[center](Mini Collab Post)[/center]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/848nn3f.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/csbAJ6W.png[/img][/center]

The skies were bluer than his appearance. Though, the forests were nowhere close to looking like the skies. To a handful of people, the colors [color=6ecff6]blue[/color] and [color=a2d39c]green[/color] would often be correlated with position. Blue would be above, and green would be enveloped under it.

There was no land where the skies were underneath the forests.

Jan eyed the dark-haired woman somewhat through the many strands of his hair. He then glanced at red-haired Faunus, then at the woman with a metal arm.

Half of the team didn't seem to be wary of him. The other half, including the team's leader, seemed rather wary of him.

It wasn't... an unfamiliar feeling. Both feelings, rather.

Almost jumping when Ben called to him, Jan heard him word for word before nodding somewhat clumsily. His hair shadowed his eyes, though it did nothing to hide his stiff expression.

[color=7ea7d8]"Yes,"[/color] he spoke, his voice rather light and boyish.

[color=00aeef]"Easy,"[/color] Ben began again, flashing Jan an easy smile. He started walking, briskly but not at a hurry and only paused his comments just long enough to make sure everyone was keeping in formation. Satisfied they were, and that he had his thoughts in order, he picked the train of thought back up. [color=00aeef]"Nothing bad. I'm glad to have you with us. Last time we went on a mission we had Jumpercable watching our backs, and it's a little strange going without 'em."

"But I do need to establish some ground rules."[/color] His voice didn't change much, but there was an undercurrent of solidity. He wasn't just making conversation, he wasn't reprimanding or making a threat either. There was no posturing behind it. Just the assurance that his words would be heard, and complied with. [color=00aeef]"I've got the lead on this mission. You're our backup, and our observer. And I'm thankful for the extra set of hands. But we're trusting you with our lives, and you're trusting us with yours. I've got absolute faith in my girls. I think they've got that in me, too. What they've got to say, I'll listen to what you've got to say, too."

"[i]But[/i] if I give an order, I need you to listen as well as they would. You're a part of my team while we're out here. That makes you [i]my[/i] responsibility. If we're all gonna walk out of here, I need you to think of yourself as part of the team, too. Alright?"[/color]

The smile Ben had quickly wore off the stiff expression Jan took, though his words were what made him relax more. And Ben was right- they had to work together, and quite frankly, an observer not working together with a team and its leader was asking for more hassle than well-invested effort. Nobody probably wanted to waste their time out here in the wilderness, even if some were more accustomed to it than others.

Carefully nodding so he didn't seem rude, Jan repeated another [color=7ea7d8]"Yes,"[/color] though it was noticeably less tense than before. He was still nervous, though he tried to set aside his emotions for now.

[hr]

The team continued to make their way through the forest. It had become apparent that Grimm weren't going to appear any sooner. Whether that bode well for the team's gut feelings or not was entirely subjective.

Though there were moments for many travelers where Grimm had not appeared during travels too often, it was rare for such a case where they would not simply cross a single set area. Grimm moved all the time. They were an omnipotent presence, always there when people expect them the least. Their presence caused negativity, which nurtured more Grimm.

Everyone knew that much. But their lack of presence made the trip somewhat odd, especially for something as troublesome as the CCTS malfunctioning.

Jan held out a small device handed to him before the mission, his eyes glazing over his surroundings. The device in his hands looked like a Scroll, though it didn't belong to him- it belonged to the Atlesian personnel. His Scroll was a rather outdated model, and considering his small sum of money, he preferred not to bring it where it could fall apart even further. Just to make sure if they were in the right track, he took out a radio linked to the personnel far behind them.

Earlier, the radio had heavy interference going on, but it at least still worked a bit. Now it outright refused to work.

[color=7ea7d8]"We're getting close,"[/color] Jan spoke firmly, though it ended up coming out nervously. His eyes looking for anything that could point towards the cause of the interference. But there was nothing. Nothing but the woods.

Walking further down, the faint shape of a large building could be seen. True to the reports, it had an Atlesian emblem on its side. Two metal doors were in the front of the building, dirt and rust having aged it. This building had been here for a very long time- almost as if it had been abandoned for more than just a couple of years. It didn't look like that large of a building, however, even if they were still a good distance away from it.

Something was off, however. There was an... odd feeling that people with sensitive Auras like his felt. He wasn't sure if the others could feel it, but it felt like...

[color=7ea7d8][i]Something's watching us?[/i][/color]

Unsure of what to feel, he stuck close to BASL as they approached the building. Now that he looked at it again, it kinda looked creepy, sitting out in the middle of nowhere like this.

[hr]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/f4w9JUr.png[/img][/center]

Sangue remained on her guard as Jan reported that they were getting close. By the time an old building sitting in the middle of nowhere showed up far away from them, however, she was more confused than anything.

There was a ticklish feeling she felt down her spine, yet she had no idea as to what was causing it. She glanced around, wondering if someone had poked her and she just happened to dose off, but she was perfectly fine.

She glanced at her team, making sure everyone was still together as she kept watch for their right. Her team's presence made her feel safer, though the situation felt no less odder than it had before.

[sub][@Plank Sinatra][@Krayzikk][@Kaithas][/sub]