company until he got used to this place.

Before the boy could respond a second figure showed up. This one far different from the first. He didn't carry the same air of confidence and athleticism, instead he had a comfortable charisma about him. Not the commanding kind but the welcoming. The fact that these two were both hunters gave Markus a sigh of relief. With a class this diverse perhaps he could find a place here. That being said he could be entirely misjudging these people and both could be like the cold blooded hunters that used to pass by his grandfathers establishment. He hoped his abilities of judging a book by its cover were still as sharp here as they were back at his grandfathers bar."By all means, sit. I'm still not sure where I'm supposed to be headed. If I'm going to be late and lost I might as well do it with some company."

Varialis walked through the courtyard after leaving Vorhut in his locker, although, he didn't trust something that could fly away with his favorite weapon at a moments notice. He hadn't changed into uniform yet, as he hadn't had classes to attend and was just doing whatever struck him. Varialis twitched his ears at the commotion as he normally didn't see such a mismatched crowd in the courtyard, but, he was newer here as well, and didn't really know the social cliques yet. He was surprised to find that this seemed just like a regular school, relatively speaking. He strided over to the mass of guys around the bench. "Don't mind if I do." He said in response to the statement very obviously directed at someone else. He sat down right on the ground nearby, cross-legged. "Someone sure knows how to draw a crowd, huh?"He just laughed as he flashed a sharp, toothy smile and closed his eyes. He was just giddy at the prospect of making some new friends, and 'Hunters-in-Training' no less. He then remembered that he was one of them too. He held his smile and happily awaiting the next conversational center-piece to rear it's head.

Joan decided to get up, as he noticed that his constant sleep cycle was about to happen again. He stretched his arms and legs real fast, before actually answering any questions. He wasn't even fully awake yet, nah. That took about two hours, so his intellect was even lower than when he was fully awake. Some might not believe he could get dumber, but he could and had has before.

"I just came 'ere cause he was the only noticeable person around. Name's Joan, by the way."

He kept standing, albeit it was slouched. He stood at about 6'4" when slouched, as it was a very, very bad slouch. He put both of his hands on the back of his head, and yawned.

"So, what've you guys been doing? I've been sleep."

It was somewhat obvious because of his eyes. Not that it mattered, as Joan really did lack the care. He'd wear the uniform if he cared.

With a nod of thanks Hyght claimed his seat and was joined by another soon after. This man was a faunus of towering height, nearly a full head over Hyght, and inserted himself into the group without preamble. Hyght can't say he was against the man joining them but his initial appearance made his heart quicken for a moment before calming down just as quickly. Inwardly reprimanding himself for past experiences and the worries that sprouted from them, Hyght gave the new arrival a two finger salute. Joan, the man in the jersey whom looked to be barely more than a walking corpse, was also of an amazing height. From where he sat he was unable to tell which of the two men were taller. With a minor annoyance for his own height he settled of them being taller than him and left it alone.

"I just finished my daily laps."He said, the signs of his labored breathing all but gone. "And I'm Hyght." He added in polite introduction after Joan. "I can't claim to know everyone, or that many people here but I don't think I've seen you guys around." With a moment's pause Hyght pointed the young man across from him. "You mentioned not knowing where you're supposed to go, right? I'm guessing you're new. If you don't know where how about the what? I might be able to help with that." He fished out his scroll from his pocket.

Markus was suddenly surrounded by people. Crowds seem to gather rather quickly around here. It was actually pretty comforting; like the crowds that gathered at a bar. They must look like a veritable bunch of misfits at first glance. I guess that's what it took to be a hunter though. Even the few that he ran into at his grandfathers establishment came in all sizes. These three certainly fit the bill. Joan looked the most like a fighter who could handle his own against a grimm. With his build, Markus guessed he could probably throw a beowolf with his bare hands. The young faunus seemed like he could cut it on his own as well. Maybe it was a little racist but the boy definitely looked like he knew how to take down a beast. Hyght on the other hand looked more like a young professor than a hunter in training. Maybe it was his unassuming dress and stature but the boy seemed far less capable in a fight than the other too. Markus knew better than to underestimate him though. If he was here than it was for a reason.

