[IC] Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

[HereComesTheSnow]

Brewing Storm

A thin line was the running description of Luke's mouth as they made their way through Chemical Processing. The only sounds they heard now were their own footsteps, tapping out a staccato rhythm upon the tile floor. Scanning the chamber twice, thrice over, he couldn't shake a sense of discomfort carving a hole in the pit of his gut.

I can't even hear their screams anymore—
This is like what I always heard about shark attacks on Animal Planet.

It was always the deafening silence that came right before. When the Ocean goes still, something big is about to happen.

"I can't hear any more screams." he reported in a low voice to the team behind him, slowing pace by a half-step. "Maybe they were a trap, some sort of mimickry to lure us in?"

He should have considered that, considering what they'd been fighting recently. Stupid...

"Or maybe..." he gulped down a stone hadn't realized he'd been swallowing. "Maybe they're all—"

CLANG!

What the heck was that?!

...

"Thaaaaaaaaaaaat didn't sound good. Jack, should we mess with it?" he asked, now completely stopped and warily staring down the drum that had been the source of the noise.

Because if it was his choice, the answer would probably be an emphatic Never, unless there were somehow people in there.

[Suku]

Brewing Storm

"It may be something dangerous rather than people needing help." Cian muttered aloud to herself the room also was making her nauseous. Looking around she carefully moved a bit closer to Luke avoiding some puddles on the way. Everything screamed run in her head but sadly she didn't think that was going to be a viable option this time around. The sound that she heard when they reached closer was not what they heard earlier that much was for certain. The atmosphere didn't help either in fact it just served the purpose of making it louder by comparison. "Jack what is it you wish to do?" Cian asked he was the leader and if it was put up to vote she would be the first to admit that perhaps leaving was the better choice it may be cowardly but it would save her skin.

[Sho Minazuki]

Jack Orpheus | Brewing Storm

His alertness took a leap when the screams stopped and were replaced by a more menacing set of sounds. Scratching of steel against claws, the falling of a metal drum, and what his ears are picking up amidst the oppressive silence as only a low sound... Likely of whatever was in there.

"This is like some C-Grade horror movie I swear", he sighed. Taking out one of his lightning pins, he threw it to the ground in front of him, it standing up as it imbed itself into the floor, as he started to walk for the door.

"Both of you cover me, if there's something in there I can just dash to the pin I set down", just in case though as he walked towards the door he threw another to the side of him too as he stepped to the door and kicked it open.

[Krayzikk]

"Much appreciated Sparks, Goodwitch." In the back of his head, Ben couldn't help but be a little surprised by how many seemed to have survived. Relieved, of course, but he's been expecting a much more grimm scene. Still, the cafeteria and the survivors were in good hands. JCL would have the lower level cleared and dealt with soon, which just left the residential rooms. Relatively close quarters, with no way of knowing what was in there. Lauren would handle that range pretty well (he knew first hand), but she was handling the survivors. Pretty damn well, too. Sangue wouldn't do as well in such a confined space, and she was busy...

...

Handling the survivors.

Left him and Amy. That'd work pretty well.

"Amy, c'mon. You and I are gonna sweep the rooms. Lauren, you and Sangue warm them up and hold down the cafeteria. Alright?"

[Write]

Gratia Mindaro – An Old Friend

There was a time in Bianca’s life that not many people were aware of. She was young, just thirteen years old at the time and she had just ran away from home, it was the first time.

She must’ve looked like a fool. She was wearing a floral summer dress that may have caught many a stranger’s eye. She was the only one wearing a floral summer dress where she had found herself. She was stumbling out of an alley, trying to find her way when Gratia had noticed her and helped her out. Showed her around a little, spoke to her. It was such a strange moment, Gratia too looked out of place but not for the same reason as Bianca. It was more or less like someone who was imprisoned – but was unaware of why.

Her wings fluttered in curiosity at the sour-faced girl. Bianca had learned as much as any young girl about poverty. But without first hand experience there was no truly understanding the depths of poverty. But Bianca was on the run and she felt as though she wanted to make an impact on the girl's life. When she finished conversing with her she took off her family ring and handed it to Gratia, telling her to keep it safe. It was one of the only moments in Bianca's life she could recall where it didn't seem like Gratia knew what to do or say, perhaps right now as well. She still remembered what Gratia had said.

