Scout

Digital or Real?

I know the feeling, G. XD I've been incredibly busy. I meant to respond sooner, but I don't fire up my laptop except on weekends. We just started Christmas Exodus, but we still work every weekday for a few hours before being released. No biggie. How have you been? :)

A Grimm War [Vena Sera & Scout]

Lyra tried not to let her excitement show when Soren said she could go too. First day at Beacon, already about to learn something new. She pulled a plain arrow from her quiver and clicked it onto the string of her bow before pulling up her hood. As the two walked away, Lyra couldn't help but notice how Soren and Ulyssa both were already defaulting to acting like she was the most defenseless one of the group. She furrowed her brow for a moment - did she already give off an aura like that? Just because she would have some inhibitions fighting a person, hadn't she proven herself competent in combating Grimm? It wasn't like she could help it now, but she still felt a bit uncomfortable realizing it. The girl had been tolerating Owyn for most of her life, yet Soren and Ulyssa already seemed like they thought she needed protecting, not that she was one who could provide protection.

After walking for a bit, she stopped dead in her tracks and pulled her hood back down, looking upward as her ear twitched. She closed her eyes, seeming to be in thought, taking a whiff of the air. She took a step forward and turned slightly. "I think there's a..." The faunus sighed, "Dammit, I don't know, but it doesn't smell foul like a Grimm. Not yet, at least. I think it's a boar - a normal one too... If anybody in our group knows how to cook..." Her voice trailed off hungrily as just the thought of a pig roast made her ravenous. "At this point, I don't care what it is, I just wanna eat. Let's move," Show time. She put the arrow back in her quiver and slung her bow over her back before bending her knees and leaping toward a tree. Both of her hands met the thick branch and she dug in, swinging slightly before kipping her body and pulling herself up over it with the reversed momentum. She planted her feet firmly on it, looking over her shoulder with a small smirk, "I'll see you up there."

Moving up one more ring of branches, the girl almost disappeared into the leaves of the tree, her cloak camouflaging her as she jumped through the trees. There was no monkey in her blood, of course, but she found the elevation almost reassuring. She would see most things before they saw her and that thought alone comforted her. Following her nose, she checked every now and then to make sure that Soren was able to follow. She wasn't sprinting, so it was just a matter of making sure he was going in the right direction. If he started to stray, she'd give a whistle, letting him know which way she was going.

Finally she could make out the scent much better. It was a boar, indeed. In fact, there were three of them sniffing and snorting about a hundred feet away. Lyra looked back and gave a soft 'tss' to get Soren's attention. She could smell something else in the air. In a low voice, she spoke, "Well, we found dinner... Bad news is, I think I smell an Ursa... I've never been around one before, but it smells kinda like a... a bear. I've seen them at the zoo before," She explained quietly, "It's like that, but... then it smells like Grimm too, so... I think it's one of those. We need to be really, really careful."

-----

Owyn watched Ulyssa with less than some enthusiasm. He shrugged, "Sure. Carrying is easy," He said before grabbing the wood she dropped. "Let's just hope Lyra can use that bow for more than pretending she's a huntress. She might be a Faunus, but she doesn't have any of those traits that make your average Faunus a useful companion or any of the qualities that make a human... Well, able to function in society," He explained. For once, his voice wasn't actually condescending. He was speaking very matter of factly, "Sure, she's light, so it's easy for her to be quiet, and she can hear and smell... All those things that are natural, but she doesn't exactly have a lot of mental strength. I don't mean she's stupid... She just lacks uh... Fortitude," The boy pointed out honestly, "Pressure isn't really her strong suit - whenever we had house parties, she'd stick around for a little bit and then sneak off before too many people asked questions even though Father encouraged her to participate and socialize. He and she are the only two that I know that didn't care about her being a Faunus - but she could hide it well enough and at least pretend to be normal at parties. Instead, she'd sneak off to somewhere else and, nine out of ten instances, would ruin whatever clothing that had been bought for the event. Either by getting it dirty or having some kind of... anxiety attack or something." He shook his head, "I don't imagine it's easy..." He sympathized with a genuine voice, silently adding a thought: being such a useless waste of freeloading space can't possibly be.

