A Day At Dunduo: Talis Ebonmere

The bell rings, and the students on the courtyard immediately react. Some rush towards the doors, eager to get in and get to work. Others saunter towards the door, expecting others to get out of their way. Still more hang at the back, hoping nobody notices them.

A humanoid projectile shoots towards the school, a partially armored Faunus girl clinging to its' back. She cheers loudly as the armored boy beneath her corkscrews once, then lands in the courtyard. She slides off of his back, laughing happily.

"That was fun!" She giggles. "I love getting to school!"

Talis sighs, sounding long suffering. "Enyasi, I swear. Stop trying to catch the pigeons". They walk towards the building. Talis takes calm efficient strides, and Enyasi skips along beside him. One of the boys at the front stops on the stairs and looks back at them, eyebrows raised.

"Who the heck are those two?" he whispers to his buddy, a short, red haired guy in jeans and a brown jacket.

His buddy rolls his eyes. "They're part of the poor posse. Just a couple of orphans from the old lady's home". He puts a hand on his buddy's shoulder. "Relax, just ignore them. She's a Faunus, and not one of the hot ones, too".

"It's the guy I'm worried about. That armor looks like more than just armor to me".

A few of the guys around laugh at that. "He's just a rustbucket, or a robot. Relax".

Talis walks into Dunduo. Viewed from the outside, the combat school is clean and sparkling, the better to cater to the rich neighborhood it's situated in.

Inside, the school is ruthlessly efficient. Every inch of wall has either a locker or a door assigned to it, and the halls are spacious, but not sprawling. Right now, the hallways are crowded, but this being the second day of school and all, Talis isn't surprised.

Enyasi gasps at the sight of the lockers, and the cleanliness of the school. Then she sighs, her head and shoulders slumping "I think this place is boring", she whispers to Talis. "When do we get to beat people up?"

Despite her whispering, someone nearby hears her. A blonde girl with straight blonde hair and...substantial cleavage. She looks at Enyasi distainfully, waving her scarlet nails. "You, beat people up? Well that just won't happen", she declares haughtily. "Most of these folks have been taking combat lessons from teachers for years!"

A crowd begins to form, and she laughs at Enyasi. Enyasi grips her pike and steps forward, but Talis puts a hand on her shoulder.

A brown haired boy steps to her side. He looks Talis up and down, then fixes his gaze on Enyasi. "I learned to use the blade from one of the most respected duelists in Vacuo". He gives Enyasi a sarcastic smile. "And where did you learn to fight?"

Enyasi looks around at the students, some of whom are already laughing at her. "I-I got into fights, so they-"

The blonde girl laughs again. "So you beat up a few kids, and so you thought you could stand toe to toe with us?" She laughs again, a high trilling sound, and Enyasi's eyes begin to widen in shock. "Go lick someone's rump, dog". Enyasi steps back, letting out a small grunt, as if she'd been punched.

Talis steps forward. "You have a problem?" Talis towers over the guy, but he stares back up at him, sneering.

"I spent five years studying with the blade, robot", he spits. "How many years have you studied?"

Talis laughs, a booming sound, shocking many of the students. Talis presses a button on his armor, and his visor collapses. He bends over and looks the kid in the eye. "I spent four years working with my father. From him, I learned how to make this". He taps his armor. "But to be honest, I spent only one year actually training".

The rich boy laughs at that. "And let me guess, it was some backwards hick from nowhere, with next to no Aura?"

Talis laughs at that, too. "They were from nowhere, you're right about that". He smiles darkly. "But my trainers were vicious, and they had no aura at all".

The students stand there for a second or two, stunned. Talis breaks the silence.

"Cmon, En", Talis says gently. "Follow me".

She obeys numbly, and the crowd parts for him as he follows an arrow sign on the wall.

Talis puts one hand on her shoulder. "Hey. It's alright".

Enyasi sniffs. "No it's not. They called me a dog".

Talis sighs at that. "Some people are bigoted towards the Faunus. You can't change that".

Enyasi turns towards Talis. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Her hair billows out behind her, and she begins to tear up. "They hate us already, and we just started". She sniffs, lowering her head and letting her shoulders slump. "They don't even know us".

Talis sighs. "C'mon, En. Let's get to the auditorium".

Enyasi turns her head towards Talis. "The what now?"