Lying Politely
A hush fell over the room as Professor Port's gaze swept across the room, a silent invitation for someone to break the ice.
No one did. Instead, I felt a dozen gazes almost piercing through the back of my head, with more appearing as even those slower on the uptake realized that there was a stranger in their midst.
The silence stretched on like a taut rubber band, and yet the Mustache Man was cool as a cucumber.
Even so, this group was not eager to volunteer.
A soft chuckle escaped Professor Port's lips. "I see, a shy bunch today, are we? Well, how about we nudge things along a bit?"
His eyes settled on a figure near the front of the room. A tall, broad-shouldered young man with a confident smirk and a swagger that spoke of privilege.
"Ah, Mr. Winchester," Professor Port's voice boomed, "Why don't you do us the honors and start us off?"
The so-called Cardin rose to his feet with a practiced ease, his grin widening. "Name's Cardin Winchester," he declared, his voice carrying effortlessly to the back of the room.
"And I'm here to become the strongest Huntsman in all of Vale."
As he spoke, he didn't even glance at me and I supposed this would be a decent way to annoy someone with more fucks to spare.
As Cardin droned on about himself, though, I silently used my Semblance on him.
Hmm...
He was talking mad shit for someone with some variation of Durability Enhancement as his semblance, enabling him to strengthen his skin and muscles.
While it was a useful ability, it wasn't anything to write home about.
Let alone the strongest in Vale, he would be hard-pressed to survive a meeting with an Ursa from what I could discern at a glance.
Nevertheless, I initiated the Analysis process, as I only needed to observe him a bit to reach the First Level...
"Excellent," Professor Port boomed, nodding his approval. "Thank you, Mr. Winchester."Carmin settled back into his seat with a self-satisfied smirk, and Professor Port's gaze swept over the class once more.
I didn't really pay attention to the red-haired guy that stood up next (Altair or something?), but I definitely paid attention to his Telepathy semblance.
MInd-related ones are always useful.
Assimilation initiated, a subtle siphon of my aura, barely noticeable amidst the classroom buzz.
Even though copying 1% of a semblance couldn't usually do jack shit, I also couldn't afford to let something good slip by me because I was too lazy to check.
This pattern continued with each student who rose to introduce themselves (technically to me).
Names and backgrounds faded into the background noise as my semblance probed and assessed, cataloging each and every semblance.
...my eyes might have closed for a brief moment to allow me to better focus on analyzing.
"Ah, it seems like our new transfer student hasn't been paying attention, eh?" Professor Port said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes anymore.
"Would you care to introduce yourself, please?"
I ignored the stares of my colleagues through the power of simply not caring as summoned my most polite fake smile and plastered it on my face.
"My name is Drago Geas and I like fighting!"
There we go.
Overly happy? Check.
Seemingly simple and almost off-topic? Check.
Obnoxiously loud? Double check.
First impression as a bullheaded idiot? Completed.
The fact that fighting only served as a means to an end...remained, of course, unsaid.
Professor Port's eyebrows rose in amusement, a hearty chuckle escaping his lips."Well, Mr. Geas, that's quite a bold declaration. It seems you're here for action, hm?"
I simply nodded, maintaining my wide, toothy grin as I returned to my seat.
The room erupted in a low hum of conversation, some whispers carrying a hint of interest and others a dismissive scoff.
The facade was in place either way, and as long as I didn't interact with the others too much, this first impression would color their thoughts about me for years to come, if not for their entire lives.
Such fickle things, the human minds...or Faunus minds, I guess.
Professor Port, seemingly satisfied with my performance, cleared his throat once again, signaling the commencement of the lecture proper.
He proceeded to tell us a detailed story of one of his numerous Grimm hunts, his voice booming through the classroom.
Each sentence was punctuated with dramatic flourishes and waves of his battleaxe, painting a vivid picture for us.
The tale was filled with feats of strength, cunning, and brushes with death, showcasing a seemingly endless array of tactics and strategies against a variety of exotic Grimm.
The underlying message, however, was clear: Professor Port was a legend in his own mind.
I didn't mind the free time, though. I had many new semblances to try out, some more interesting than others.
I brought out a Lien coin from my wallet and put it on my desk in one smooth motion.
With a thought and a flexing of my aura, the tiny metal coin...twitched, and then began to slowly quiver as I used my pathetic version of Magnetism Manipulation on it.
The Pride of Mistral indeed...
"Who here believes they have what it takes to be a huntsman or huntress?" Port boomed suddenly in what appeared to be a rehearsed line, from the bored expressions of my colleagues.
It woke up those napping, though, and caught my attention as well.
"Who believes they have what it takes?"
Was this...an opportunity to show off? Who needed to? If you felt the need to prove your worth, that only meant you might believe deep inside that you weren't worthy of being a huntsman in the first place.
That being said...I had set myself as a battle junkie no?
Might as well play the part.
A surge of energy coursed through my muscles as I activated a strength-enhancing semblance. A powerful leap later, I landed silently in front of Professor Port with a perfunctory bow.
He could have been planning to choose people at random but I had a feeling this was aimed at me either way. A small test for the newbie, maybe, but I didn't particularly care.
All eyes snapped towards me, a ripple of surprise coursing through the room. Port, a tiny bit stunned by my brazen interruption, quickly masked his reaction with a practiced chuckle. "Well, well," he drawled, his tone dripping with amusement, "it seems we have a volunteer. Very well, Mr. Geas. I suppose I can indulge your...enthusiasm."
I did my best to stifle a snort. The man knew sarcasm, that was for sure.
I have long since used my Analysis on Port.
His semblance was a simple variation of enhanced strength.
In exchange for Aura and stamina, he could increase his physical strength to superhuman levels, allowing him to lift and wield objects far beyond what would normally be possible for a huntsman of his size and stature.
I had an almost identical one sitting at level 4 of Analysis, which translated to 50% of the original's efficiency, and a dozen similar ones at lower levels, but the more the merrier, no?
A calm focus settled over me as I clad my body in aura, and my fist shot toward the professor's face.