It had to be done, he realized, picking up more branches and fronds that were cut down. Exchanging a little bit of background was only natural for team cohesion, right? They had to know something about each other. It seemed tedious, though... "So, Ulyssa, where are you from?"

A Grimm War [Vena Sera & Scout]

Lyra sighed as Owyn once again turned a whole group into catering to his whims just because he chose to act as an individual. She warned them. They could have gotten rid of him or something, but they didn't. She moved with her team once the other two decided to leave as well, letting Ulyssa take the lead, glad that somebody else was showing leadership traits. Somebody needed to trump Owyn, and she was fairly certain that it could never be her. Ulyssa on the other hand? Very possible. Maybe she could knock him down a peg.

"You're right. We need to do all of those things. You can get fire stuff ready," He delegated, looking to her with a 'tell me you can't' challenge.

Lyra rolled her eyes and looked to Soren, knowing exactly where her place was in this party. "I can hunt!" She exclaimed brightly, completely positive that this was her calling in their mini-tribe of four. "I'm really good at being quiet, climbing, and my bow doesn't damage the meat," She pointed out, glancing to Soren's rifle-sword. "Not to mention my eyes are great and I can see in the dark."

"You? Quiet?" Owyn asked, cocking his head as he'd overheard. "Please. Just because you weigh nothing doesn't mean you're stealthy. Not to mention, you don't ever stop talking."

She didn't give him the validation of replying. By now, Lyra was more than used to his antagonizing and condescending tones. She looked back to Soren, "I'd love to at least give a try. I've never actually hunted, but I know I'd be good at it. Plus," The girl's ears twitched slightly, "I've got a bit of a meat tooth." She pointed out, snickering at her own pun. Owyn let out an audible, exasperated sigh of irritation. Her laughter cut off quickly and she just scowled at him, but he wasn't looking so she kind of just left the good mood behind again. With more than a little bit of bitterness, she asked, "And what are you going to be doing?"

He smiled and rolled his eyes. "Stand watch and supervise, of course. Somebody has to keep an eye on the actual site that we're gonna be using so that no Grimm or other students come try to take it for themselves."

Lyra didn't seem so impressed, swiveling her gaze back to Soren as if to ask, 'you see what I deal with now?' She shrugged, callous now to his arrogant and almost freeloading attitude. Her hand ran absently through her hair for a moment as they left the temple, shaking her head to clear out the agitation caused by Owyn.

A Grimm War [Vena Sera & Scout]

Lyra scoffed, "I... But he... And they... With the..." She sputtered senselessly, furrowing her brow at him. He won. Again. The girl huffed and shook her head, "Fine, because the rules say so." She would be damned if he ruined her time here at Beacon. Ulyssa addressed her and she shrugged, "I'm not afraid of him, I just hate him."

Owyn feigned surprise, "Oh, but little sister! You wound me so..." He said with a roll of his eyes. "Yeah, let's just do this. No biggie, we're just... together for four more years, then we can go our separate ways."

The girl fought the scowl from her face and sighed, "Yeah. That'll work for me."

The somber tension held the air for a bit before a voice filled the entire space. It sounded much like that of the headmaster, Ozpin... Were there speakers in the woods, for real? The sound echoed throughout the temple ruins to an almost obnoxious degree.

"Okay, students, since it seems to be taking a bit longer than usual, it seems we'll be extending your indoctrination. The new test is to retrieve your respective relics and survive for three days in the woods. I suggest finding something other than Grimm to eat if you get hungry... They're awfully gamy!" With that, the sound cut out and no further announcement was made.

Lyra stared in disbelief, but Owyn reacted far sooner, "Three days? Out here? That's ridiculous - this place is absolu-" He stopped mid-statement as he realized exactly what he was about to complain about. Right, he was going to be a Huntsman, so... This was likely a good chance to take a challenge head on. He shrugged his shoulders, "Absolutely a bore. I suppose we should find a good spot to call home - I don't know about you guys, but I don't wanna look like guards and get attacked in our sleep by other students who are hungry to prove themselves. Not to mention, this temple is likely crawling with more Death Stalkers and that's not really on my to-do list either."

