datadogie

Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers

Valencia Coquerdale

^{Mentions:@Heartfillia, @Aerandir}

Riding in a carriage was a lot more enjoyable than walking. The ability to look out and observe everything around the carriage whilst not worry about the huffing of breath after walking long distances, particularly for those that frequented armour upon their persons, was quite appealing; walking did have it's own benefits, though Valencia Coquerdale was happy enough to sit and wait for the carriage to arrive at it's destination. That is, sit still. Very still. Motionless, in fact. Enough so that perhaps the staff of Hoseforn's Academy may question whether her particular carriage was delivering a student or a statue. The armour definitely helped Valencia fit into the latter. The wings, too, might have helped were they not tucked in underneath the plates. Valencia just hoped that the uniform that she'd be receiving was comfortable enough.

Finally, the carriage came to a halt, and the coachman (so wonderfully provided by her father along with the carriage itself) announced that they had reached their destination, the front of the Academy. It almost embarrassed her that she had to be escorted to the Academy like this, for she knew that the coachman was also there to tell her father how she had acted on the trip, to keep an eye on her during it, as if she was not her own woman and capable of handling herself. She knew this because she had opted for riding a horse of her own to the Academy, and let it settle in the stable for the duration of her stay for whenever she would need to ride, however her father had overruled it. She supposed she had to thank him for not providing a full escort of some frustrating mercenary group or the likes, creatures flapping around like she was an empress, for that would probably have ensured she didn't come home and instead live out the rest of her days pretending to be a statue out of embarrassment. Stepping out of the carriage, Valencia dismissed the coachman, watching him as he rode away. Only as he entered the distance did she notice a quad of heavily armoured horsemen following on behind the carriage, and corrected her earlier thought; although she wasn't being directly escorted, her father had definitely assigned guards to follow behind. Smart, and thoughtful.

Turning her attention to the Academy itself, Valencia took in everything that was in front of her. The grounds were beautiful, both for their picturesque visuals and for the freedom that they granted her. Here, she was free of the metaphorical chains that her father had on her. Well, she was certain that provided enough push, he'd try to keep an eye on her and her progress, but it was a pleasant thought, at least. Valencia was certainly not the first to arrive, she saw plenty of other people also around, and she was smart enough to pick out the students that had been here before from the first years such as herself; Those that had their uniforms already on, and thus already had uniforms in the first place, were quite obviously ones that had already been around. First years such as herself, and some of the other unsystematically-dressed individuals fumbling their way around, did not have said uniform yet. Such an identifying difference was due to vanish by the end of the first day, she knew. The young woman began to walk, ignoring glances from those who had an interest in the intricately-patterned dark steel armour, or perhaps even those who had an inkling of who she was and where she hailed from.

Entering the Main Hall, Valencia paused to savour the grandeur of the room, before her eyes settled on the most prominent feature, the crystal. It was enormous, and she had to take a few moments just to imagine who had the idea of shoving the thing inside of the building, barely questioning how they managed to do it. Following the lead of other students, Valencia trotted her way towards one of the booths that circumferenced the crystal, passing an embarrassed first year student who seemed to be grouching to another equally embarrassed first year about how they smelled - going to a school publicly certainly seemed like it would be interesting, judging by that interaction. The whole ordeal of the crystal was piquing her curiosity however, and she was quite excited to see what would happen when she stepped inside the booth - to which the answer was the greeting from Athena. Like the other students, Valencia was asked to present her acceptance scroll, and once she had done so, was informed of her dorm number - 658 - and told to change, bathe, and return to the Main Hall. The note at the end almost made her wonder how long Hoseforn's Academy had been standing. Attendance is mandatory. Her father frequented the use of such a phrase, and it made Valencia wonder if her father had been to Hoseforn's Academy before her. "Thank you for your assistance, Athena," Valencia spoke smoothly, once her ordeal with Athena was complete. She stood in the booth for a few more moments, just taking in the crystal and the room itself, before proceeding to use her newfound map to make her way towards the dorms.

Soon enough, Valencia made her way along the halls of the dorms, searching for her own, and adjusting the strap of the pack that was over her shoulders. She had considered taking her armour into the school some other way so that she didn't have to carry both it and the bag. However, upon leaving home, she had decided that she would have a much better time if she just wore the armour and carried the bag at the same time, in order to ensure the safe journey of both her personal belongings, and of the armour itself, too. Her eyes constantly flickered down to the scroll and then back up to the dorm numbers, following them along and counting out in her head along with the signs. 684... 655... 656... 657... Foxgirl! Valencia stopped dead in her tracks as she almost ran into one of the students that she had noticed earlier, the one that had been talking about her smell. "Oh, hello!" Valencia says, stepping back to give the other person room. It was then that Valencia noticed that the other had actually been coming from the room that she had been assigned. Oh. A roommate. This will be... Pleasant.

Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers

Valencia Coquerdale

Valencia Coquerdale

Half-Gargoyle | 18 | Female

Standing at a height of 5'6 and weighing 203lbs, Valencia is quite heavy for her size, which comes as a result of her Gargoyle heritage. Her weight does not impact upon her form however, as she retains a slim and ectomorphic build, as well as a fairly average bust. Being part Gargoyle does effect her in other ways, though; Her hair, which is commonly straight and falling to mid-back height, is naturally a silvery colour, and often her porcelain skin can be mistaken for being a light shade of grey. This often happens in the dark (be it dark or dull rooms, shadows, or in the middle of the night), as well as in moonlight. The most prominent part of her Gargoyleness is a pair of grey-coloured wings on Valencia's back, allowing her the limited ability of flight. These are often folded close to her back, tucked to the point where they don't even create a bulge in the back of her apparel.

Expressively, Valencia varies. Her expression is most commonly neutral, and when deviating tends to do so more into the negative of expressions than the positive (though only a little more). She is also physically expressive, folding her arms to show displeasure being commonplace, for example. As part of her Gargoyle heritage, she is able to control her expressions as she pleases, resulting in her being able to be visibly unjudgeable if she so wishes. If you told her to stand in place with one hand up in the air, her eyes wide open, and on one foot, she'd be perfectly able to do so as if she was a statue without complaint for as long as was needed (provided nobody pushes her over). This trait is often represented casually as well, with Valencia frequently standing completely motionless when there is nothing to do and nothing that requires her to move. She is capable of suddenly moving out of this state.

Apparel-wise, Valencia opts to wear armour more than common clothes when outgoing, though will wear casual clothing on occasion. Her armour itself is forged from dark steel, giving it an almost black look, and decorated with intricate patterns to give it some style.

---

Rune Knight

An expert in fighting and taking it to their foes, knights are highly resilient against attacks due to both their training as well as their tendency to wear strong armour. On the offensive, knights are just as efficient, proving to be experts in fighting at close range, particularly with swords but also proficient in unarmed combat as well as with other weapons. Rune Knights, in specific, are also experienced in writing Runes into their equipment in order to increase their performance and add some magic to both their offense and defence.

---

Personality

Valencia is typically a pleasant individual to deal with, primarily in the fact that she doesn't go out of her way to bother people in the negative. On the other hand, she does have a rough side to her - individuals that she knows to be negative, such as bullies and assholes, will become a target for her own heinous attacks; whether it be vocal or even physical, as Valencia is not against a good tussle, particularly ones that she knows that she will win. Whilst Valencia if subject to the same emotional surprises that normal humans are, she is capable of withholding these surprises visually. A world-ending god could send everyone around her screaming and running, fearing for their lives, and she instead would be standing there like a hero, whilst internally fearing just as much as the rest of them.

Strengths	Weaknesses
- Extremely resilient, both by armour that is worn, and natural armour granted to her by being part Gargoyle.	- Being able to mask her expressions also can have someone questioning if she's telling the truth about how she's feeling.
- Extremely proficient at hand-to-hand combat, including unarmed combat, and with a high mastery of blades, particularly swords.	- Can often feel like an outcast, due to being part Gargoyle not being common whatsoever, and even viewed as partly evil at first glance.
- A strong individual, able to fight a man much taller than her, and even win that same fight, and strong enough that heavy armour doesn't hamper her mobility too much.	- On that note, can often be seen as evil by those who know where she hails from or those who hear about her past without judging her for who she is.
- Great night vision, able to see in the dark very well. Great for creeping from the shadows pretending to be a statue.	- Whilst resilient, Valencia does not have many ranged capabilities, leaving it up to her to close the distance for attack.
- The champion of statue impressions, able to accurately control both her expressions and posture as much as, well, a statue, giving her the advantage of surprise and some fun.	- A very light nagging in her brain, constantly attempting to turn her towards the path of darkness. It's so constant that Valencia has learned to ignore it as if it was never there.

---

Biography

Valencia was created as the incarnation of evil - or rather, she was created to follow a life of evil in the footsteps of her father, sir Jaune Coquerdale, an evil and rich wizard that desired to have a child to call his own and carry on in his name. Typically, one would go to a woman in order to start a family, however sir Jaune put his effort into researching a way into making his child unique and to give her advantages over others. It resulted in him soon looking into Gargoyles, for their abilities to fly, their natural armour, and most importantly to sir Jaune, their natural evilness. And so he made all of the preparations he could, poured his research into creating a child from a Gargoyle egg, and when the time was right, begun the process of incubating the egg.

