Hands-on Learning Experience [Private with Aka]

[Ela Motley]

Another day at Beacon was close to passing, Ela had just finished her classes for the day and was now in the training room, doing a few rounds of physical exercise to put her mind at ease and let herself better process what she had learned today.
Plus, letting off some steam after spending the last 7 hours sitting completely still in a classroom with no legroom made even Ela a bit antsy.

And kicking an Ursa Major in the schnoz just felt good, especially as her well-practiced strike landed right on the creature's snout, breaking most of its skull in the process.
A second Grimm hologram swiped at her, but Ela leaned to the side, grabbing the Alpha Beowulf's long arm and then using its own momentum to throw it over her shoulder with a spin and into the wall behind her, having it crumple into a heap.
A third creature now approached, a Griffon, swooping from above to grab her, but missing as Ela crouched low and then delivered a rising uppercut to its body, punching right through.
With that, Ela had cleared her warm-up course, 10 mid to high threat level Grimm, whose Holograms now faded into nothingness, Ela not having broken much of a sweat, immediately went over to the console to prepare for an actual challenge.

As she did, she could sense eyes on her back, turning to find someone standing in the dimly lit hallway at the entrance to the training room, another student from the few features Ela could make out.
"Oh, hello there, I'm sorry, but this training room is occupied, unless you wish to practice together."
Ela offered politely, as she walked a few steps towards the figure, a friendly smile on her face.

[Aka Kuroi]

Tick...

Tick...

Tick...

The shifting of gears, followed by the constant momentum of a clock's hand, was the sole lapse in the room's ever-encompassing silence. Though faint, she found herself drawn to the clock's mechanical whisper and soon began to embrace its rebellion against the suffocating stillness. To sharpen her focus on the blissful sound, her eyelids fell and draped her vision in a veil of darkness. She didn't need her vision for this endeavor. Next, her breathing slowed considerably, until she stopped her lungs from inhaling air entirely. With her breath held shut, the only other distraction left was the constant drumming within her chest. No, even the vital beating of her own heart must fade if she were to embrace the sound completely. In a matter of a few agonizing moments, the thudding organ slowed its pace until it was finally still. Only then could she fully grasp a hold on the one sound that truly-

"No Sleeping-"

"-I'm awake."

Her eyelids fluttered open as she met the scrutinizing stare of the middle-aged professor with a light glare of her own. They locked eyes for what seemed like an eternity before the professor shrugged and went back to the mountain of paperwork on their desk.

Even her own delusions couldn't save her from the tedium that was detention.

She'd been forced—no, not a single thing that breathed air could force her to do anything—compelled to sit quietly in an empty room for the better half of an hour due to a small altercation between her and another student. Which, by itself, was frustrating to the four-degree. However, the reasoning for why she herself had to face this punishment alone and not together with said student only served to douse gasoline on her aflame temper. "You escalated the situation far beyond what was necessary, Miss Kuroi. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to stay with me after class." The gruff professor's words reverberated inside her head and sought to drive her to madness.

It took nearly every ounce of self-control that she possessed to keep still and quiet before she was finally allowed to leave the classroom.

"And remember, just because someone shoved you doesn't give you the right to-"

She didn't stay long enough to hear the rest of what they said.

Aka stormed out of the lecture hall with great strides, pushing and shoving past anything that was unfortunate enough to cross paths with her. She didn't care much if she angered anyone; a part of her actually wanted someone to get angry. Would she be in the right for shoving them, and would they be in the wrong for hitting her? The adolescent girl blew out a heavy sigh of frustration as she contemplated the inane scenario within her mind. 'No, I struck them first, so I would be at fault. So why was I at fault again when the roles were reversed?' Her mind refused to comprehend her professor's perspective, and this lack of understanding only served to fill the well of disdain within her chest. 'Isn't Beacon a combat school? Why the hell did that senile old crone make such a big deal out of that exchange!?' The situation was unfortunate, and Aka felt as though she had been unjustly punished.