The Faunus girl crossed her arms with a smirk as her older brother began to complain about the new state of affairs. She'd slept outside before. Once it was because he'd locked her out and any other time after that it was because she actually enjoyed the air. Sometimes she'd sleep on the roof, sometimes in the courtyard... When the house staff found her it would become tiresome. "I hate to admit it, but I agree... Staying here seems like the worst of our options. What do you guys think?" She asked, looking to Soren and Ulyssa.

Owyn, however, was already moving for one of the corridors to leave with no regard to what anybody else thought. Lyra rolled her eyes, but didn't move to follow him - she wouldn't move until the other two said they were ready to go. From the tunnel that Owyn was walking away from, several voices came.

"C'mon! We have to get our piece before tonight - I'm not coming back to this freaking temple again!"

"I know!" A female shouted back, "It's like a maze in here!" She was obviously winded, panting far more than the male who spoke before her. "We've been walking for hours... We're probably not the only two stuck in here, either... I swear I've heard other people fighting. Not to mention, from somewhere down the hall from here we heard that hideous shriek..."

"Oh, calm down, that couldn't have been human. It must have been somebody taking down a Grimm. That's our job, remember?"

"Yeah... Right," The girl didn't sound so sure.

Lyra watched the hall, "They sound nice," She said to Soren with a low voice, "But like Owyn said, I really don't want to stick around. I'd rather meet people once we're all actually students... People can die here, making a friend now could just mean disappointment later. Especially since there's only two of them." It was a surprisingly logical analyzation of the situation - avoiding allies for the dark truth that these students could be dead tomorrow wasn't such a shocking idea. Most people didn't have a group of four before getting to the temple - these four were just 'lucky,' and pretty talented it seemed. "Maybe we'll meet them in a few days, when we leave the forest."

Avatar: The Price of Freedom

Siku's knuckles turned bone-white as her nails dug into the flesh of her palm. He was insufferable and how she managed to get stuck with him was beyond her. She and Asha were in the wrong place at the wrong time, that was all there was. Now her whole family was left behind and she had no idea when she'd see them again. Her little sister would have to be escorted to school and spend her days under watch until all of this was cleared up... The hot, salty particles of water gently slid down her cheeks before she knew it. At this point, she wasn't even listening to Katsu's incessant blathering; she was only trying to prevent the tremors from overtaking her body as she walked point, her back to both of her compatriots. She crossed her arms and let out a sigh as the weight of danger she had put her own family into came down on her. She had to blame Katsu, but where would that get any of them? Getting angry with the already hard-headed Avatar could only exacerbate the situation. He was sorry enough as it was, the last thing she needed was The Bridge groveling at her feet... She smirked through her tears at the thought. That idiot.

The girl cleared her throat and used her hand to "itch" her eye and, without turning around, responded with a roll of her eyes, "Fine then. Don't learn them. You'd probably just waste all of the water anyway, then what would I have to bend?" She taunted.

It took the remainder of the day, but finally they arrived in Gung-Li. Siku used her hand as a visor, the sun was just about set, but the sliver that was still on the horizon decided that her eyes were a fine target. The small coastal town was quiet, as she imagined it often was, and many of the shops were already closed and turning in for the night. It was so different from Republic City and even from the North Pole... She'd never had time or reason to visit the smaller tribes up north, the ones that lived peaceful, nomadic lives of simple tasks like hunting, fishing, and sleeping around fires. Father always said it was too uncivilized a life, but Siku had always wanted to see what it was like. Now it was a life she had no choice in. Her eyes scanned the different wooden buildings; they were all so quaint, they looked like homes, not houses. Like livelihoods rather than franchises. Some people were carrying baskets of food home and even a few children went running by, obviously chasing each other.

Siku smiled a little bit - what would her life have been like here, had she been raised in a small Earth nation home with no ridiculous customs or courtesies? Then again, she loved being a water bender and she used to love being an Ice Wolf. Oh well, life goes on. She placed her hands on her hips, "Ugh... I'm taking a guess that the transit is closed, so let's go find a place to eat dinner and sleep then we'll get moving in the morning, yeah?"