What sir Jaune did not take into account was that being partly Human, his newly born daughter would be able to control the evil urges that the Gargoyle part of her tried to drill into her. Despite his displeasure that his plan had failed at the beginning, he held faith, and continued to nurture her as she grew up, being a surprisingly good father figure in contrast to his normally evil public persona. Tutoring was not done publicly, but was done privately within sir Jaune's estate by hired tutors, who worked not just for the money that they were given but also out of fear of what would happen if they refused.

As she grew old enough to have a mind of her own and not blindly follow in her father's footsteps, Valencia became aware of the truth behind the Coquerdale name, and why even her own tutors trembled in front of her. Evil was a little bit of an understatement in describing her family name, as sir Jaune Coquerdale was responsible for some quite heinous acts. Over time, Valencia's relationship with her father became shaky, particularly since he didn't bother to stop even after she had been born. A book that she read at the age of eleven about the Horrors of Iziari Village came from things that her father had done whilst she had been three years old and left home with his servants.

Despite her growing dislike for her father's moralities, Valencia could not help but enjoy the benefits that she was granted by being his daughter. An estate to roam, despite the servants of evil that often made their way through the grounds, and the ability to choose her path unlike those who were too poor to do so. This included choosing to dodge her father's insistence in delving deep into magics and instead learning the art of swordsmanship. She could only go so far in her elusion, as sir Jaune was her father, and so they came to a compromise; He wouldn't ban her from learning swordsmanship, and using the estate and it's resources to do so, as long as Valencia learned the art of crafting runes as well, in order to grant her at least some magic capabilities. Valencia agreed.

Using the resources of the estate, Valencia honed herself in close-ranged combat with swords and other weapons, and learned the art of using runes. The resources were not just limited to books, but her tutors that knew how to teach in the best way possible, and the guards with their experience. Valencia relied heavily upon the latter, going so far as to use her position as sir Jaune's daughter to pull guards off duty in order to duel them on the grounds. Sir Jaune allowed this, for he saw this as her learning how to be demanding, and a powerful leader. However, there soon came a point where Valencia's learning had to be taken a step further. Both Valencia and sir Jaune believed that Valencia was capable enough to attend Hoseforn's Academy. Honing her skills would help her become a better villain, one thought. The other believed honing her skills would put her on the path of a hero. And so, the application was sent.

Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers

Valencia Coquerdale

Valencia Coquerdale

Half-Gargoyle | 18 | Female

Standing at a height of 5'6 and weighing 203lbs, Valencia is quite heavy for her size, which comes as a result of her Gargoyle heritage. Her weight does not impact upon her form however, as she retains a slim and ectomorphic build, as well as a fairly average bust. Being part Gargoyle does effect her in other ways, though; Her hair, which is commonly straight and falling to mid-back height, is naturally a silvery colour, and often her porcelain skin can be mistaken for being a light shade of grey. This often happens in the dark (be it dark or dull rooms, shadows, or in the middle of the night), as well as in moonlight. The most prominent part of her Gargoyleness is a pair of grey-coloured wings on Valencia's back, allowing her the limited ability of flight. These are often folded close to her back, tucked to the point where they don't even create a bulge in the back of her apparel.

Expressively, Valencia varies. Her expression is most commonly neutral, and when deviating tends to do so more into the negative of expressions than the positive (though only a little more). She is also physically expressive, folding her arms to show displeasure being commonplace, for example. As part of her Gargoyle heritage, she is able to control her expressions as she pleases, resulting in her being able to be visibly unjudgeable if she so wishes. If you told her to stand in place with one hand up in the air, her eyes wide open, and on one foot, she'd be perfectly able to do so as if she was a statue without complaint for as long as was needed (provided nobody pushes her over). This trait is often represented casually as well, with Valencia frequently standing completely motionless when there is nothing to do and nothing that requires her to move. She is capable of suddenly moving out of this state.

Apparel-wise, Valencia opts to wear armour more than common clothes when outgoing, though will wear casual clothing on occasion. Her armour itself is forged from dark steel, giving it an almost black look, and decorated with intricate patterns to give it some style.

---

Rune Knight

An expert in fighting and taking it to their foes, knights are highly resilient against attacks due to both their training as well as their tendency to wear strong armour. On the offensive, knights are just as efficient, proving to be experts in fighting at close range, particularly with swords but also proficient in unarmed combat as well as with other weapons. Rune Knights, in specific, are also experienced in writing Runes into their equipment in order to increase their performance and add some magic to both their offense and defence.