He drew back on his smoke once again realizing he probably didn't carry himself as someone might assume a hunter in training would either. Well this could prove to be fun if my classmates are half as diverse as these three are. He mused to himself. Exhaling upwards he began to tap out the ash into a small metal, held by his breast pocket before dropping the butt inside and closing it.

"I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. A bit of a late enrollment I'm afraid. I almost didn't enroll at all. I was hoping to find my way around campus before classes started but even with a map I got lost. This was just the most obvious landmark that I could find." That's what I get for growing up in a town with only three streets. He never really learned to read a map and if he was honest it took him an extra two days to get here because he took the wrong train twice.

Varialis didn't even open his eyes, and simply nodded in the directions of the voices. He did happen to peek at Joan for a moment. 'Big guy. Looks like the sporty type. Could possibly pose a challenge in physical contests. If so, I hope we get a long.' He popped one of his deep green eyes open, and stood up, stretching a bit.
 "Name's Varialis Blackfort, use whichever one's easier to pronounce. Glad to meet you all. I only recently arrived as well, and I've mostly just gone with what my scroll told me to." He scratched the back of his neck and laughed at his own lack of professionalism. "But, if I'm not mistaken, your classes may differ from the rest of ours depending on your major, right?" He added after placing his hands on his hips in an effort to be more helpful.
 He hadn't really considered any of the thoughts that any of these guys may have about faunus in hindsight. 'May have to work on that in the future.' So far, he seemed to be in the clear, however based on past experience, this is more of a rarity than not.

Joan, in case one is unsure, is not one for sitting about in conversation. Not at all. In fact, Joan was getting antsy merely standing during conversation. He finally managed to figure out that this fanus in front of him was pretty strong. Still. He was just standing about when he could be making sure his muscles were awake in case of some kind of attack, or, some kind of brawl. Either of which, he'd be partial to. He liked fighting. He really liked fighting, but also knew when not to fight. Now was not the time to fight.

Joan lowered himself, and sat down. He then put his legs straight, and used his arms to lift his entire body off the ground, holding it. This was partly to show the rest how physically strong he is. He, himself, was not heavy. He only weighed 160 pounds himself, but to lift that off the ground using only his arm strength and holding it, he thought was an easy job. So did most of these guys, he figured. He yawned while holding those pose, figuring that he could talk to them like this.

"I was put in 'ere as a combat-sort of major. I like fighting."

It probably helped his case that he was not the one who properly chose it, he just accepted whatever he was told might fit him. You know. Go with the flow.

Hyght smirked and nodded to each man as they spoke. "I thought that might be the case. I've been here a few months so I'm only a bit more experienced with the Academy than you all are." He said and turned his attention to Varialis. "You'd be right for the most part. Most of our classes are based around what Major you are set into. In Joan's case, being a combat major would put him into more combat oriented classes. However, he still would have to deal with the normal sorts of classes us undecided deal with. Oh but don't think you can't sit in on a class or sign up for one if it catches your interest. There are quite a few strange people that have some good classes." Hyght paused and stretched his legs out to the side of the bench and took note of Joan's physical prowess.

"Impressive." He said with a nod. "What sort of weapon do you use?" He asked and then glanced at the other two. "Same with you two. What do you use, or might be planning on using to fight with?" Hyght found his curious nature overflowing like a cup under an open faucet. He had been so focused on getting into fighting shape that he hadn't messed with any weapons or much Dust in weeks. He felt like a man in need of a drink after a long dry spell. Back in his dorm room he had schematics for different weapon ideas he'd like to try out but he had gone no where with their real world creation. Instead he still had his dented circular shield and his gladius styled sword back in his locker. Though simple in their creation they did work just as well in dispatching the soulless creatures that terrorized Remnant.