They wandered the streets for a few minutes, looking for a sign mentioning restaurant or inn of any kind, but it was slim pickings. The town likely got very few visitors, as it wasn't a major harbor, and she was beginning to grow more sure that "chartering" anything to Iwa was going to be more of a hassle than they bargained for. The girl looked around and bit her lip in thought. Each moment that passed it seemed less people were outside, but god dammit to ask for directions would feel so foreign. She never needed directions...

Then, she heard it. Likely, Koinu would have heard it first, but it still wouldn't take long for them all to. It was a soft sobbing sound coming from just around the corner a couple of roads ahead... It sounded like a child - either lost or in some kind of distress.

Digital or Real?

Sounds like quite a lot. Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I'm so exhausted... I'm learning Russian and hell is this tough... I mean, I'm doing alright in it, I'm just... tired... all the time now. Once I get out of the DLI, I have one of the cushiest jobs in the Navy (from what I've heard), so that'll be nice for at least a few weeks...

A Grimm War [Vena Sera & Scout]

Pfft, don't be so stuck on himself. Who was stuck on himself? He waved it off dismissively; he couldn't help it if she wasn't confident enough in her abilities to face a Grimm head on, even when the odds were against her. "Why's she back in the courtyard? You guys didn't travel together? You're supposed to stay attached to your partner... If she's really that bad, we might be better off picking a relic that doesn't match yours," He mused in honest thought. "Is she incapable or just selfish?"

Finally they entered the courtyard and Owyn started for the relic, scrutinizing each one. "Hmph..." His eyes ran over each one... King, Queen, Bishop... Rook... All here. The only missing one was a Pawn and he furrowed his brow. "You made an odd choice... Pawn? As the first people who arrived?" He asked, turning to look back; he could only think of one person who would make such a juvenile decision. He picked up the pawn opposite the first which was also the complementary colour.

Meanwhile, Lyra heard her voice as well as that of others on the ground and she hopped to her feet. Wait... One of them sounded oddly familiar, but she really didn't put the pieces together until she hopped down. "Coming!" She called, descending with a similar route which she used to get outside. Her feet hit the ground almost noiselessly and she lifted her head with a smile, "Nice to meet you..!" She furrowed her brow in confusion, "I"m sorry... Are you okay?" She asked curiously, looking at Soren, "What is she doing..?"

Then she noticed him. Her eyes went wide when she finally saw Owyn fingering the other pawn. The girl didn't hesitate, taking a decisive few steps forward and smacking the piece out of his hand. It clattered obnoxiously across the concrete floor, nearly reaching the wall before stopping.

"Pick. Another. Piece." She ordered, glaring at him without acknowledging Soren nor the other girl in the courtyard. She was practically seething as her hand gripped the bow at her side. He could go to school here, and he could attend class... And he could fail his pretty little ass out on his own... But he was not going to stick his venomous teeth into her Beacon experience. She refused to let him poison all four years of class for her... To be a part of a team that was supposed to develop a bond and work together.

The girl looked to Soren, "I promise you'll regret it if you don't keep him out," She warned in contempt. "He's selfish, he doesn't learn, he isn't a team mate, and he... He's... He's just awful!" She argued aimlessly. The Faunus wanted to give a real reason with proper evidence as to why he wasn't worth their effort... But no doubt they'd seen him fight. He wasn't like their father, but he was still skilled.

On the other hand, Owyn saw Lyra descend before deciding whether he really wanted her on his team. Of course, he'd already picked up the pawn, so he wasn't able to go back on the decision. It did come as a bit of a surprise that she was here before him and had managed to get such a good fighter on her team. As she climbed down, he was legitimately debating picking up another piece - he could get away with it if he was quick. Then he realized how much more fun it could be... From an objective point, Soren and Ulyssa were talented; Lyra lacked the ability to do anything to him as far as enjoying his time here at Beacon went too. She would just be on his team and that meant quite little to him. Yeah, this could be fun, he decided. So, when she slapped the chess piece out of his hand, he feigned surprise and just shook his head.

