((General posting order will depend on the order we all make our initial posts, and won't be broken unless I choose to interject with an environmental action (e.g. a noise heard or a Grimm attack) or NPC action. Be mindful of time in general, but at the start you may feel free to arrive earlier than I did and describe the scene then. I figured Persimmon would naturally arrive late.))
The comfortable atmosphere on the day of Beacon's first-year initiations seemed almost too perfect to be random chance. It was cool but not too cold, with a delightful breeze always blowing. Students had been gathering on Beacon cliff since the moment the sun first started peeking over the deep green trees of the Emerald Forest, and by mid-morning quite the robust crowd had formed. Notably absent from this crowd was Persimmon Burhan, who despite making quite a scene earlier, didn't seem interested in showing up now.
An official-looking huntsman stood calmly at the front of the crowd, observing them. His arrival had preceded even some of the earliest of student arrivals, and most assumed he was to be their instructor. Just as the event was scheduled to begin, a meek, frazzled little woman scrambled through the sea of students. Her face, clothes, and tail all showed the signs one would expect of someone in a major hurry, but what else could be expected of a Home Economics teacher suddenly asked to run a Beacon initiation?
She regained her composure somewhat before trying to address the students. While everyone could see she was clearly trying to get their attention, very few actually gave it to her. Eventually, she gave up on trying to talk over the students and allowed her megaphone to do it for her.
((Professor dialogue provided by Uncouth T-Rex in the HTDG initiation thread. These are neither my original writings nor my original characters.))
"Attention, lads and lasses!" her tiny voice boomed out, bolstered by the megaphone. "I hope you're all doin' well this mornin'! My name is Miss Siobhan Clannad, an' I'm your Personal Finance an' Home Economics Professor here at Beacon! Now, we all know why we're here, so if ye'd be so kind as ta call off your names so Mr. Rosenrot here can count ye, that'd be grand!"
As the crowd began to respond, there was some initial confusion as people didn't bother taking turns and tried yelling louder than everyone else. A quick, curt, "One at a time, if ye don't mind!" from Siobhan fixed that. By the end of roll call, everyone was accounted for, including a hooded Persimmon who had practically materialized out of nowhere into the crowd moments earlier. Can't cut it much closer than that. I'll have to reward myself later! He had successfully minimized his time in the sun and now longingly awaited his chance to drop below the dense canopy of the forest.
"Alright, it looks like that's everyone," Professor Clannad boomed over the megaphone. "Today is your Initiation. Behind me is the Emerald Forest, and it's chock full o' Grimm. If ye aren't careful, Mr. Rosenrot here is goin' ta be carryin' ye out like a sack o' potatoes, an' nobody here wants that, least of all me. Please do be careful! I don't want none o' ye gettin' hurt down there!
"Now, the point o' the thing is this: on the other end o' the valley is an old ruin from days gone by. Ye all are ta get yourselves there, find yourselves an ancient knick-knack, and get yourselves safely back here with it. We'll be watchin' ye the whole time, takin' notes on what ye can do and how ye work with one another. Keep in mind, the first person ye run into is goin' ta be your partner for the next four years o' your life. After all's said and done, the Headmaster and the Staff will be decidin' who forms teams with who based on what ye do today." She paused for a moment, letting that sink in. The whole thing seemed awfully intimidating to her, but she kept any trembling out of her voice. Mr. Rosenrot could take care of it if there was a problem, right?
"Now go on an' everyone of ye set yourselves on the metal plates. Ye will need ta find out how ta land on your own! An' please, do be careful!"
Persimmon took his place on a pad near the leftmost end, knowing the line to begin would probably start there. He had a pretty good idea of what was probably going to happen, and considered his landing strategy briefly. There really weren't many options for him, though; he wasn't very durable and his rifle wouldn't be much help, so that only left natural agility and careful use of dust. The latter was a bit noisy for his tastes, so he easily narrowed it down. The plan was in place, now he just waited to execute it.