“Thanks a lot… Birdbrain”

Bianca snapped back to reality, Gratia was taking the clothes off of one of the guards. Bianca knew what she planned immediately and nodded in her teammates direction. Forcing herself to stand, steadying herself against the cold concrete wall and using her wings to steady herself, though she found them to be much more noticeably cold than before – due to the lack of feathers most likely.

She prepared herself for the spare pair of clothes as Gratia planned. The man whose clothes were being stripped from his body groaned, but Bianca could tell Gratia hadn’t taken the pressure off of him yet and as such he wouldn’t be going anywhere. He caught Bianca’s gaze and his eyes were like razors. He wanted her dead, obviously.

She flipped him the bird.

[Crimmy]

Gratia Mindaro - An Old Friend

Gratia ignored the groans of the Dodici thug as she pulled his suit off, taking extra care not to rip any of the material. It was a good suit, one that was far too expensive for her family or even her, with the lien earned from missions, to afford. Crime really seemed to pay, if the quality of the scum's clothes was any indication, but she knew that in the end, some bigger fucker would roll in and squash them into the dirt. It was a fucking unreliable life. She was indication of that.

After all, she was going to tear their bullshit to shreds.

"At least you bother to shower often," said the Mistralese huntress as she glanced down at the underwear-clad thug. "Turns out even the most insignificant of rats like you don't crawl around in shit all day. Fucking surprising, really."

She grabbed the thug's lighter and keys as well, pocketing them with little to no fanfare. For a second, she paused, almost in thought, before she quickly crossed the garage to where Vitoria's unconscious body lay. Like a useless doll, discarded by whatever a bitch of an owner once possessed her. Gratia's onyx gaze fell upon the Dodici scion, eyes filled with an almost unbridled disgust. She could ... so easily kill her. So fucking easily. But she wasn't going to.

She was just going to ruin her life.

Gratia roughly ripped some cloth off Vitoria's sleeves and turned back to the still conscious thug. She needed the criminal piece of shit alive for other things, but right now she could not care less about her utility except as a resource to shut the nameless thug up. With nary a care for protest, the Mistralese huntress used the cloth to tie a gag around the gangster's mouth, and to tightly bind his wrists together.

He would not be calling for help any time soon.

She allowed herself to look back at where Bianca lay, protected from the cold concrete by her chartreuse coat.

Gratia approached and dropped the newly acquired suit down next to her teammate.

"Want help getting dressed, or you fine with not being a fucking baby?"

[Write]

Gratia Mindaro – An Old Friend

Bianca knelt down picking up the suit. She took off her coat and attempted to dress herself as hurriedly as possible. She was, rather viciously wounded, welts covering much of her skin. She winced as she tightened the belt to keep her pants up. Her fingers nimbly but painfully worked with the buttons on the dress shirt, her skin was dry and cracked and her finger tips showed clear signs of struggling most likely from the chain that had bound her earlier.

She made eye contact with Gratia before glancing in Vitoria’s direction. “I’m done being the Dodici’s bitch.” She said making her way over to Vitoria’s motionless body.

She stood over her for a brief moment. If she had seen Vitoria on the streets she would’ve thought her to be a rather normal Mistralian noble. She seemed somewhat pretentious in her outfit and hair choice, but other than that – rather normal. Her eyes were rather kind when she was unconscious; it was something Bianca was admittedly taken aback by. She was used to insults, used to vitriol being spewed from the girl’s mouth. She glared at the unconscious girl’s fingers. They were dainty, delicate, each with the precision and dexterity to pluck a feather from a bird.

But perhaps that’s not a great metaphor.

Bianca’s foot met Vitoria’s ribcage. Something snapped rather violently. Bianca’s foot didn’t wait to find out before impacting the rib cage once more. She sent a final kick to Vitoria’s abdomen as the Dodici flipped over on herself skidding slightly on the concrete.

“Fucking Cosca.” Bianca said quietly, returning to Gratia’s side straightening her suit jacket as she did.

She sported a small limp, but she could walk on her own – which was important. The freedom of walking felt like an entirely new sensation after being chained up for so long. But she was still in rough shape – most certainly not in any shape to do battle against any would-be aggressors. Her skin was cracking and she was light-headed from rather extreme dehydration. When she regained Gratia’s side she placed a hand on the concrete wall, awaiting her teammates plan.