---

Personality

Valencia is typically a pleasant individual to deal with, primarily in the fact that she doesn't go out of her way to bother people in the negative. On the other hand, she does have a rough side to her - individuals that she knows to be negative, such as bullies and assholes, will become a target for her own heinous attacks; whether it be vocal or even physical, as Valencia is not against a good tussle, particularly ones that she knows that she will win. Whilst Valencia if subject to the same emotional surprises that normal humans are, she is capable of withholding these surprises visually. A world-ending god could send everyone around her screaming and running, fearing for their lives, and she instead would be standing there like a hero, whilst internally fearing just as much as the rest of them.

Strengths	Weaknesses
- Extremely resilient, both by armour that is worn, and natural armour granted to her by being part Gargoyle.	- Being able to mask her expressions also can have someone questioning if she's telling the truth about how she's feeling.
- Extremely proficient at hand-to-hand combat, including unarmed combat, and with a high mastery of blades, particularly swords.	- Can often feel like an outcast, due to being part Gargoyle not being common whatsoever, and even viewed as partly evil at first glance.
- A strong individual, able to fight a man much taller than her, and even win that same fight, and strong enough that heavy armour doesn't hamper her mobility too much.	- On that note, can often be seen as evil by those who know where she hails from or those who hear about her past without judging her for who she is.
- Great night vision, able to see in the dark very well. Great for creeping from the shadows pretending to be a statue.	- Whilst resilient, Valencia does not have many ranged capabilities, leaving it up to her to close the distance for attack.
- The champion of statue impressions, able to accurately control both her expressions and posture as much as, well, a statue, giving her the advantage of surprise and some fun.	- A very light nagging in her brain, constantly attempting to turn her towards the path of darkness. It's so constant that Valencia has learned to ignore it as if it was never there.

---

Biography

Valencia was created as the incarnation of evil - or rather, she was created to follow a life of evil in the footsteps of her father, sir Jaune Coquerdale, an evil and rich wizard that desired to have a child to call his own and carry on in his name. Typically, one would go to a woman in order to start a family, however sir Jaune put his effort into researching a way into making his child unique and to give her advantages over others. It resulted in him soon looking into Gargoyles, for their abilities to fly, their natural armour, and most importantly to sir Jaune, their natural evilness. And so he made all of the preparations he could, poured his research into creating a child from a Gargoyle egg, and when the time was right, begun the process of incubating the egg.

What sir Jaune did not take into account was that being partly Human, his newly born daughter would be able to control the evil urges that the Gargoyle part of her tried to drill into her. Despite his displeasure that his plan had failed at the beginning, he held faith, and continued to nurture her as she grew up, being a surprisingly good father figure in contrast to his normally evil public persona. Tutoring was not done publicly, but was done privately within sir Jaune's estate by hired tutors, who worked not just for the money that they were given but also out of fear of what would happen if they refused.

As she grew old enough to have a mind of her own and not blindly follow in her father's footsteps, Valencia became aware of the truth behind the Coquerdale name, and why even her own tutors trembled in front of her. Evil was a little bit of an understatement in describing her family name, as sir Jaune Coquerdale was responsible for some quite heinous acts. Over time, Valencia's relationship with her father became shaky, particularly since he didn't bother to stop even after she had been born. A book that she read at the age of eleven about the Horrors of Iziari Village came from things that her father had done whilst she had been three years old and left home with his servants.

Despite her growing dislike for her father's moralities, Valencia could not help but enjoy the benefits that she was granted by being his daughter. An estate to roam, despite the servants of evil that often made their way through the grounds, and the ability to choose her path unlike those who were too poor to do so. This included choosing to dodge her father's insistence in delving deep into magics and instead learning the art of swordsmanship. She could only go so far in her elusion, as sir Jaune was her father, and so they came to a compromise; He wouldn't ban her from learning swordsmanship, and using the estate and it's resources to do so, as long as Valencia learned the art of crafting runes as well, in order to grant her at least some magic capabilities. Valencia agreed.

Using the resources of the estate, Valencia honed herself in close-ranged combat with swords and other weapons, and learned the art of using runes. The resources were not just limited to books, but her tutors that knew how to teach in the best way possible, and the guards with their experience. Valencia relied heavily upon the latter, going so far as to use her position as sir Jaune's daughter to pull guards off duty in order to duel them on the grounds. Sir Jaune allowed this, for he saw this as her learning how to be demanding, and a powerful leader. However, there soon came a point where Valencia's learning had to be taken a step further. Both Valencia and sir Jaune believed that Valencia was capable enough to attend Hoseforn's Academy. Honing her skills would help her become a better villain, one thought. The other believed honing her skills would put her on the path of a hero. And so, the application was sent.

