[hider=The Wrong Lesson]
“Morning, kiddos, everyone bring their gear?”

A chorus of affirmatives echoed around the airship. A couple of smartasses rolled their eyes, but they answered anyway. No one ignored the question. The students all knew better than to ignore their teacher, even if it was something that had taken ‘em a while to learn. She was pretty easy going, all things considered, but she demanded respect and your attention. [i]Especially[/i] in this class.

“Don’t any of you roll your eyes at me. If you’d left your gear you’d have to stay on the ship, and I didn’t go through a buttload of paperwork for you to skip it.” Saeva Sareta leaned against the back of what was [i]supposed[/i] to be her seat, looking her class over with a faint grin. They were excited. She was a little excited, too. She didn’t get to take ‘em on a field trip like this very often. The class [i]was[/i] “Field Studies”, but usually that meant poking around in the woods on Patch. It [i]had[/i] been a lot of work to get the principal to sign off on it. It took them out of their other classes for the day, and in theory entailed a lot more danger than Signal students were usually exposed to. She’d had to [i]extensively[/i] prove that it’d be safe to get permission. “Let’s run through the ground rules, as usual. Who wants to give us a refresher? Samantha?”

“Stay in sight, stick with your buddy, and obey instructions.”

“Attagirl. And if I say back to the ship?”

“We go back. Immediately.”

“Bingo.” Saeva glanced over her shoulder towards the cockpit, doublechecking the landing site. The pilots knew what they were doing, but she was gonna dot the Is and cross the Ts. This whole thing was her responsibility. “Who remembers what we’re exploring today?”

“A controlled burn, Ms. Sareta?”

“Yep.” She flashed the speaker a grin and a nod. “A controlled burn, just a few days old. We’re a couple miles from the coast. A mid-level Datura has infested the area for years now. Why do we perform a controlled burn?”

“To prevent it from spreading?” The same student ventured, after a minute. A lot more hesitantly. Saeva wasn’t surprised, Datura weren’t covered until Grimm Studies at Beacon. She’d given them the basics a few days ago, but that was just a crash course.

“Mhm. If anyone remembers what we talked about, Datura grow by infecting adjacent vegetation. Left alone, they can get [i]big[/i]. Stories from a long time ago talk about Datura that managed to be classified as Grausam, rather than Riesen. But even the normal ones can be bad news if we don’t keep ‘em in check. Some of you are from Shiroyama, you guys know about Vlitra, right?”

A few students nodded solemnly. Excited as they were, that was still a name that could give them pause. She didn’t blame ‘em. She’d seen the monster once, and it wasn’t something you forgot.

“Then you know what I’m talking about. So we keep track of known Datura. We kill ‘em, when we can, but when they’re hibernating we can’t [i]find[/i] all of ‘em. So we do a controlled burn once a year. Kill all the plants around where we know it is, destroy any biomass they’ve grabbed. It’s a hard job. Infected forests are [i]filled[/i] with all sorts of nasty critters, and we have to keep the fire under control. But it’s important. It’s how we prevent another Vlitra from being created.”

“You ever done one of the burns, Ms. Sareta?”

“Yep! I did this one, when I was out of class on Monday. Now, this one is pretty safe.” Her tone turned serious, and she looked over the class again. “The fires only just went out yesterday, and we cleared the area pretty thoroughly when we were here. We shouldn’t have anything more than a couple Feind to worry about, if anything. But anything bigger than that and you [i]back off[/i], got it? That’s what [i]I’m[/i] here for. And if we find anything really big, you guys haul ass back to the airship. Capisce?”

Her students nodded. 

Man, it was weird being the serious one. Being a [i]teacher[/i]. Yeah, it had been a couple years but it snuck up on her every now and again. She dressed [i]professionally[/i] most days. The monkey’d laugh at her if he showed up to one of her classes. Not after she punched his teeth in, but definitely beforehand. That was part of why it was so nice to get out in the field. She got to go back to combat gear. Not as much as if she were going on a mission, yeah, but still. There were boots on her feet again, and not heels. And her sword… God, it was nice to feel that on her back again. The blade, wrought iron, scarred and pitted, looked little like the clean, well-crafted weapons that her students bore with such pride. Half of [i]those[/i] were mechanical marvels, the sort of sh- [i]thing[/i] she’d never understand. But they’d come to feel as comfortable with theirs as she did with hers. It was a journey they were just starting. Most of them had only [i]built[/i] their weapon recently, let alone spent much time training with it. Field Studies was an elective but it tended to attract the younger students, since it was a prerequisite for the handful of more advanced classes taught at Signal. Most of her students were first or second years, with a couple of outliers. 