"To be fair I'll let you know that I have a sword and a shield. There's nothing special about them. I bought them the day before I left home to come to Syne. I have been thinking up ideas for a new weapon but I haven't made any new works yet." Hyght said with a shrug and a short exhalation. "So, let's go with....you." He said with a finger pointed toward the young man across from him. "Sorry I didn't catch your name earlier."

Markus looked down at his rather unassuming case. It was probably the closest thing he had to a weapon but it seemed silly now. The case was extremely durable and had considerable weight to it. More than strong enough to swing like a club should he be unable to escape. He was never much of a fighter. He was trained by a few of the Hunters that passed by his town when they noticed his rather potent aura but nothing too fancy. Mostly just how to not get hit.

lifting his case onto his lap, he brushed off some sand and dirt it had gathered from sitting between his feet. Taping it gently gave no hollow sound, making it clear it was either solid or packed fully. He quickly pressed his thumbs to the side panels and with a quiet beep and the sound of compressed air releasing, the lock clicked open. Inside were an small assortment of shot glasses, two silver flasks with an unfamiliar insignia on them, two martini glasses and four separate types of alcohol. Along with an assortment of mixing spoons and a shaker the bar-tending case was truly packed about as tightly as could be. Each peace sat neatly inside a perfectly shaped slot, designed specifically for the tool that sat in it. The impact foam was usually used to reduce impact on various military vehicles but here it was used to protect all the glassware and tools Markus held dear."Unless I can kill Grimm with cocktails, my grandfathers case is about as much of a weapon as I own." He smirked as a finger absentmindedly traced a few bottles and glasses. "Who knows, maybe Grimm are allergic to a gently shaken martini? Truth be told I was always better with dust than swords and guns." A small vial of aquatic dust appeared in his hand which he twirled smoothly between his experienced fingers. Plus dust could chill drinks far faster and better than just any old ice cube. The case could more than handle the impact of a high powered swing and was large enough to be used as a shield in undesirable circumstances. His grandfather claimed it could take a nevermore claw without getting a scratch. Markus was skeptical but his grandfather rarely embellished, except when talking about Vacuo Whiskey.

Varialis peeped at the contents of the case and pouted a little bit. 'Pshh, dust schmust.' He thought as he twitched his ears a bit. He looked down to see Joan holding himself up in a prone position with one arm. He smirked at what he considered a challenge, and did the same. He didn't show off that often, but he just loved a bit of competitive adrenaline. He thought about the possible implications of who he was in accordance with current events, that he was some testosterone fuming imbecile with compensation problems, but he simply shook it away as he didn't care.

 "I use a tower shield, Codename: Vorhut. My grandpop gave it to me when I left to join Syne. He was a hunter too, and said that it was a great defensive choice." Varialis chuckled a bit. "Poor guy. I prefer to hit the grimm with the shield than the other way around. If we're talking defense, then I have a thin breastplate I wear at all times. I call it Wächter. Appropriate." He accentuated his point by making a sharp knocking noise against his chest with his free hand.
 
He smiled and looked over to his opponent. "How about you Hotshot?"

Joan raised an eyebrow, and let himself down onto his bum. He then shifted his body so his legs were behind him.  He then threw his legs up, his forearms staying upon the ground. When his body was vertical, he used his arm strength and core strength to stop his momentum, and held himself in the odd position. All of weight was on his forearms, but it wasn't a sweat for him. He even started doing leg bends, showing his stellar balance upon his forarms. He could even speak like this, as his training was a simple but effective form. Like this, but more fighting.

"I put on gloves with a bit of wire on the 'nside and punch the things. Simple as that."

After speaking, he grinned and used his forearms to lift himself to a full handstand, and from the handstand, he went to a one-armed handstand. As difficult as it may have been for him, he made it look easy. He held the one-arm handstand until he felt he should let go of it. He had taken the challenge from the fanus, and was ready to go all the way.