"C'mon, sis... Why would you do that? It'll be fun - we'll have a family team! Father'll be so pleased," He said with a frown. "What's wrong?"

Lyra didn't give him the validation as she looked at the other two pleadingly. Rules were rules... He'd already picked up the piece and decided to hold onto it - there was literally nothing they could do. He was more than aware of that fact too.

A Grimm War [Vena Sera & Scout]

Owyn absently kicked the Death Stalker's arm to make sure it didn't respond. He then sheathed his sword and pocketed his hands, noting that Ulyssa finally managed to take a kill for herself. Didn't matter how long it took, as long as it got done. He let the two finish their pointless dialogue, his eyes moving from one corpse to another, making sure that they weren't going to move anymore. The other male was an interesting one, that was for sure... A sword and a blaster? Pretty nifty combo, he had to admit, but a bit... heavy, he decided. This guy was a formidable fighter who packed a real punch, thankfully he was skilled. The Vale resident cracked his neck and looked to Ulyssa as though her suggestion was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard.

"Tries to kill... me?" He asked, completely bypassing the word 'us.' He actually laughed and shook his head, "That's cute." He gave a semi-sarcastic thumbs up to signal agreement at her mention of moving on. Thank god he found some people - he was afraid for a minute there that he'd be stuck with Lyra. There's no way she got up here this fast though, not to mention that it was next to impossible that she even found somebody who wouldn't avoid becoming partners with an obvious Faunus. It was a relief; she'd do fine here, but he wanted her holding another team back. She was average, at best.

-----

A young, twelve year-old Faunus girl stared down her thirteen year-old brother in the pouring rain. "Stop saying things like that, Owyn!" She ordered through her tears, concealed by the rain falling in their father's courtyard. They'd been called inside multiple times by the help, but they weren't listening.

"No! Because it's true! He only lets you live with us because he feels sorry for you!"

The small girl clenched her fists, "Nuh-uh! You're just mad 'cause I'm a better fighter than you!"

Owyn's face turned red, "Who told you that shit?!"

Lyra flinched at the word, shaking her head, "Owyn, you can't talk like that! And it's 'cause it's true! I'm better at things like shooting... and dancing... and you're just stronger! That's all! That's why you win when we practice!"

The boy clenched his fists, "WRONG! WRONG WRONG!" He retorted cleverly, "Strength isn't how you win a fight, doesn't dad always say that?"

She scoffed, "He says it because he's trying to make me feel better!" For some reason, she didn't actual believe those words until she said them. Now that she thought about it, though, it hurt. All the technique in the world couldn't help you when there was such a huge strength gap. At least, it didn't seem like it.

"I'll fight you right now to prove it - I'm better. I'm actually a person!"

Lyra's fists shook at her sides, "Good!" She didn't wait for an official countdown or stance. Actually a person? What did that mean? She didn't know, but it was infuriating. Darting from her position directly at her brother, she pounced when she was only a couple of feet away. In the next moment, she felt a heel driving into her abdomen before she was thrown to the ground and sent rolling several feet across the courtyard.

"See? You do stupid, rash things like that too," Owyn pointed out with a laugh, cockily pocketing his hands.

"That's only 'cause you made me mad!" She argued, pulling herself onto her agile feet.

"You act like that's not part of fighting. This is like a pawn fighting a Queen... There's absolutely no way you can beat a piece that can do anything it wants when you've only got a couple of moves..." He pulled his hands out of his pockets as Lyra threw an angry punch at him. He swiped it away and stepped forward, grabbing her hand and yanking it toward him as he moved to step behind her.

The girl moved with him, pivoting with him to avoid letting him get the upper hand. He took her other wrist in a moment of her lapsed judgment, but she just braced herself, and rotated them both inward, breaking his grip. Without hesitation, she lifted her foot and kicked him, missing her mark and striking his hip. She was aiming center-mass, but this worked well too as he fell to a knee. The fight looked, from the outside, rather juvenile (as one would expect from the youths) but still disturbingly violent.