It would have driven her crazy dealing with them when she was younger. As a teacher, at least. She always got on fine with kids. They had fun, unlike way too many adults. Being their role model was a little different. She needed to watch her mouth, set a good example, all that jazz. Saeva had almost laughed Sloan out of the room when he told her about the job opportunity. But he made a good case. These kids… All the lessons she’d had to learn, they were going to have to learn too. There was no one better to teach them than someone who had to work at learning. Someone who could understand where they were coming from [i]and[/i] show them how to grow. 

She’d mellowed out a little. That was her thought, at least while she started to lead her class around the burn zone. Most of it was as she expected. The fire hadn’t been put out until the night before, so there wasn’t time for the Grimm to start to flock back to it. As long as they steered clear of the contaminated zone at the center of the area, there wouldn’t be much to worry about. Blackened vegetation crunched underfoot, and every now and again she would stop to point out the telltale signs of Datura infestation in the charred area. It was a bit of a hike towards the clearing she had picked out ahead of time, a welcome bit of exertion in her opinion. She had to keep the pace even for her class, but getting to move at all was a welcome change. Saeva had to spend most of the day behind her lectern, at most pacing about the front of the blackboard. It almost [i]had[/i] driven her up the wall, her first few days on the job. She couldn’t understand how other professors could sit so still, she needed to [i]move[/i]. Field Studies was her best compromise. It wasn’t exactly riveting, but at least she got to move around.

This hike was the best class she’d had in ages. Nothing like stretching the legs. 

Gave her a chance to admire her handiwork, too. The burn had been all her. Some of her colleagues had helped start it up, yes, but [i]controlling[/i] it? That was her. Her Semblance made her uniquely suited to it. It still took ages to learn. A burn like this one needed to be controlled [i]strictly[/i] to prevent it from spreading beyond the intended area, and it just wasn’t something she’d ever had patience for as a student. Or the temperament. It was a lot more fun to let it blaze than keep it stifled. ‘Collateral damage’, that was a term she’d had to learn a lot.

Weirdly enough, that one took a while to learn. Beacon was all about teaching the skills, but it took much longer to get around to [i]controlling[/i] the strength you learned. Some things hadn’t changed. Earlier this year she’d heard about some overzealous kid that’d burned down an entire area, just to kill an Ariadne. Saeva had [i]winced[/i] hearing about that one. It was the sort of behavior that tended to get her a lecture, and she had to imagine he’d gotten one too. It took a while, figuring out how to mete out reasonable responses. The requisite amount of force to deal with a problem. Young Hunters, they tended to be more than a little over the top. Whatever force necessary, no-holds-barred, all-or-nothing. Lacking in restraint. That tended to come with experience, as did a more measured approach. Dropping napalm on an area could kill every Grimm inside, yes. But it could also do significantly more damage than necessary. A measured approach for every situation was the sign of an experienced Hunter or Huntress. 

…

She would’ve scoffed at that sentiment ten years ago.

“Ms. Sareta?”

“Hm? Yes?” She blinked a little and looked over her shoulder, where one of her students was looking at her curiously. “What is it?”

“Where are we going?”

“Right up here.” She pointed to the clearing ahead, picking up the pace just a little. The rest of her class had chatted between themselves while she had her little moment of introspection, but it was time to pay attention again. The Mantle native raised her voice a little and turned to address her students again. “Class! This clearing was a major point in the Datura’s infestation. That big tree trunk, there, he;d part of its mask. It was from right here that it spread its biomass.”

Saeva gestured expansively, encompassing the clearing with a sweep of her arm. 