" 'outa make use of my physical strength, eh?"

Once finished with those words, he'd fall away from the ground and land on his back, before getting up.

"That was a nice wake-up stretch."

Verti sat behind a bush near the courtyard drawing hastily on a pad of graph paper, occasionally stopping to stroke his short goatee in thought before continuing to scribble.

Just as he got to a point where he was happy with his draft of an automatic crossbow embedded into a ridiculously large sword, he was startled by somebody on the other side of his bush saying “What have I gotten myself into.” In a panic, Verti coiled up, hugging his graph paper to his chest and attempting to make his large, muscly figure as small as possible.

As he sat there too nervous to move, Verti heard more and more people congregate behind him and start to introduce themselves and converse. He listened intently, waiting for them to either move or say their goodbyes, but instead heard the mention of weapons. This piqued Verti's interest in their conversation. He turned around, getting on his hands and knees to part the bush and peek through at the group of hunters.
They one by one explained their weapons (or lack thereof) to each other while two of them seemed to be attempting to keep most of their bodies from touching the ground. This puzzled Verti, but he listened intently.

The last one explained his weapon: gloves with wire. aww, no weapons that go boom. Verti thought to himself as the guy wearing a jersey did a handstand out of the blue. This caused his scroll to slowly slide out of his pocket and eventually fall. Verti watched in disbelief as it seemed to defy all laws of physics and bounce from the concrete, under the bench, off the grass, and right into the bush he was hiding behind. Verti looked up at the four as they continued to converse. Nobody seemed to notice what had just happened.

He reached down and fished the scroll from the dirt under the bush. I guess I should return this, huh... Verti thought in dread of what was to come. He slowly rose from behind the bush, holding his pad of paper on one hand, and started to walk toward the small group of guys. They one by one turned to look at Verti, causing him to become even more nervous. He walked over to the man in the jersey and extended his other hand holding the dirty scroll between two fingers.

"Y-You d-d-dr-dropped this." Verti stuttered as he attempted to keep his eyes from meeting any others.

Varialis flopped to the ground like a dead fish for a second before moving his hands to the ground closer to his hips. He pushed himself off the ground and curled his legs up behind himself, supporting his full weight with his elbows and forearms. He started to pull himself closer to the ground, before all of his arm muscles contracted in tandem with his legs swinging out like a pendulum, causing himself to do a full frontward somersault onto his heels.

 He exhales slowly and places his hands behind his head. "Oh man. Now I've got the itch. My grandfather also said that you never really know someone until youv'e found with them or beside them." He says closing his eyes with a wide grin on his face. "We should all have time before our next class. What do you say we beat on some grimm?"

He punctuated the last statement by pounding his fist into his hand. He pops one eye open to greet the stranger to the conversation. He gauged him with his gaze before closing his eye again and smiling warmly. "Well met friend. How about you tell us about yourself as well now that your here?"

(Screwed up the post order by accident. Will post after Verti from here on if no objections.)

(Hey, Var. Just for the future, please don't jump around in the posting order. It can cause some confusing issues.)

"A portable bar tending kit?" Hyght found himself unable to hold back a laugh. "Sorry, it's nothing against the kit I swear. I just hadn't expected that." What young baker peered closer at the object and its interior. Glasses, bottles of alcohol, flasks, and a martini shaker. Hyght hadn't drank much in his life but he was no true stranger to the inhibition shedding liquid. Without a conscious effort he had lifted himself from the bench and leaned closer to the open kit. "With that boast of durability, I take it this foam obviously isn't what you'd find at your general hardware store?" Hyght's inquiry would have to wait as Varialis spoke up.

Hyght turned his eyes to see the other two squared off in their own sort of competition. He blinked and gave the smallest motion of a shrug at their impressive performances. "A kite shield? Is there anything special about it? Is it made out of a special material that make sit light? Defense is needed but with the weight of a kite shield I imagine it would be awkward to wield in combat." Inside Hyght's mind were a plethora of creation and modification ideas for weapons.