[Crimmy]

Gratia Mindaro - An Old Friend

Gratia watched impassively as her teammate struggled to dress herself. She said not a single word as Nuit brutally attacked the unconscious Dodici scion. Her onyx eyes betrayed nothing. No emotion. She simply observed as the Faunus girl brought down her long-awaited vengeance upon those who had tormented her. It was ... in a manner, unnecessary and illogical, but people were never going to be fucking robots. It wasted some of their time, but she understood. She understood perfectly that Nuit wished to reestablish her independence, to reestablish her own sense of self, to no longer be some useless doll who could do nothing but cry under the tender ministrations of the Dodici family. And if that required some catharsis at the expense of some incompetent criminal scum, then so be it.

As long as Vitoria Dodici did not die.

She had other ideas in store for that woman.

The Mistralese teenager removed the car keys she had stolen from the other thug in the garage and clicked it, unlocking the doors to the car that she had originally been asked to escort. Those in the upper echelons were likely still expecting her to be an obedient little bitch and follow their every fucking order, but she had other plans in mind. Namely ones that involved tearing their entire organisation apart and grinding their puny little dick dreams into dust, but it would be useful to maintain the charade for as long as possible. It would make her job so much more convenient and efficient.

"Get in, birdbrain," she said, gesturing at the now-unlocked black SUV. "We're going shopping, because you look more fucking parched than a Vacuuan without a mouth."

She quickly moved over to where Vitoria lay, ripping off another set of fabric from the woman's sleeves and tying it around the wounds she had inflicted upon the little shit during their excuse of a 'fight'. That had been a truly pathetic showing from a supposed master criminal, but even the most well-dressed of braindead retards were still retards. They would be thrown into the madhouses and left in straitjackets all the same. However, it would not do for her to allow the woman to die. She could very easily be a good source of information.

If she didn't comply, then Gratia would fucking make her.

The girl picked up the Dodici scion upon finishing with the makeshift bandages, lifting the prone body over her shoulder with ease. The strength she had absorbed had yet to die down, and with zero care for the feelings of the gagged, wristbound and half-naked thug, she picked him up with her other arm, and began to walk over towards the SUV, where unlocked the door and dumped them in the backseat.

---

Shuai Taidan - Sticky Situation

"Oooh, is that your semblance?"

There was a sense of trly genuine wonderment in Taidan's voice, the prettyboy extraordinaire of the magnificent senior team known as KNVS widening his eyes behind his gas mask to get a better view (or at least, look like he was getting a better view; he was really just leaning his head in closer) of the floating eye-like object. It was a very interesting little thing, one that was definitely piquing his boundless curiosity.

"So this thingie observes, right?" he asked after a few seconds, tying in the shape of the semblance's manisfestation with the words his newest teammate had previously uttered. "Some sort of ... spying or tracking type power? Maybe a floating camera type thing?"

Another support-based hunter (if the hypothesis was actually right, duh) was good for the team. He wouldn't be alone anymore, and that was always pretty swell.

"No weapons, then?"

---

@Write @Savato @Sho Minazuki @Onarax

[Plank Sinatra]

Lauren wasn't sure whether it was a commendation of her quick thinking around the survivors or Ben's way of keeping her out of danger. Cap had to know she was the best on the team at that kind of range, and her Semblance practically eschewed Grimm attraction. What was Desire going to be able to do with Unchained Fury, short of lasso any wounded, delirious survivors around?

She took a deep breath and smiled at the man she'd been tending to.

Made sense, tactically. Leaving Amy and Sangue together with the survivors would leave them both looking to the other for direction. Lauren provided a good commanding presence; she practically spoke for Ben whenever he wasn't around, and sometimes when he was. The two halves of the team could keep each other on lock.

Didn't mean she had to love the hell out of it. But she could let it roll off her shoulders.

"Take care, babe."

[Write]

Gratia Mindaro – An Old Friend

The half-corpses of the Dodici thugs proved little resistance as Gratia loaded them into the back of the SUV.

Bianca couldn’t help but allow her smile to betray her. Gratia and Bianca didn’t go shopping together. While she knew they weren’t exactly going to be hitting up the latest in Mistralian fashion – she was still excited. She didn’t say anything as Gratia loaded in the Dodici instead just waiting for her friend to rejoin her in the SUV and take her wherever they were going to go. She attempted to lick her cracked lips in order to offset how dry they were but it barely helped.