“Take a look around. Stay in the clearing, stay with your buddy, but look around. I want every group of two to bring me the best example of infected biomass they can find. Remember the signs we talked about.”

The students all chorused their acknowledgement and scattered in a heartbeat. Nothing was quite as fun as getting permission to go exploring. Hunters and Huntresses in training they might be, but they were all still kids. Getting to roam about a cool bit of forest, even burned (or perhaps especially burned), was cool as heck. [i]She[/i] would’ve loved it, when she was their age. Gone looking for the neatest thing she could find. Made Negasi give her a boost to check out something at the top of the burnt trunks. Maybe found a Grimm to fight. Or fought the monkey. Maybe taken the time to gossip with Tor. The thought brought a smile to her face, while she leaned against the big trunk and took a sip of her water.

It wasn’t too hard to keep track of the class. They all knew better than to wander too far off. She’d give them about half an hour, then they’d get moving again. They were going to get to about kilometer from the edge of the infected zone, close enough to get a look at the still-infected part of the forest with their binoculars. Back to the clearing for lunch, and back to the airship to get back before the end of the school day. Easy peasy. Everything was going according to plan, too. She’d thought there might be a few Klein-class to deal with, but the Grimm hadn’t come back at all. Not a one. 

… Actually, that didn’t sound right. 

Normally it took a few hours for Grimm to start venturing back out of the infected area. The Datura would begin to try to spread again in a week, there just wasn’t enough vegetation to support it. Even if they didn’t dare engage a large group, she should have seen [i]something.[/i] Saeva hauled herself back to her feet and dusted off the back of her pants, beginning to walk towards the far end of the clearing. Maybe it was nothing, but she needed to be sure. With the type of Grimm that lived in this part of Vale, she had to be sure. So as soon as she reached the edge she started to walk the perimeter, peering into the hazy, smoke-laden horizon looking for anything amiss. Students to her right, forest to her left, she continued her march in silence. Checking for tracks wasn’t easy when the ground had been disturbed by an inferno for almost two days, but she kept an eye on the ground anyway. Something didn’t feel quite right. One rotation, two, another half, and nothing.

Until, when she looped around to the far end of the clearing again, that the particular set of jagged tree trunks beyond the edge, a few dozen meters away, were not trunks at all. It had to have been there since they arrived, but it had stayed buried under a thin layer of ash. Probably sizing up the group, trying to decide whether or not it could attack. Riesen were aggressive, but not stupid. Especially not Ankou. They were the smallest of the class, but no less deadly than their insidious colleagues. Now that it had been spotted, she needed to proceed [i]very[/i] carefully. Measured response was the key to getting everyone out of this unharmed. She kept walking, trying to pretend she hadn’t seen it, but turned towards the center of the clearing again. A single sharp whistle cut through the air, and served to get the attention of her class.

“Back to the airship, class. Now.”

“But Ms. Sareta-”

[i]”Now.”[/i]

Something in her tone clicked for them, that time. Saeva was very careful to be measured and calm with her class, the sharp undercurrent to her voice was alien to them. They all turned serious and started filing back the way they came, while Saeva turned to try and monitor the Grimm behind them. 

Fighting it wasn’t Plan A. It wasn’t a matter of winning or losing, it was a matter of making sure this didn’t escalate. She could report the Riesen later, but getting the class out of harm’s way needed to take priority. The Ankou had made up its mind, shaking off the ash and beginning to lumber into the clearing. Smallest of its class it might have been, but it was a [i]nasty[/i] creature. Powerful hind legs, a pair of front legs that doubled as wings [i]and[/i] a smaller, secondary set of arms. Without getting into the absurdly tough armor that protected its body. It wasn’t slow, either; it had crossed about half the clearing while she backed away slowly. She clicked her boots off of each other in a shower of sparks, just once, and slowly pulled her gloves onto her hands. A fight wasn’t the plan, but that didn’t mean she shouldn’t be ready. Saeva clenched her fist, [i]hard[/i], and sent a small shower of sparks raining to the ground.

The beast gave pause, for just a moment.

