An 8 a.m. history class seemed unnecessarily cruel, but Rumpole herself had never seemed cruel. Demanding, yes. Harsh, often. Stylish? Definitely. She reminded Coco of herself, which was maybe why Coco liked the professor despite her frustrations. Besides Goodwitch, she was the only other Huntress that Coco wanted approval from, but in that way the two women were similar: Showing approval wasn’t really their thing.

Coco considered what Fox had said. She pulled her glasses off and sat forward, wondering if she would really see things differently without them. On the edge of her vision she noticed Velvet casting a questioning look her way.

No one knew where Professor Rumpole was originally from, but like most people who lived in Vacuo—who didn’t use the right skin care—Rumpole had a deep tan. It was hard to tell how old she was, but she seemed young, first because she was short—about four feet tall—and also because of her fine features and mischievous expression.

Her sandy brown hair reached her ankles, in a long braid bound by golden cord. She had a wide, squarish frame that exaggerated her shortness, and she wore brown pants with a loose, dark green tunic cinched with a brown leather belt at her waist.

But Coco’s favorite part of Rumpole’s outfit was a sleeveless long coat, dark brown and coarse on the outside with glittering flecks, like rock infused with pyrite—or perhaps cloth studded with yellow Dust—and a silky, gold lining. Coco had dreams about that coat; it must have cost a fortune. It was both rustic and gaudy, but somehow Rumpole made it all work.

Without her glasses, Coco saw the essence of Rumpole: Despite her showiness, her style was functional, all business.

And she clearly loved history—enough that her enthusiasm for the topic was almost infectious. Almost.

“And so, Vacuo was faced with a choice,” Rumpole said. “To sit out the war and take its chances that the other kingdoms would leave it alone, or side with their neighbor to the northeast—Vale.” She paused and added, “We all know how that turned out.”

- RWBY: Before the Dawn, Chapter 1