RWBY: Chasing Shadows

Saffron Rupalfeather

---

With the Grimm on the retreat, Saffron was satisfied that she had done an efficient job defending her side of the intersection - with Rio helping, of course. It definitely wasn't an easy battle, however; Whilst she had a little experience fighting the Grimm within primarily controlled training environments, the real thing definitely told her that despite how realistic the trainings had been at Signal they had definitely been holding back. The Signal Grimm had been fierce, but out in the real world, Grimm were ferocious. And whilst she was proud that she had managed to hold back the Grimm with her teammates, Saffron was also relieved about that fact. Hopefully things continued to be as successful as they were now.

Saffron's eyes fixed upon a corpse of one of the fallen Grimm, observing the black smoke that was rising from it. Whilst it was interesting, the Faunus took care to follow Nivea's advice and try not to breathe in the smoke. Though, within a closed environment like this, Saffron wondered if it would soon become impossible to avoid doing so. She could see why Huntsmen would have such a problem clearing a nest, particularly in even more dangerous environments than this one. If they happened to get locked in by the degraded environment, either by collapse or mechanical failures in places such as this, she wondered what the consequences be, if it wasn't an ending of death.

Taking a glance to Kohaku as she spoke, Saffron offered the girl a nod of agreement. "Good call," Saffron replies, shuffling herself to be more along the centreline of the room. She was, however, bothered by Rio's sudden wish to press on at speed - and slightly bothered by the fact that he was telling them that the Grimm were less than a click away. "Less than a kilometer? How big is bunker anyways?" She asks, starting to face Nivea, before reconsidering and turning back to the front. "Never mind, I don't want to know." She adds, starting to pursue Rio, mostly so that he wasn't running off on his own ahead of them.

Data's Data. Character Data.

Valencia Coquerdale

Valencia Coquerdale

Half-Gargoyle | 18 | Female

Standing at a height of 5'6 and weighing 203lbs, Valencia is quite heavy for her size, which comes as a result of her Gargoyle heritage. Her weight does not impact upon her form however, as she retains a slim and ectomorphic build, as well as a fairly average bust. Being part Gargoyle does effect her in other ways, though; Her hair, which is commonly straight and falling to mid-back height, is naturally a silvery colour, and often her porcelain skin can be mistaken for being a light shade of grey. This often happens in the dark (be it dark or dull rooms, shadows, or in the middle of the night), as well as in moonlight. The most prominent part of her Gargoyleness is a pair of grey-coloured wings on Valencia's back, allowing her the limited ability of flight. These are often folded close to her back, tucked to the point where they don't even create a bulge in the back of her apparel.

Expressively, Valencia varies. Her expression is most commonly neutral, and when deviating tends to do so more into the negative of expressions than the positive (though only a little more). She is also physically expressive, folding her arms to show displeasure being commonplace, for example. As part of her Gargoyle heritage, she is able to control her expressions as she pleases, resulting in her being able to be visibly unjudgeable if she so wishes. If you told her to stand in place with one hand up in the air, her eyes wide open, and on one foot, she'd be perfectly able to do so as if she was a statue without complaint for as long as was needed (provided nobody pushes her over). This trait is often represented casually as well, with Valencia frequently standing completely motionless when there is nothing to do and nothing that requires her to move. She is capable of suddenly moving out of this state.

Apparel-wise, Valencia opts to wear armour more than common clothes when outgoing, though will wear casual clothing on occasion. Her armour itself is forged from dark steel, giving it an almost black look, and decorated with intricate patterns to give it some style.

---

Rune Knight

An expert in fighting and taking it to their foes, knights are highly resilient against attacks due to both their training as well as their tendency to wear strong armour. On the offensive, knights are just as efficient, proving to be experts in fighting at close range, particularly with swords but also proficient in unarmed combat as well as with other weapons. Rune Knights, in specific, are also experienced in writing Runes into their equipment in order to increase their performance and add some magic to both their offense and defence.

---

Personality

Valencia is typically a pleasant individual to deal with, primarily in the fact that she doesn't go out of her way to bother people in the negative. On the other hand, she does have a rough side to her - individuals that she knows to be negative, such as bullies and assholes, will become a target for her own heinous attacks; whether it be vocal or even physical, as Valencia is not against a good tussle, particularly ones that she knows that she will win. Whilst Valencia if subject to the same emotional surprises that normal humans are, she is capable of withholding these surprises visually. A world-ending god could send everyone around her screaming and running, fearing for their lives, and she instead would be standing there like a hero, whilst internally fearing just as much as the rest of them.