Looking down at herself she couldn’t help but laugh. She was wearing a suit nearly five sizes too big and she just ached she was officially a hot mess. She absentmindedly rubbed the base of her wings as they were forced to spread out in the chair. She winced everytime her fingers traced the indents of the chains that had held her up for so many hours. She felt a small tear escape her eyes as she hurriedly swiped at it.

God damn it Bianca, Gratia doesn't need your shit

She did everything in her power to hold in her tears as she awaited her friend in the front seat.

VGNB – A nice Breeze

The Dodici Scion – after some time didn’t seem to be waking up. He stirred every once in a while but consciousness seemed out of the old man’s grasp. Beryl and Vega could clearly see the rest of the building. It still looked rather calm, no alarms had been pulled but Gratia and Napoli both seemed to be on their own and still separated.

Where and how they decided to go next would be their call.

[Krayzikk]

"She'll be fine. And back in a sec." The brown haired Hunter-in-training flashed Lauren a quick, mild grin and waved at the SL half of the team before beckoning Amy on. The quip-and-wave combo was pretty cavalier, an excellent smokescreen for nerves gnawing at the edges of his cool composure. Five people unaccounted for. Chances were they were somewhere on this floor, and if they hadn't said anything after all the commotion... They probably weren't alive. Ben allowed himself a quiet deep breath, masked by the movement of drawing his tonfa. The mission was almost over, if they could just keep it together a little longer. No more walking through a creepy, dangerous facility looking for survivors. No more finding dead bodies. For today, at least.

He had Amy fall in behind him with a quick point, slipping out of the cafeteria and back into the hall. Still no more Grimm, at least that he saw, so there was no immediate danger. But best to be careful. Even if it was the nerves talking, gut instinct had a way of keeping you alive. He just hoped he could find the rest of the crew alive. Or at least... Intact. The corpse downstairs had rattled him a little, even if he didn't let it show. First time dealing with a situation like this was bound to be hard.

But he needed to concentrate. He was the Cap. He was Bastille's Cap, and that meant being the best.

The first residential quarters he reached were closed and locked up tight. Metal door, industrial style, probably meant to keep Grimm out in a scenario like this. Like the stairs had been. Still, he was stronger than a Grimm. "Amy, step back and cover me."

The hawk Faunus nodded, stepping back and aiming Unchained Fury's business end at the door. Artorius and Lawnslot went back into the holder, and Ben braced his hands against the door where he felt the most resistance; where the deadbolt probably was. A quick application of Deinamig to the arms snapped the bar with (relatively) minimal damage to the door or the frame around it, and left it free to swing. And after drawing Lawnslot again with his left hand Ben gave the door a light push, making it swing inward.

"Hello? We're from Beacon, here to help. Anyone in here?"

@Lugubrious

[NaraK]

BASL eventually separated, with Ben and Amy going off to find more survivors. Sangue watched the two set off, a bit of concern rising in her. On one hand, she preferred having all of them stick together, but Ben and Amy's synergy probably worked better in the situation than any other among BASL's split team combinations. She trusted them.

She also trusted that the people she and Lauren were warming up would get better.

As the survivor's body warmed up, she slowly loosened the hand she pressed against his chest before letting go completely. The redhead sat with her knees brought up to her chest with her arms resting on top of them. The survivor seemed too exhausted to give her a proper "thank you," though Sangue did not mind.

"Is there anything else" Sangue asked Lauren with her idle tone, "we could... do for these people?"

Sangue wanted to do more things for the survivors, but at the same time, she did not want to do anything unnecessary and possibly leave them susceptible to sudden attacks.

[Crimmy]

Gratia Mindaro - An Old Friend

Gratia silently opened the door to the driver's seat, onyx eyes glancing across at Nuit only momentarily as she slid into the vehicle and pulled over the seatbelt, zipping it across her body and snapping it into the buckle with a resounding click. She leaned over to pull the door shut, before removing the set of keys she had acquired from the now unconscious thug loaded into the back. They jangled and rattled, a metallic ring that quietly resounded throughout the car. She didn't say anything. She only pushed them into the ignition, switching it on and bringing the SUV to life with a powerful rumble.

Her pale hands gripped the steering wheel even as boot-clad feet found their way closer to the pedals.

Not a single word emerged from the Mistralese Huntress as she began to drive the car out of the garage and onto the night-time streets of Zephyr City. Every once in a while, she glanced back over at the unconscious figures in the back of the vehicle, but there were no words exchanged on the ride. None. Gratia was simply following a route towards the one she had been, in her guise, tasked to do. She had no plans on actually taking her teammate there. She was simply misleading the scum that had dared hurt her Faunus companion.