With a cry of fury, Lyra came down on Owyn with more rage than tact and paid for it as he blocked her advance by firmly pressing a wet shoe into her hip and preventing her advance. "What the hell, Owyn?! PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN! I HATE YOU!" She screamed, punching his shin as she stopped thinking about what she was actually doing, just wanting to hurt him how he had hurt her.

"You're insane! You're just a savage, like the rest of your kind!"

That was the last straw, "Stop treating me like an animal!" At this point, Lyra was screeching at the top of her lungs like a tantrum-throwing child. She took a step back away from his guard, dripping with water as she trembled. She stared out from under her short, white hair at the boy that she called "brother." Her eyes were blood red, "Savage...?" She asked, sounding a lot calmer than she had before. "I think you need perspective, Owyn." She bent her knees as the boy climbed to his feet.

"The heck are you talking? It's raining like crazy, let's just go inside, Lyra," He said with a bit of irritation, like she was just a pest to him.

She didn't stop walking toward him, though she didn't move maliciously at first. She pulled her fist back finally and he rolled his eyes, lifting his hands to prepare for another fight. Instead, she disappeared into the whipping wind and he stood dumbfounded as her figure de-materialized. What the hell was going on? He furrowed his brow, caught off-guard. Suddenly, a fist caught the side of his jaw and sent him straight to the ground.

"What was that?!" He shouted as she approached and he readied to continue fighting. The girl was taken away again. In the rain, he couldn't tell at all what was going on, but she next appeared on top of him, already past his legs, leaving him without his strongest muscles. She drove a fist downward into his face as she appeared again, but he barely caught it. With his focus on her hand, she took to his throat with the other.

"SORRY, BROTHER!" She cried out with a soft laugh, "ANIMALS CAN'T CONTROL THEIR INSTINCTS, CAN THEY?!" Her fingers closed over his windpipe as he reached back for her hand again.

When she woke up, Owyn was being chastised endlessly by their father for what he did. When Lyra was questioned, she answered honestly, much to Owyn's annoyance. To this day, the two don't have a liking to one another, but something their father said must have gotten through because he stopped being that big of a jerk afterward.

------

Lyra snapped awake, sitting up on top of the temple. How long had she been napping? Judging by the sun's lack of movement, it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. She could hardly remember that evening... Her father came running out at the last minute... She honestly only remembers being provoked and then told about it later. It took her another year to actually figure out how her semblance worked, let alone use it. Yet another thing that Owyn wound up mastering before her.

She hugged her knees again and shook her head, burying her face. Since then, she'd never done anything like that... But it still worried her that it could someday happen. Was she really just a beast with a human face..?

Far From Home [ Scout & Vena Sera ]

Who ever even claimed to be a gentleman? Fitch silently asked himself, resisting the urge to sneer at Luna. If she wanted to bring extra shit, she needed to have a game plan - like, oh what could they possibly do? Maybe use an inventory. Suto's excitement rolled off his back as easily as the boy himself had. Motivation wasn't this swordsman's strong suit as of late and he to be honest? He'd rather be out slaughtering artificial intelligence. Instead, he decided to humour his friend. With a sigh, he reminded himself that that was an important word here: friend.

Swiping his hand through the air, he swapped out his gear for actual swim trunks which appeared to match Suto save for being color-inverted; they were black with white a white streak on either side. The boy looked himself over - his body type hadn't changed in the slightest since he got here... and why would it? For some reason, it still felt like all the "exercise" and "diet" here would affect it. Certainly some of the heavier-set players wished it would, if only cosmetically. He had to at least pretend he was happy, for the sake of the others. The last thing he needed was pity. While Suto was panicking over the possibility of Minerva's arrival and groveling for Luna's forgiveness, Fitch took a moment to sink into his own head.

One by one, he isolated every negative feeling he had... Jealousy was first. Jealousy of Suto, for somehow finding the strength to step to the plate first and be a better friend. He stuck it in a bottle and corked it before hiding it as deeply as he could. Then bitterness which stemmed from all the other emotions... Regret... and finally, guilt. It only took a moment and the thoughts were far from gone - he simply decided that he would deal with them when he wasn't around the others. They'd be a bit stronger, but at least nobody would see them or think he couldn't handle this life anymore. The final piece was a small smile - a smile he used to be sporting nearly all the time was now one he would just put on for his friends.