Joan spoke up next, after shifting from one physically demanding pose to another that was far more advanced. "Steel wire infused gloves? That's very simple." Hyght said feeling a bit disappointed at the simple weapons the others were using. He knew it was silly but he loved seeing and hearing about other Hunter's weaponry. He heard stories of a girl in Vale with a scythe modeled around a high impact sniper rifle. The imagery that Hyght had in his mind for that weapon felt lacking in some way. He had so many questions if he ever met the girl in question.

As he was about to turn back to the first man he paused and heard the rustling of leaves. His head turned to regard the new comer as he emerged from it. The new arrival had wavy dark purple hair and stood as tall as Varialis and Joan. Hyght let out an playful groan. "What did your parents feed you?!" Hyght exclaimed to the three giants. He punctuated his outburst with a flop onto his back. After a moment he saw the new arrival offer a scroll to Joan. Returning to his earlier position he noticed the pad in the new comer's hard. Fortunately he had approached Joan with enough angle for Hyght to see it was some sort of drawing on it. "What that?" He asked with a gesture toward the pad.

Markus ran his fingers through his hair. He knew this school was big but this place sure got crowded quick. The new arrival once again reminded him nothing of the stereotypical hunter. This one maybe even more so than the others. He was about as loud as a sleeping kitten and seemed to have the bravery of one as well. Still he seemed nice enough and clearly had trouble getting the courage to show himself so Markus smiled at him with his best bartenders grin. "Hey there. I'm Markus Klyne. Don't let these two muscle heads intimidate you, they seem more interested in bopping grimm than anything else."

Markus snapped his case closed, making a whirring sound as the case latched and tightened its locks. Acknowledging Hyght's comment about the kits design he nodded. "Truth be told I think it was originally designed to transport volatile dust samples with hunters on grimm expeditions. A group of hunters couldn't pay there tab at my grandfathers bar so he took this as payment instead. We uh...we put it to a  more...recreational use." Markus chuckled as he realized it might shock a few professors if they found out a hi-tech Dust carrier was actually full of booze. In all honesty he wasn't even sure of the drinking age around Syne, but as long as he didn't get caught it shouldn't matter.

The case was set between his feet again as he loosened his tie and turned back to the newcomer. "So what kinda heat you packing?" Markus asked in a less formal tone. He leaned forward with a smirk on his face. He was feeling more comfortable after realizing that he wasn't any more out of place than half the students that seemed to go here. "I bet someone as quiet as you compensates with something big and loud. Unless your not really much of a fighter like me."

Joan was already bored. All this talk about weapons and if they were fighters or not, completely pointless. That's what his mind was telling him. The flow was dragging him into something else, or at least, it was. Something truly strange happened. The flow did a complete 360 and told him to stay there, albeit laying on his ass. So, that's what he did. He laid down and listened to the conversation that was happening, half interested. It was pretty clear he wasn't fully interested, so one might wonder why in the world he's sitting there. He could tell you, it was simply the flow.

He was almost ready to sleep, if he was fully honest. He really needed to get some fighting done, and there was only one guy he felt like fighting. It took him a moment before realizing the equally tall other fellow held his scroll in his hand. He sprung his hand out, grabbing it before placing it on his own chest, as a placeholder. He was far, far too lazy to actually place it in any non-existent pockets he had. After all, he was wearing a jersey. There were no pockets on the jersey.

"Thanks."

Verti dropped the scroll into the sleepy man's hand and was thanked for his trouble. He looked up to the other three students, his eyes skipping around to each person as he was not quite sure where they should be. Jeez, I wasn't prepared for this.
While skittering around, Verti's eye was caught by the sight of the kind looking fellow with the bar tending kit. I think I heard his name... Markus? Verti's nerves were eased a bit by the warm smile from Markus who then confirmed Verti's recollection of his name with a short introduction. After that, Markus turned and continued his conversation with the other shorter fellow of the group.