The car slowed to a halt. A light had turned red. The roads were empty at such a late hour, but the sounds of the city were still dully audible from within the stolen SUV. It rumbled with power, the engine's noise fading into the background ambience.

"Those fucking tears better be ones of relief, Nuit," she finally said, impassive gaze turning its sights upon the aforementioned Faunus. "I didn't waste my godforsaken time to rescue some shitty Stockholm'd-wimp of a battered wife, did I?"

Went unsaid was:

You fucking aren't one.

[Lugubrious]

Brewing Storm

@krayzikk@sho minazuki@herecomesthesnow@kaithas@plank Sinatra@suku@narayank

Obediently the deadbolt gave way, giving Amy and Ben free access to the formerly-secure room. A short cry of “Ah!” gave away the room’s contents before their eyes could adjust to the darkness. When they did, however, they beheld a thin man with wild, poofy hair, whose dull brown tufts extended in a myriad of directions. It did not seem feasible that this fellow could see the two of them through a squint so severe as to make his eyes seem closed, but behold them he did, well enough to discover their humanity and realize that he’d been saved. “Thanks be!” Leaping up from the bunk, he moved into the light, revealing a stylish white turtleneck and wool jacket combo. A spurt of laughter forced its way up from his throat, and his joy seemed palpable. “I had feared that I would have starved in there. Imagine that: the Grimm attack, and how does poor Ivor die? Withered away in his own room playing games on his laptop. Actually, my sister always told me that’d be the way I went.”

He held out his hands in placation. “Sorry, sorry, I’m talking nonsense. Just excited to be alive! I’m good to go or do whatever you need. Don’t want to be dead weight.” The old scar on his lower lip made his mouth look longer on the right side when he smiled, as he gratuitously did now. Ivor clapped his hands together, attentive as a man with his eyes practically shut could be.

-meanwhile-

As JCL’s leader approached the door, the clawed drum across the room rattled again. This time, however, there issued from it a sound utterly human in nature: a muffled plea for help. Her call came too late, however, to prevent Jack from taking decisive action against the obstacle in his path. While the hider could not be accessed now, for fear of ignoring whatever foul things might lay in the next room, she would hardly be going anywhere.

Just beyond the threshold of the door Jack kicked in –which, for the good of his appearance, hadn’t been locked- lay a worrisome sight. Despite the passage of busy weeks since any of these students last saw Priscilla, they recognized her pink hair instantly, even when matted with blood. The girl lay on the floor, splayed as if she had been tossed there, heavily wounded but deprived of the mercy of unconsciousness. Only a split second allowed the hunters-in-training to see their fallen ally before her assailants swarmed forth through the door. The two harpies, battered and deprived of a few feathers, nevertheless attacked with fearsomely vicious speed and tenacity. The hooked claws of the first surged toward Jack’s eyes, while the other swooped low to knock him off his feet.

[HereComesTheSnow]

@Lugubrious@Sho Minazuki@Suku

Brewing Storm

"Cover me."

A command that, in this instance, meant a specific set of actions that teambuilding exercises both in and out of classes had quickly driven into the newfangled, turbulent team's skulls.

It's a catch-all phrase, and needs context to inform the actions to do it,
But the obective's always the same:
Keep them safe.

Nodding in Cian's direction, the black-haired brawler, proceeded to the right side of the door's frame even as she mirrored his action on the opposite side, both pressing themselves against the wall. In essence, they treated it like proper paramilitary personnel enacting a classic "breach-and-clear". Jack, with his nigh teleportational speed and general evasive savvy, was to kick the door down, and as soon as even a hint of an attack was launched from within, Luke and Cian were to cover his Instant-Transmission-level escape from it.

The door, sent careening inwards, was summarily kicked open as per usual. A split second of silence followed, just enough for Luke to wonder if they were clear—

Then the shrieks of approaching harpies shattered that illusion. Taut as a drawn bowstring, Luke readied himself for another round of visceral combat, as the avian Grimm burst into their vision.

And cover he did.

The uppermost harpy, talons streaking towards their leader's eyeballs, found herself abruptly and sharply torn off-course by the gauntleted hand that had suddenly encased her leg in a vicelike grip. Gritting his teeth, Luke leaned back to counter her momentum dragging him forward ever so slightly—

And then yanked the Grimm earthward, high-pitched whirring of his other hand's drill filling the room as it chased the creature's descending torso.

