[h3][center][color=#f4c430]Saffron Merganset[/color] and [color=#8B4513]Brunhilde Braun[/color][/center][/h3]
[hr]

Brunhilde, having turned her scroll back toward herself, was just about to answer the question about her guitar when the girl who'd asked it thrust her own scroll forward and introduced herself. Hilda, after a moment of feeling surprised by the sudden gesture, smiled and added Saffron's ID to her list of contacts. Her body began to shake as she did so, excitement beginning to overflow from within. She'd only been at the academy for a minute and she'd already made her first friend! The tippy-tap of her thumbs came to a stop after a moment, and Saffron received a message on her scroll.
 
[i][color=#8B4513]"I'm Brunhilde Braun. You can call me Hilda if it's easier."[/color][/I]
 
The tapping of thumbs resumed, signalling that another message was on its way.
 
[i][color=#8B4513]"I like to be able to express myself, and since I don't have a voice, I use music. Also I was always told a good Huntress always has her weapon ready."[/color][/i]
 
"[color=#f4c430]It's your [i]weapon?[/i] That's so cool! How does it work?[/color]"
 
Saffron had always loved weapons. She'd never been much good at building them--Checkmate had been constructed with a stack of books on mechanics, fifty-three drafts of blueprints, and a blacksmith consultant--but she loved looking at others' weapons. And she'd [i]never[/i] seen a guitar weapon.
 
With a flicker of movement and a flash of light, she was instantly behind Hilda, looking at guitar. She couldn't tell where the instrument ended and the weapon began. "[color=#f4c430]Is the neck a gun that you take out of the body? Or does the head turn into an axe?[/color]"
 
Another blink, and she was back in front, thinking stance taken. "[color=#f4c430]Hmmm...[/color]"
 
A series of thumb taps later and Saffron would have her answer. [I][color=#8B4513]"Both. Only it's a sword, not a gun. It's name is Jormungandr, after a sea serpent from a story that is big enough to cause earthquakes.
 
"The sword absorbs kinetic energy each time it's swung. After enough is built up, it can be discharged from the axe head."[/color][/I]
 
She didn't mind giving away the "secrets" of her weapon, having been smiling at her screen as she typed. It was kind of fun to brag about it a little for a change, and Saffron seemed so excited by it, it wouldn't feel right to rebuff her. The way Saffron heaped attention on her made her feel a bit like a celebrity. Which, she supposed, she'd have to get used to if her dreams for the future ever came true.
 
Saffron looked up from her Scroll and gave an interested hum. "[color=#f4c430]I always kind of wanted to play an instrument, but I was never very good at it, and we didn't have enough to afford it anyway. And anyway,[/color]" she perked up, "[color=#f4c430]I can focus on being a Huntress now![/color]"
 
After a moment, Saffron sudddenly realized that they were an island in a tide of people that steadily swept towards the academy. But she didn't care enough to move, so instead, she grinned wide and flicked her own weapons out, turning them from knives to guns in the blink of an eye. "[color=#f4c430]This is Checkmate. Nothing as interesting as kinetic energy--seriously, that's [i]so cooool![/i]--but hey, it works![/color]"
 
She looked at Jormungandr a little bit enviously. [i][color=#f4c430]I wish my weapon could do that.[/color][/i] 
 
Hilda couldn't resist the ear-to-ear grin that bubbled up from her heart. It had taken a lot of trial, error, and professional help to get Jormungandr to work the way she wanted it to, and it was a great feeling to have it appreciated so vocally. Checkmate, by comparison, seemed much simpler, Hilda thought as her thumbs trapped away. Saffron could probably repair any issues easily all on her own, whereas she would have to take a trip all the way back to Vale if something happened to Jormungandr's kinetic absorption system. Plus...
 
[I][color=#8B4513]"Checkmate seems more versatile, though. Jormungandr is all about raw power in close quarters. Not great at range and no precision."[/color][/I]
 
Having noticed Saffron looking around a moment ago before quickly drawing attention to her own weapons, Hilda looked around as well while her message was being read. They'd been left behind while they were talking! Hilda began to walk towards the entrance of Shade without a...well, word. She turned and walked backwards, gesturing "follow me" with both hands. She wanted to keep up with the other students but not at the cost of abandoning her first friend. Saffron followed, having no issue understanding Hilda's overt gesture.