Strengths	Weaknesses
- Extremely resilient, both by armour that is worn, and natural armour granted to her by being part Gargoyle.	- Being able to mask her expressions also can have someone questioning if she's telling the truth about how she's feeling.
- Extremely proficient at hand-to-hand combat, including unarmed combat, and with a high mastery of blades, particularly swords.	- Can often feel like an outcast, due to being part Gargoyle not being common whatsoever, and even viewed as partly evil at first glance.
- A strong individual, able to fight a man much taller than her, and even win that same fight, and strong enough that heavy armour doesn't hamper her mobility too much.	- On that note, can often be seen as evil by those who know where she hails from or those who hear about her past without judging her for who she is.
- Great night vision, able to see in the dark very well. Great for creeping from the shadows pretending to be a statue.	- Whilst resilient, Valencia does not have many ranged capabilities, leaving it up to her to close the distance for attack.
- The champion of statue impressions, able to accurately control both her expressions and posture as much as, well, a statue, giving her the advantage of surprise and some fun.	- A very light nagging in her brain, constantly attempting to turn her towards the path of darkness. It's so constant that Valencia has learned to ignore it as if it was never there.

---

Biography

Valencia was created as the incarnation of evil - or rather, she was created to follow a life of evil in the footsteps of her father, sir Jaune Coquerdale, an evil and rich wizard that desired to have a child to call his own and carry on in his name. Typically, one would go to a woman in order to start a family, however sir Jaune put his effort into researching a way into making his child unique and to give her advantages over others. It resulted in him soon looking into Gargoyles, for their abilities to fly, their natural armour, and most importantly to sir Jaune, their natural evilness. And so he made all of the preparations he could, poured his research into creating a child from a Gargoyle egg, and when the time was right, begun the process of incubating the egg.

What sir Jaune did not take into account was that being partly Human, his newly born daughter would be able to control the evil urges that the Gargoyle part of her tried to drill into her. Despite his displeasure that his plan had failed at the beginning, he held faith, and continued to nurture her as she grew up, being a surprisingly good father figure in contrast to his normally evil public persona. Tutoring was not done publicly, but was done privately within sir Jaune's estate by hired tutors, who worked not just for the money that they were given but also out of fear of what would happen if they refused.

As she grew old enough to have a mind of her own and not blindly follow in her father's footsteps, Valencia became aware of the truth behind the Coquerdale name, and why even her own tutors trembled in front of her. Evil was a little bit of an understatement in describing her family name, as sir Jaune Coquerdale was responsible for some quite heinous acts. Over time, Valencia's relationship with her father became shaky, particularly since he didn't bother to stop even after she had been born. A book that she read at the age of eleven about the Horrors of Iziari Village came from things that her father had done whilst she had been three years old and left home with his servants.

Despite her growing dislike for her father's moralities, Valencia could not help but enjoy the benefits that she was granted by being his daughter. An estate to roam, despite the servants of evil that often made their way through the grounds, and the ability to choose her path unlike those who were too poor to do so. This included choosing to dodge her father's insistence in delving deep into magics and instead learning the art of swordsmanship. She could only go so far in her elusion, as sir Jaune was her father, and so they came to a compromise; He wouldn't ban her from learning swordsmanship, and using the estate and it's resources to do so, as long as Valencia learned the art of crafting runes as well, in order to grant her at least some magic capabilities. Valencia agreed.

Using the resources of the estate, Valencia honed herself in close-ranged combat with swords and other weapons, and learned the art of using runes. The resources were not just limited to books, but her tutors that knew how to teach in the best way possible, and the guards with their experience. Valencia relied heavily upon the latter, going so far as to use her position as sir Jaune's daughter to pull guards off duty in order to duel them on the grounds. Sir Jaune allowed this, for he saw this as her learning how to be demanding, and a powerful leader. However, there soon came a point where Valencia's learning had to be taken a step further. Both Valencia and sir Jaune believed that Valencia was capable enough to attend Hoseforn's Academy. Honing her skills would help her become a better villain, one thought. The other believed honing her skills would put her on the path of a hero. And so, the application was sent.

Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers

Popping in just to say I have been working on a character ever since the interest check. I have an idea down now so will get it done tonight, hopefully.

RWBY: Chasing Shadows

Saffron Rupalfeather

---

In truth, the whole aspect of walking into a nest of Grimm worried Saffron. She was no stranger to fighting Grimm, however that had mostly occurred within closed environments with teachers watching. She knew that each Academy had their own selection process, and even knew a bit about how Beacon's own entry exams tended to work by talking to one of her classmates at Signal. This was just Shade's own exam, their test to the students. At the same time, Saffron knew that the exam benefited the kingdom as a whole, too; Instead of a closed-door environment like at home the team was going to be directly contributing towards the security of Vacuo, and the Faunus imagined that other student teams were doing the same. Another reason to solidify her mindset that Vacuo was the best decision, though she supposed other kingdoms were safe enough that they didn't need student teams to help as soon as they could.