[Sho Minazuki]

Jack Orpheus | Brewing Storm

When he decided to walk through that door, he never went in assuming he'd be safe, that'd be stupid. At the first sign of anything, anything sudden, whether or not it was an enemy or not, he was going to jump right back to the knife he had set. He saw almost what he had expected, fears of some hyper-intelligent Grimm that was luring them was put to rest as he saw someone wounded, he was almost ready to run to save her, but he knew why he stepped into here. There were most certainly Grimm, this fact became much more apparent as soon as he saw the wounded girl.

Although she wasn't the only one there, two Harpy Grimm were already upon her, it was hard to tell what her state was, but as soon as the charged at him, he threw his knife up into the air, and dashed to it, getting past the two Grimm in an instant, before coming down with an aerial counter. These predatory Grimm were brutal, they went for his eyes and legs, most Grimm would simply try and hurt their targets however possible.

Luke took care of one of the Grimm, but Jack took the other, that went for his legs. The fact that it had to go low played well to him, as he landed on top of it, instantly grounding and slamming it on the ground. The lightweight flying Grimm was pinned quite easily, and Jack wasted no time to run his blade across it's neck, silencing it.

"I saw Priscilla in there, she was wounded, but we might still be able to save her", he said. Then there was the matter of the survivors she was with. Looking around, this did not match the room she contacted them from. No comms equipment or anything... The other survivors must be further back.

[Write]

Gratia Mindaro – An Old Friend

Bianca laughed. For the first time in a while her lips cracked into a smile and she found herself giggling. “I’d rather you burn the fucking place to the ground.” She said looking at her teammate who calmly drove the vehicle.

“I know that I’m not their fucking property.” Bianca clutched at her leg like a vice. Her fingers completely pale as they felt as though they may break. "They are not..." Bianca trailed off and swallowed her emotions down deeper. “Forget about me Gratia, focus on your mission.” She said shifting in her seat and glancing out the window at Zephyr. It was beautiful this time of year. She glanced in the mirror that hung between Gratia and herself. Looking back at Vitoria’s crippled body. She felt glad that Vitoria was in pain. It was wrong to feel that way, but it was how she felt.

“I think my Aura is nearly gone, I’m kinda dizzy too, but once I have a drink I should be fine.” Bianca said trying to stick to the essentials with Gratia. She was grateful she had come, and Gratia had been treating Bianca better than she ever could’ve expected since she’d seen her. But Bianca was a burden. There was no getting around it.

“If you want you can drop me off somewhere, pick me up later. I can figure it out you don’t need to wait around for me.” She said while absent mindedly rubbing a bruise through her knew dress pants. Her wings, from the minimal movement they already endured, felt like shit.

“Seriously anywhere is fine.”

Bianca had always envied Gratia. The two girls had their different strengths and weaknesses – of that there was no doubt. But with Gratia’s semblance what had happened to Bianca simply wouldn’t have happened to her. She handled Vitoria like Bianca’s sister handled a faulty pair of jeans. Discarded on the floor with a look of contempt.

It was something else that was for sure. But beyond any combat abilities Bianca found herself constantly attempting to show Gratia she was worth it. Maybe it had something to do with Bianca finding guilt in her wealth, maybe it was something else but Bianca felt bad about herself. That was the only certainty.

[Crimmy]

Gratia Mindaro - An Old Friend

"You are my mission."

She could care less about the Dodici Cosca. They were naught but mere scum; arrogant, ambitious scum with slightly more than two peanuts worth of grey matter to rub together, but they were insects beneath her feet. Pests, an irksome group that merited only irritation and disgust. Gratia would crush them, rip and tear their shambling hulk of a golden tower into utter shreds, leave their locust carcasses scattered into the feed of farm animals. They were the obstacle in her mission. They had hurt Bianca.

Her mission was to save Nuit. To ensure the Faunus girl's safety. The Cosca ... they were sidenotes at best. Her mission parameters had not requested their complete destruction, their humiliation and defeat by her hands. But for their role in kidnapping her teammate ... they would fucking burn.

She would bring that reality to fruition, but for now, she was to keep Nuit safe from whatever fucking asshole dared to drag her back.

Onyx eyes stared unblinkingly back at Bianca.