Punished by a person she could easily-...

"..." She needed to distance herself from those types of thoughts, lest they fester and become more than simple delusions. Her body already understood the situation and automatically sought the sedative. In little time, she found herself just outside a combat training room, a sanctuary of sorts for someone like herself. A place where she could be alone with her thoughts and actions, the one place within the academy where she truly felt unconstrained.

Unfortunately for her, she was not alone.

Past the entrance and hallway, there in the middle of the room stood a hulking figure amongst a crowd of...slightly-tinted blue grimm? Whatever the case regarding the strangely colored grimm, what truly caught Aka's attention was how the figure dealt with their opposition. It was not by means of advanced technology or fanciful bladework that this figure overcame her enemies, but by brute force. A part of Aka was impressed by such a display of effortless brutality; enforcing yourself on your opponent without a shred of doubt or pity was a stable of her own style of fighting after all. However, another, more cruel aspect of her soul immediately began comparing her own style to the figure's and how she would go about breaking down such an opponent.

She was not in the right headspace to share the room.

"Oh, hello there-"

Oh, God.

Staring from the dimly lit hallway like a creep, Aka was genuinely startled when the figure called out to her, though she did her best to not let it show on her face. "Oh...I didn't notice the room was occupied...I am at fault." The adolescent girl's crimson eyes fluttered in the dimness of the hallway as she tried to make out the approaching figure's finer details. They seemed older than herself, though by what margin she didn't exactly know. Her hair was darkly colored, though not as dark as Aka's, and her eyes were an emerald green color, much like the leaves on a tree. As she approached, Aka automatically began to compare their heights. Surprisingly, they weren't too far apart. "Huh..." How strange. This was the second-tallest person she'd ever met. The only one taller than this stranger girl was...

Aka decided that their height didn't matter.

She centered her focus elsewhere, deciding to respond to the offer the stranger proposed. "...If you would have me, then I'd prefer to spar with you." Her airy yet course voice echoed about the hallway; she still stood, not wanting to approach even if the stranger had a smile on their face. Not every smile was filled with joy, and she knew this better than anyone. "...But before anything, I believe I should ask this now, so..." She began as she reached behind her and grasped a hold of the gargantuan nodachi held within her belt. "...How did you smuggle grimm into the school?" The adolescent girl asks, seemingly both a little apprehensive and defensive by the look on her face.

[Ela Motley]

Ela was a bit concerned by the other girl's response, she seemed startled, but by what, a simple greeting?
Ela halted her walk towards the newcomer, to give her a bit more space.
Looking closer, she had never seen her before and was certain of it, after all, she rarely ever met someone taller than her, let alone someone with eyes as distinctly crimson as the new girls, so she'd have to be a first-year. Both of these facts were a bit of a surprise, but welcome ones.
Ela moved back to the ring, simply nodding as the new girl asked her for a sparring match. The second question did catch her a bit off guard, but Ela stifled any response, just deciding to answer the question without any ridicule. It was clear that not all first-year students were blessed with as much knowledge as most others, considering another student had mistaken her for a golem and this one didn't know what the training rooms were capable of.
A simple demonstration should fix that.
Ela walked over toward the console, activating the device with a tap of the display.
"I didn't, the training room did, or well, more precisely it created them."
Ela typed away briefly, and then suddenly an Ursa Major stood in the middle of the training room, pale blue, just like the previous simulations.
"With this console here we can create simulations of Grimm, environmental hazards, and even different landscapes, all for the purpose of training."
Ela typed away as she spoke, the Ursa being blown into the air by a geyser that suddenly appeared beneath it, to then roll down a hill of a grassy hill region generated next. With one last press, all three disappeared, leaving the training room bare once more.
"Here, try it out yourself, if you want you can create a terrain for us to spar in."
Ela offered, with the same warm and friendly smile, as she waved the new girl over to the console.