No bodies. It was a sight that Saffron was both thankful for and unsettled by. The Grimm didn't eat, at least to her knowledge. There was plenty of variety in them, so there perhaps was one or two types out there that gobbled up people as some form of attack - she could see a King Taijitu doing so, it was certainly big enough. No King Taijitu here, however, so that mental suggestion was worthless, and she preferred not to imagine the Grimm swallowing people whole. She paused to stare at a bloodstain from a respectful distance, as if trying to pick out if there was anything wrong about it, though she turned away after a moment. People had died here, and she didn't like it. Saffron was going to be happy when she and her comrades cleared out the bunker and avenged the fallen. Nobody deserved to die like this, even the bandits that had so obviously been the previous tenants before the Grimm had moved in.

At the very least, the bandits' choice of furniture and aesthetics were of superior taste to that of the Grimm. Black sludge and tendrils weren't exactly Saffron's ideal taste. It reminded her of a nightmare that she once had as a child; Wandering through her home in the darkness of night, with zero power, and monsters roaming all throughout. It brought an odd sense of familiarity to the unfamiliar situation of the present. She was wandering through the dark hallways of the bunker lit only by Nivea's staff, with no apparent power in the bunker, and the Grimm roaming deeper within. The difference was that this time, Saffron had Nova Limbo with her, and equally armed comrades, ready to fight the monsters, not run away from them like Saffron had within the realm of the nightmare.

Saffron's ears perked up as she heard the newest residents of the bunker. The Grimm, and their strange noises. The fact that they resided deep within the bunker made her wonder if they were choosing to stay within the depths or if they just hadn't expanded their little home to the entrance's floor yet. Anticipating their arrival, Saffron mentally and physically prepared herself, readying Nova Limbo. Fire and Lightning dust were the two types present within the weapon, though she knew to use them sparingly since she had arrived at Vacuo - whilst in Vale she could have obtained some more easily, that wasn't so much the case for Vacuo. Readying herself only took a moment, and once that was accomplished, Saffron set her eyes on the Grimm that were approaching.

Kohaku yelled for them to take the left, and so Saffron did so, trusting that her teammate had something planned for the Grimm at the right and that they wouldn't be allowed to rush through claw at her back. Upon turning left to face the Grimm that approached, the sounds that came from behind her satisfied Saffron that she wouldn't be snuck up on. With the Grimm approaching fast, Saffron darted forward to meet them with no apparent regard for the fact that she was supposed to be the second line of defence, behind Rio. It wasn't like she wasn't protecting them, as she swung Nova Limbo at the first of the Grimm that entered her range slicing straight across it's belly and rewarding her with a snarl as it twisted to the ground in a deceased heap. She twirled, keeping momentum in her movement in order to deliver a hard swipe across the next Grimm's front, lopping off both of it's arms, and then doubled back to just before her strike. She ducked low with her still-present momentum, slicing through the Grimm's still intact legs. Saffron was thrilled to be in the fight, and to be winning.

Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers

I'm somewhat interested in this.

RWBY: Chasing Shadows

Saffron Rupalfeather

---

If Nivia's father couldn't stand the heat after almost thirty years, it left Saffron wondering how she was going stand it during her time at Shade Academy, and perhaps longer if she chose to stay in Vacuo once her training was complete and she became a certified Huntress, which she knew she was going to accomplish. Staying in Vacuo was appealing in some ways, yet she felt that she could always go back to Vale afterwards with better skills from an arguably better training experience than she would have had if she had stayed home. She would have to see how she felt after the next few years, because whilst she knew that she would push through and complete her training to the end, it was also a very long time before that would happen.

Saffron's thoughts began to subside as they drove into view of the vault-like building. The Faunus moved her hands to the back of Fiona's chair to support herself as she stood up to get a better view over the heads of the pair riding in the front. It wasn't exactly the best of things to do on the bumpy ride, but Saffron made it work, despite the fact that their ride was going to be over in a few moments anyhow. She gripped the shoulders of the seat in front of her as the jeep came to a halt in order to steady herself, and promptly climbed over the side to escape the confines of the vehicles so that she wasn't squished in any more. Added to that was the satisfaction of not having her tail squished in the seat any more, either. Her eyes, however, did return to fixate upon the Atlas Bunker in her attempt to analyse what Nivea was saying to the team of students.

