After hearing Shiro's commiserating, Abel gulped down a mouthful of saucy lettuce and ham and flashed him a smile.  Among Abel's many expressions, gratefulness was an unfamiliar sight on his face, as evidenced by the slightly-goofy exaggeration to the curvature of his mouth, but it was genuine.  “He reached for his milk carton and took a big drink.  

The sudden flash and aggressive spitting noise surging from Gren's oil fire caught him off guard, and he reflexively leaned back.  Mercifully, he managed to avoid sputtering any cow juice down the front of his exquisite blue jacket.  “Might be a good idea,” he admitted after the orc finished speaking.  “Robert was kinda weedy, though.  Don't know if he'd enjoy a good steak.”  He straightened up until he was at his full height, and briefly scanned the cafeteria for a tussock of pink hair.  When in a few moments he spotted its owner, Abel frowned; Robert stood near his table, angrily addressing a girl Abel could only identify as Priscilla's opponent.  Though the dull roar of the throng of students obscured his words, his attitude was plainly discernible from the look on his face.  “Now might not be a good time for Robert,” he advised as he sat down.  “He's having girl problems of some sort or another.”

Immediately upon returning to a sitting position, he noticed that he and Gren were alone.  The furry white ears of Shiro had apparently vacated the premises while the guardian had been searching for his sparring partner.  “Where...?”

A loud clatter answered his question.  Abel's eyes widened in disbelief as he spotted Shiro [i]perched upon a table[/i] a few spaces over, menaced by none other than his own team's leader.  He was struck by conflicting anger and embarrassment for his teammates.  In his eyes, the cat really shouldn't have made such a scene of himself, but at the same time if he wanted to do it, he should be able to do so without nearly getting his arteries slit by the person in charge of him.  As it was, Abel simply sat, eyebrows compressed, lips slightly peeled back, and teeth shut tight in a look of consternation.  He happened to meet the eyes of a slender, black-haired, bow-wearing girl not far off who shared a similar expression.  Clearly the guardian wasn't the only one that Shiro's stunt made embarrassed for his sake.

What surprised him more was when someone took Shiro up on his offer.  Striding toward SASG's table came a cloaked kid in deep red with a mat of dark hair on a mostly-shaved head.  [i]Sapphire's opponent[/i] he recalled.  Was that why she had been with him instead of her own team?  Abel flinched when Shiro pointed out his table, but came up with a casual wave.  His attention was diverted by the arrival of Indigo and his questions.  “Yep, Abel.  Nice t'meet you two.  Steak?”  Abel was determined to keep the situation from becoming awkward.

-=-=-

Ozpin paced back and forth, deep in thought.  Comparatively, Ms. Goodwitch was a statue, though her emerald-green eyes held even more of a critical note then usual.  They were focused on the four young people standing in front of her, probing them, analyzing them, even the one scantily clad.  This continued for a few moments, before Ozpin made up his mind and turned.

[b]“Amaranth Desire, Benjamin Lloyd, Sangue Naga, Trad Oak.  It is not lightly that I've made this decision.  Ten days ago, the four of you were washouts.  There are those who pass the entrance exams for Beacon, and there are those who failed.  You failed to make the cut.”[/b]

A tense moment passed.  The expression on Ozpin's face softened ever-so-slightly.

[b]“But that didn't stop you.  Beacon or no, the four of you banded together, and two nights ago you did something that puts most of the events of the initiation ceremonies to shame.  You rushed to the site of the reported Grimm attack, saved dozens of civilians, and held off  the uprising of Grimm long enough for team CPLT and the VPD to show up and take over.  A heroic act even for seniors, and here you are.”

"That is why you four are hereby admitted to Beacon Academy as Team BAST, led by Benjamin Lloyd, who I believe acted as leader during the incident anyway.  You've been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity here.  Do not make my disappointed in my choice to bend the rules.  Lunch is underway, so head inside and have a meal before your lives as students of Beacon truly begin.  Dismissed.”[/b]

Goodwitch watched them go.  “This is a bad idea,” she declared as the door to the dimly-lit office closed.  “A self-proclaimed hero, a snake, a slacker, and a hussy, who happened to be in the right place at the right time.  We have entrance exams for a reason!”

Ozpin breathed in and out, readjusting his glasses.  He tapped the edge of his desk with his cane.  [b]“Yes.  It is time to see if they are accurate.”[/b]