Not for the reason she hoped. A screech cut through the air, emanating from the Ankou’s beak-like mouth. It was calling in the cavalry, and it wasn’t waiting to get into the fray itself. It lunged with surprising speed, and she was forced to duck under its claws. She drove her fist upwards into its underbelly, but the Grimm was so armored it barely noticed. Her boot ignited to propel her backwards as the air slowly filled with the growing cries of the oncoming Grimm. 

“Class! Double time! Upperclassmen, guard the flanks. Schwarzes, I swear to God, if you try to pick a fi-” The next swipe caught her square in the stomach and knocked her aside, making the professor spit out ash when she landed. And say something [i]severe[/i] in old Atlesian that she was pretty sure made one of the aforementioned Shiroyamans gasp.

God, she was getting slow.

And [i]wishy washy[/i]. When the [i]fuck[/i] did that happen? What lesson was she teaching here, really? How to run away? How to let a Grimm push you around? What was she sparing them, by holding back? She could have killed it, first. Prevented it from calling up its flunkies. And where were they going to go? They weren’t going to run that entire hike.

Somewhere along the lines, she’d gotten wary of letting loose. That wasn’t the lesson she needed to learn. It wasn’t the one her students needed to learn. Discretion was important. But it was a scary, scary world out there. Everything they fought, everything they would learn to fight, was hellbent on killing them. That was a frightening concept. It was something they’d need to grapple with, every day between now and retirement. They didn’t need a role model on how to fucking [i]prevaricate[/i], when push came to shove.

They needed to see how to stand up.

They needed to see how to fight.

They needed to see how to face a foe and [i]kick its fucking teeth in.[/i]

“Change of plans, kids!” Saeva rolled, letting the Ankou’s claws stab into the ground she had occupied a second before. “Group up! Third years, the front. Second years the flanks. Firsties, anything that slips through and [i]that means you Schwarz![/i] Class is now in session!”

“Ankou are armored! Brute force isn’t gonna do shit!” Her boot hit the ground, [i]hard[/i], the ensuing explosion propelling her up and back. Showy, sure, but practical; it gave her some room. She drew her blade off her back, parrying the claws that swiped her way and stepping into effective range of the Grimm. It sure as hell [i]didn’t[/i] shrug off the riposte, screeching as the blade bit into its armor. The blade began to glow, dull red at first but brightening intensifying every second she held it, biting into mankind’s enemy again with a deep slash across its chest. The Ankou backed off, this time, growling long and low.

And getting the same growl in return.

“You have to use something sharp! And you have to watch out, because-” The Grimm screeched, and bathed the area before it in fire. Only it didn’t [i]do[/i] much. Wherever the flames hit the Atlesian professor they simply stopped, soaked in by her very body. A stream that abruptly ended when her left hand slammed into its throat, wrapping around as much as she could grab. Its flesh started smoking where her skin touched, softer plating melting under her grip. “These bastards breathe fire. More of a problem for you guys, but worth knowing. Now, those Grimm charging us? Those are Salamanders and Itzamna. We’ll deal with [i]those[/i] in a second.”

“First…” She growled lower, ignoring its attempts to pry her off. Her blade sunk [i]deep[/i] into its chest, and kept it there until it started dissolving. The flick of her blade as she withdrew it was contemptuous, and she turned to face the assembled students besieged by a dozen Grimm. “The Ankou. Avert your eyes, class.”

“Before I let you harm my students, demons, I will [i]burn the whole world.[/i]” Saeva snarled, stomping her foot once and letting the jet of flame erupt from where boot met earth. The flame squirmed like something alive, lancing from one Grimm to the next. It clung to their jet black forms, scorching until nothing remained. “Make them bleed, and you’ll [i]burn.[/i]”

They hadn’t been in dire need of her help, to their credit. Ankou aside, they probably would’ve been okay. But the Grimm had made her lose her cool in front of her students.

That wasn’t allowed.

“Back to the ship, kids. If anybody’s hurt, come see me on the way. Weapons drawn, in case there are more.” A beat. “... And please don’t tattle to the headmaster on me for language. I don’t need [i]that[/i] headache, too. Keep that our little secret, and I promise to tell some stories next class.”

[i]Man, Sloan is gonna want to know about all this….[/i]
[/hider]