He clapped his hands and rubbed them together for a moment as Kenshin and Alphard finally arrived. "Nice of you guys to come!" He shouted brightly, "Are you coming or not?" The message was mostly for Suto and Kenshin, but obviously open to all as he pointed toward the water. "You can catch dinner later, let's swim before the sun actually sets!"

-----

Yari watched the scene with curiosity, as Fitch gradually lost a scowl which had been etched into his face since the day she woke up. Did he have a side that wasn't abrasive or bitter all the time..? For a few moments, he seemed to just be breathing, collecting himself. Hmph, maybe he was just finally deciding to enjoy a day. Then, he actually smiled. She couldn't help but do the same when she noticed it; Yari was always observational, so seeing things like this intrigued her. She was glad he could let himself have a good day. Rather than let him know that she noticed, she turned her head to see Luna sitting beside her.

"Oh, hey, Luna... This? Yeah... Most of my clothes are new, actually... I... er... Just thought it might be good, y'know?" She pointed out, watching her feet as she let the thought trail off. To be honest, she didn't want to say that she was avoiding wearing a dead girl's clothes. That's how all of this seemed to her, anyway. The clothes in the storage didn't belong to her, nor did that ring she was wearing when she woke up. Of course, she saved all of it and made sure not to mix anything with it, but it was a reminder that this body was either stolen or, at the very least, borrowed. "Thank you, though. I like yours too," She said, quickly dropping the subject with a beaming smile.

-----

"Step out and stop following me!!" Makoto yelled into the trees. God damn, this place was disgusting. She didn't mean Floor 26 - the floor was awe-inspiring. No, she was talking about the two males in average-level gear who stepped out of the trees.

One scowled at the other, "This is your fault! You said your Hide skill was more than high enough to not be detected! She definitely caught you first!!" He was on the thicker side and was wearing camouflage armour - light steel painted in forest tones with decorative leaves and moss designs hanging from it. It was pretty interesting... and more than a little bit creepy, considering what he used it for.

The other male was dotted with small, red bumps that didn't hurt but had been there since the game began. Aesthetic acne - it humiliated the hell out of him, but what was he to do? His armour was actually just dark, shadowy leather and a dagger. The monsters here weren't too dangerous, but they had crystals ready too. However, the question was how Minerva was managing to walk fearlessly out here; they were both 'dedicated fans' who knew that she didn't have the level to defend herself solo out here.

"Shut up, geeze!" He barked at his friend before looking to the musician, "I'm sorry for his rudeness, ma'am... We were just out here making sure you didn't get hurt while trying to take a walk. So you could enjoy it, we stayed hidden and just made sure that no monsters attacked you, that's all."

Minerva stared at them with her arms crossed, a pained look on her face as she snapped her fingers. There was a high-pitched whistle and a throwing pick stuck itself deep into a tree directly beside one of their heads.

"Hey! What gives?!" The larger boy shouted. It wouldn't have done much damage, but it meant somebody else was out here and he hadn't detected them.

"Oh, way to go, chubs! You can't even keep track of how many people there are out here?!" The acne-dotted male asked accusingly. Were they PK'ers? Had Minerva actually called the attack? Both boys drew their weapons as a small blur of crimson burst through the trees directly between the two boys, holding a rapier poised perfectly toward his heart, no more than an inch away. It was glowing a brilliant red to match her armour, but only for a moment before dying down. This in itself was incredible feat - either she timed a sword skill to stop exactly before hitting him, she actually misjudged the distance, or she was able to stop it in the middle of the attack without having any force but her own will. The truth was the first option, though the latter would have been incredible.

He calmed down upon seeing her green indicator, but still started to back up. With every step he took, her response was synchronized with an advance to match his pace. He pressed against a tree as his larger friend laughed. "Oh my god, really? Look at how small she is! You're really scared that shitless? Sad, man... sad..."