A nest being within made sense. Whilst the vault itself would likely be a little more than warm if the power was out and the air inside being made cool, it was shelter from the elements, such as the harsh sunlight and perhaps sandstorms. It made sense that anyone or anything, such as the Grimm, would take shelter inside. Whilst the Grimm were currently taking up residence, nobody knew if someone else was hiding inside before the Beowolves - if that's what was really inside - had set up shop. Saffron's imagination drifted to the thought of someone locking themselves in a room, their own fear of the Grimm outside keeping them trapped due to their Grimm's natural sensitivity to fear. It wasn't a good image, and Saffron shook her head, redirecting her thoughts to something more useful; Namely, the comments of her teammates.

Drawing Nova Limbo, Saffron gave it a little twirl, a little show of her dexterity but also an act to unclog it from any sand it may have picked up during their journey. Due to the environment that the bunker was bound to be, Saffron would likely be keeping Nova Limbo in it's sword configuration, and sand wouldn't affect it's operation. The problem came with the transforming capabilities of the weapon - a large amount of sand being trapped within the mechanisms would definitely not be great for their performance, and a few times already Saffron had found herself cleaning the weapon. A quick shake would usually loosen things up enough, but she had a feeling it was only a matter of time before a deep clean was required.

With that in mind Saffron gave the sword a final twirl, listening to Rio as he told Kohaku not to doubt herself, and then proceeded to point at him, using the sword as an extension of her pointing arm. "Can't wait to see you clanging off the walls in there," she jokes, indicating at his weapon. "Don't worry though, if you want to go in front, I'll be right behind you to catch the ones that slip through," Saffron adds with a grin. She didn't actually know if it would be tight in the bunker or not, but she partially hoped so, so that her joke about him clanging his halberd on the walls became a reality. Safely, of course.

RWBY: Chasing Shadows

Saffron Rupalfeather

---

The heat was hard to bear. Back home in Vale, a particularly bothersome day in terms of temperature would have individuals cowering under the shade in order to protect themselves from the harsh sun and it's boiling warmth, and could be safe in a nice air conditioned room, at the perfect temperature for the patrons. Even then, a little heat was nice sometimes, and the sun paired with a nice blue sky made for a gorgeous day, particularly when seen over ocean and it's waves as they crashed against Vale's harbour.

Now, Saffron was begging for the sun to go away. A cold day in Vacuo would perhaps have been candidate for the hottest day in Vale, and the sand definitely didn't help things. Yet, Saffron was enjoying her time in Vacuo so far. Whilst it was boiling hot, and not exactly the most advanced of places (or civilised, for that matter), it was a welcome change from the monotony that home had presented itself as being. Vale had been too simple, too well structured. The unique structure of Vacuo interested Saffron in the fact that the structure barely existed in formality, yet the system was present. The other advantage was the lack of contact with her parents - she could tell them that she was out in the sticks and didn't have signal, even if she did enter proximity to Vacuo's CCT, just to avoid their messages. Saffron did miss them a little bit, but part of the reason why she had come to Vacuo was to get away from them, something which she was succeeding at.

Saffron's thoughts were soon interrupted by the Team's overseer. The information that the drive was going to be ending soon was a double edged sword - whilst Saffron would be glad not to be squished together in the back with her teammates (causing jealousy of Fiona's front seat position), the driving at least provided some respite from the heat in that she could lean out or lift herself a bit and feel the air rushing past her. A brief moment of consideration brought the decision that unsquishing would be more advantageous, though it wasn't like she had a choice regardless.

Turning her attention to her teammates, the Faunus quietly contemplated their answers. The fact from Rio and the extra fact from their Overseer made Saffron wonder if emigration to Vacuo was popular in the past. It was something she could look into, if not for her own curiosity. Whilst they had brought curiosity, and Kohaku's own fact brought amusement and a smile, what really piqued Saffron's interest was Fiona's fact. Fiona had studied dust before coming here - Saffron wondered if that was a slip up in wordage, or if Fiona had decided to stop that path of study. Perhaps that was what had gotten her into Shade, as Saffron knew that the ranged capabilities of her weapon, Nova Limbo, relied upon the usage of dust. Someone who knew how to use dust efficiently would be a worthy contender in a fight.

However, now it was Saffron's turn to present, the last of the team to do so. As well as pondering the facts of her fellows, she had been thinking up her own fact. "Saffron Rupalfeather is my name," she proclaims loudly, as to make sure that she was audible over the sound of the engine. "I'm the second Huntress in my family tree. My family doesn't believe in the effectiveness of Huntsmen and Huntresses. I'm out to prove them wrong, and enjoy myself along the way. Extra fact, I'm from Vale, and this heat is killing me," she states, before letting herself sink back into her seat a little bit, lifting her legs and resting them on the back of Fiora's seat so the air could get at them a little better.