Verti's attention was then drawn by a faunus about as tall as him asking him to introduce himself. Verti began to speak (too softly to be heard) "I... uh... I-" but was cut off by an abrupt "what that?" from the guy who was asking about weapons. Verti looked at him and saw he was pointing at his notepad. Embarrassed, Verti quickly clutched the pad to his chest, but thought he was interested in weapons before. Maybe he can appreciate this. and hesitantly tossed the pad toward him. "I- I'm Verti by the way... Verti Aubergine." Verti stated to the group.

Verti turned back to Markus who was once again addressing him. "So what kinda heat you packing?"

If there was one thing Verti didn't mind talking about, It was his axe, Zerstörung. Markus continued  "I bet someone as quiet as you compensates with something big and loud. Unless your not really much of a fighter like me." Verti smiled and laughed a bit "heh. No, I enjoy fighting. Like I always say, people are a lot scarier that grimm! hah... I... um, I use a big axe. It's a family heirloom that I tuned up a bit. I'll go get it!"
Verti walked in a hurried pace toward the hall where weapons are stored. this will give me a chance to prepare myself for social activity as well. He thought as he let out a sigh.

Varialis twitched his ears for a moment. 'I can't tell if nobody was interested in fighting grimm, or just weren't paying attention.' His eyes were half open as he sighed in exasperation. 'Well, it's nice to meet somebody new... again.'

 He then pulled his scroll out from one of the pockets inside his leather jacket. "He knows that his weapon comes to him right? Grand-dad taught me about these long ago. Said that they were fun to mess with." He happily hummed as he pushed a key on his scroll and the screen lit up. For a few brief moments nothing, until a locker shaped container came bursting from the sky and pulled an air-brake a few feet in front of him. "As long as we're showing weapons, I  don't want to feel left out." He said as he opened the locker and pulled out a shield almost twice as wide as him and half as tall. The front was adorned with several ridges and a large parabolic crest near the top where the shield was widest. The shape of the shield was unique, appearing to be almost cross shaped, but still covering a large area. What really set it apart though, was its handle being horizontal to the rest of the shield, and located closer to where the shield was the thinnest. As he donned his companion, it covered his entire arm, hand to shoulder, and then some, appearing more like an oversized gauntlet than anything else.

 "She's fickle, hard, and heavier than sin, but she cracks a grimm skull like no other." He said as he smacked his lockers front panel, sending it speeding away into the sky. 'Speaking of cracking grimm skulls, maybe the new guy would want to take a round.'

The large newcomer seemed to be a bit defensive of the pad he now clutched to his chest. When Hyght felt he should apologize he was met with the fluttering of paper as it coasted through the air and met with in force of his palms clapping together on it. THe young baker turned the pad so he could see what the contents of the page were and he smirked. It was a weapon and an interesting one at that. Hyght read over the notes the newly introduced Verti had jotted down in the margins and followed the lines he had drawn to the sketched out part of the weapon. "This is impressive." He said with a smirk, his attention glued to the page. "This is quite-where's he running off to?" Hyght looked up just in time to see Verti trotting off toward the dorm building.

"Did I miss something?" He asked as Varialis fished his Scroll from his jacket and muttered something. A moment later a large rocket propelled locker landed in the court yard a few yards from them. The impact, while not overly impressive, still caused Hyght to find solace in the stone bench he was on. Varialis then hefted a large metal object that seemed as though it belonged more on a church steeple than in the hands of a Hunter. Hyght found himself gawking at the hunk of steel and had placed the note pad down on the stone bench as he moved.

"This is your weapon?" Hyght asked, despite the evidence before him. "What is she made out of? Who made her? Parts of her design seem familiar somehow. How do you wield her in battle? You only have a single handle spot? Have you fought against a Grimm before?" Hyght's mouth keep rolling off questions as he looked around at the massive shield.