"I'm not failing this shit because you're too busy sulking pathetically over some perceived uselessness to accept my fucking friendship, birdbrain."

The lights turned green.

Gratia turned away, the SUV rumbling back to life as they began to move again.

"You're going fucking shopping with me. I'm not brooking any arguments otherwise."

[Write]

Gratia Mindaro – An Old Friend

Bianca simply nodded with a smile. Gratia must’ve been stressed. It wasn’t like her to drop the F-bomb… Ever.

“Yes Ma’am.” She said crossing her legs over one another and turning on the radio. She shuddered as the lyrics played out, quickly flicking the radio over to an instrumental station

She let her wings stretch out while making sure it wouldn’t obscure Gratia’s views of the roads too much, not there was anyone else to be watching for really. She felt her left wing brush up against either Vitoria or the half-naked guy in the back of the SUV and immediately folded them back in behind her. Apologizing to herself for that one silently.

She met Gratia's onyx gaze.

"I accept your fucking friendship. And your coat is itchy I don't know how you bare it. Don't worry I won't tell anyone.

“So… The others, they’re fine right?” Bianca said biting down hard on her lip. Until now she hadn’t wanted to ask because of Gratia’s demeanor and her lack of mentioning them. She feared for the worst. The Dodici might’ve been something, but surely they couldn’t have beaten Vignoble. Bianca hadn’t yet met her replacement, but she knew that if Gratia tolerated them – they were good.

She shook the thought from her mind waving her hands out in front of her. “Obviously they are, sorry. What are we shopping for besides a drink anyway?” Bianca asked glancing up ahead at the approaching convenience store lights about a block or two away.

[Crimmy]

Gratia Mindaro - An Old Friend

"At least my fucking coat doesn't have that shitty sandpaper consistency your skin has going on."

Gratia continued driving, gaze staring out at the dark roads. It was a quiet city so late at night. Most places were likely to be closed, with their owners and workers returning to their homes for the night. That left few options open. She did not particularly mind. She had no intention of bringing Nuit along to some upscale department store with their pricey bullshit excuses for "fashionable clothing". Nor did said stores sell actual food. What mattered was getting some fucking normalcy in her Faunus teammate's life.

She silently turned the SUV onto a side-street, pulling the vehicle into an empty convenience store parking lot. The outlet's neon yellow lights were garish against the black of the night, the large "QUIK-E-MART" an irritating eyesore and stain upon the city. How the citizens tolerated it she had no fucking clue, but they were all likely as vision-impaired as Venetia after a night of inebriation. There was no other possible explanation for their ability to handle the diseased abortion of a neon sign made by some druggie fucktard who has overdosed while working in the franchise's marketing department.

"I'll return in several minutes," said the Mistralese huntress, her voice cold and impassive, as if she was simply commenting upon the weather. "Don't kill the retards."

She immediately unbuckled her seatbelt with a click and opened the door, exiting into the parking lot.

The cold night air was immediately noticeable, especially without her coat, but Gratia ignored the chill it sent through her. She strode purposefully across the carpark and into the bright, cheery whiteness of the store. A half-hearted greeting was sent her way by the drowsy part-timer at the counter, and irritatingly sappy tunes played over the intercom, but the huntress ignored them. Onyx eyes scanned her surroundings. The store sold clothes. Good. They were of cheap Atlesian-make, but she wasn't going to leave Nuit in an oversized suit stolen from a criminal thug.

A woolen jumper. Blue. Navy jeans. The Mistralese teenager grabbed them without second thought. Given her teammate's looks, they wouldn't be too particularly clashing. She passed by the section on magazines, eyes glancing across the row for a second before she picked up the week's copy of LEI. There was a huntress posing on the cover (Gratia vaguely knew the woman from a previous Vytal Festival ... one Kawaguchi Umeko?), with the byline boasting an interview with said huntress on how fashion could be tied into fighting Grimm. Nuit was probably going to be interested.

Her journey through the store continued. A bottle of water. Three sandwiches. A strawberry-flavoured lollipop for herself. Gratia handed over several lien chips to the girl manning the counter, taking the change and immediately walking out without a single word, her arms filled with everything she had just bought.

The door to the SUV opened once again. Gratia slipped back in, handing Nuit the sandwiches, bottle of water and the fashion magazine.

"Thought you'd like to catch up on all the bullshit they've been peddling while those assholes were trying to prep you up as some fucktoy."