The small, cloaked figure turned a pair of green eyes, sharp as daggers on him. "I'm not going to hurt either of you if you just walk away now." She threatened. Minerva was actually trying to stifle a giggle in the background.

"Who the hell do you think you are?! There's no real threat there anyway!"

"Here's how I look at it... If you attack me now, I can fight back with no threat of a changed indicator." She smirked, as this was common knowledge and neither seemed too surprised by it. "But if you don't leave, I can challenge you both to a two-versus-one duel and humiliate you in front of your idol. If you get me below yellow before I can get both of you down, then you can continue to follow Miss Minerva wherever you so please. You could probably find out where she lives, if you wanted to. But if you lost... well, you'd walk away with less hit points than you probably need to continue pursuing her here, thus forcing you to run away with a crystal... Wouldn't it be easier to walk away?"

It would. But men were stupid. And Makoto found the humour in Kimi's logic as the small redhead accepted what would have been an unfair dueling challenge had her level not easily trumped the boys'. The musician wished she could let the others know she was on the way, but this certainly wouldn't take long at all.

-----

"Know what's going on? It's not time to eat yet! We're not even starting the fire until it's dark! Do you wanna sit out here in the sun or go swimming first, Alphard?" Yari asked with the same chipper attitude she'd upheld since they unlocked the new floor. She'd not been doing much combat training, so she spent a lot of time with Yuna more than anybody. She had no idea what she should do, to be honest, but Yuna was nice company. Luna was a mystery though - she had no idea what that girl did. It wasn't that Yari didn't like her, she just still had no idea who she was.

A Grimm War [Vena Sera & Scout]

Owyn furrowed his brow, "What kind of trouble could we possibly be in that doesn't involve an eight-legged cretin directly from Hell?!" He shouted in disbelief, returning to a combative stance and refocusing. Now he could hear the Beowolves and... another fighter? Somebody without a partner could create problems though, so why was he alone? The rules stated that the first person he found would be his teammate. But had he yet to find anybody?

Owyn couldn't think much on it as a half-blind scorpion-demon continued its rampage. Ugh, what a pain... He readied his sword and dashed forward, parrying one of the massive claw's attacks with a flowing pivot and the flat edge of his weapon. He half-spun and drove the length of his blade into one of the cracks in the Death Stalker's bone-plated face. Using his leverage, Owyn leaped up and pulled the hilt of his sword with him. The crack grew wider and finally broke the lower third of the 'mask' off as the swordsman yanked his sword up with him. The Grimm screeched through the halls again and Owyn had to fight to maintain his footing. He thrust his blade down between a pair of vertebrae and twisted. The sound of bones cracking and popping apart was unpleasant to say the least. He retrieved the weapon again and segmented it, whipping the linked blade fragments to the side with a few swipes. The effort removed two legs on the right and, upon repeating, another one on the left.

The Stalker fell to its stomach and lost all control of its body at this point. Owyn hopped back over its head, pivoted on his heel, and drove his sword deep into the shattered portion of the bone mask. The Grimm fell silent and stopped trying to get to its feet as the life left its soulless body.

-----

Lyra pulled her bow from her back and placed it next to her. The screeches from the temple were unnerving at first, but she realized that they were just the sounds of Grimm losing quite badly to her comrade(s). She pulled her knees to her chest comfortably and watched the Emerald Forest with intent eyes. She was simply happy to be here, in a place where you were valued for your merit and not your net worth, not your name. None of that mattered here.

She hummed softly, rocking from side to side atop the temple. She wondered where she would be today had Owyn's father not taken her in at such a young age, but it must have been some kind of divine fate. Life in Vale would have been harsh, but not unforgiving like she'd heard Vacuo was. On the other hand, were she raised in a poorer lifestyle, maybe being a Faunus would have taken a backseat. As it was, her wealth made her an outcast with anybody remotely like her and her race made her nigh-untouchable with her social class. Where did that leave her? On top of a buried temple, humming child's tune as she waited for a teammate to return from his investigation which he insisted she not accompany him for, despite her ability with nightvision.