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Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

A Friend In Need

As VGNB moved forward with their plan they would soon figure out that the Dodici family syndicate lived atop the hill that Zephyr was built on. They made their business their home, they ran all of Zephyr’s banking, living above the bank itself the building looked like an apartment building. Which was good news for Beryl whom had previously decided to scope out the building in order to find entryways. There were plenty of windows. What she would find is that the upper floors were mainly residential, the higher up you were in the building, the higher up you were in the family. She would also notice the presence of a warehouse out back behind the building. While she couldn’t get a great view of the lobby from any one vantage point she did know that if they entered that way they could scope it out fairly easily.

The rest of the team, could see the front doors of the Dodici family bank. It seemed that two men working security detail were directly outside of the building and in past them another two, and a teller. Once Beryl met back up with her team they would have to make the decision how exactly to approach this situation.

---

Darkness, a dripping noise, men speaking, other Faunus crying out for loved ones. This was everything Bianca’s senses could tell her about her surroundings. One minute she was with her family and the other families in Zephyr that were well represented. The next, she was here. She got ready to call for help, perhaps someone she knew as here. But she was struck by a blunt object.

Darkness, a dripping noise, men speaking, other Faunus crying out for loved ones, and the taste of blood. This was everything Bianca’s senses could tell her.

Guards and Gifts

Noah

The Outlands -- The Hospital

Noah’s vision was spinning, his hearing was muted, and he felt abandoned by his senses. He heard Ari tell him something, watched her shoot something, another person was there and then she was not. He couldn’t tell if he was hallucinating anymore. But he did know that when Ari was putting pressure on his wound, he felt warmer. His pain felt as if it was subsiding, he tried to stand and then he awoke face down in the dirt, Ari cursing above him not to try something like that again. He tried once more and failed again. Then once again, against Ari’s pleases he kept trying until he could not.

He awoke several times, being carried back by Sky and Ari, Cru watching their six. What a joke, their first mission, he was a liability to all of their safeties. To the safeties to everyone he swore to protect. Cru said something to Sky, who then patted Noah’s back, Ari kept her warm palm on his wound. He apologized to her, for bleeding on her guard outfit. There was nothingness and then there was the Outlands, nothingness and then the gate. He saw the gate clearly, but he couldn’t tell if it was his gate. Was he dying? Were these the holy gates, is that why they were shut?

He awoke once more, tubes were coming out of his body a nurse silently overlooking him as a farmer does his crops. Ari, asleep by his bedside. Dried blood all over her hands. At first he attempted to sit up, correct himself but the nurse stopped him, putting a steady hand on his toned chest and easily pushing him gently back onto the bed. He didn’t currently have the strength to leave. Though, the nurse informed him the toxins would where off sooner rather than later, no permanent damage other than some scarring. He laid back down into the bed, his chest rising and falling, sweat beading down his forehead.

“Ari?” He said hoarsely through a severely dried throat. He turned to look at his partner, she was beautiful when she was sleeping. “Is it just me, or is this exactly as bad as you imagined it being when you were a recruit?” Noah said forcing a laugh out of his battered lungs. He coughed a couple times afterwards as the sound filled the hospital walls, rebounding right back into his ears. He laid back down, staring at the ceiling and took her hand gently in his own, giving it a small squeeze. “Thanks.” He said quietly letting go of her hand and giving her a brief glance out of the corner of his eye. “You don’t have to stay, I’ll be back up soon, go get a good sleep.”

Noah, used to sleeping in hospitals, immediately got into a comfortable position and shut his eyes. What would his parents think of him now? Almost achieving such great things, being a member of the guard, paired with a girl like Ari. Torn down from such a graceful position, only to be caught by the first anomalous he encountered on the first patrol he was ever asked to go on. He’d be the ass end of every joke every guard told for the next decade. He found himself dreading getting released from the hospital and yet… For whatever reason Noah couldn’t tell, he was grinning ear to ear.

Guards and Gifts

Noah

The Outlands

Noah felt a smile creep forward onto his lips, out here he just seemed lighter, if not happier. Once they hit the edge of the wood, his partner took point. Noah drew his knife and flipped a small switch on it, crackling with electricity. It was a similar technology to that of the laser weapons that had been developed, but this time for knives. When they first stepped into the woods Noah heard a noise and both he and his partner tensed up. Frozen for a brief few moments Noah and Ari stood completely still, it was then that Noah noticed his partner very minutely shaking.

He stepped in beside her and put a reassuring hand on her wrist, “I’ve got your back.” He said in a grittier deep voice to avoid alerting anything that may have been following, or stalking them. But, as it did in the Outlands, it went quiet once more. The trees drew back from being ominous to being serene and Noah found himself feeling lighter once more. He and Ari began walking again, this time for about twenty minutes.

“Y’know, Ari” Noah began once more using her short hand “we probably lucked out on being partners.” Noah said motioning to the two of them with his knife. “We’re two of the only guards that feel the way we both do, I can tell just by looking at you.” Noah said referring to their intentions as guards, their abilities to do what was necessary. Ari turned to Noah and stated that they might as well go east as Cru and Sky went west. Infallible logic, really. Noah turned to check their flanks before turning back to Ari and seeing what looked to be two feet of solid death. It was a Scorpion’s tail at least, that’s what he could make out of it and it was glistening, most likely not with something that was good for the heart.

“Shit, Ari duck!” Noah shouted before taking one step forward and lunging towards the tail, grabbing on to it in a bear hug-like maneuver. He took his knife and stabbed into the creature, firmly dragging his blade along its length in order to fully slice the beast – or whatever it was. But as he sliced it, he felt a sharp pinch in his right side, one of the areas where the guards outfit was weakest by necessity. He let go of the tail once he knew that Ari was no longer in the way of being struck by it and slashed it twice more, lopping it off in it’s entirety.

He absent mindedly put a hand on his right side over where the pinch had been and glanced down to the wound. His armor was slightly compromised, and he felt a little woozy. “Ari, I think it stung me.” Noah said cursing but keeping his knife hand up waiting for the beast’s second strike.

Guards and Gifts

Noah

Outside the Ballroom - Ballroom Lobby; Castle

Noah got into his room and immediately chucked his dress shirt against a wall, kicking off his pants as well. He felt a heart attack coming as he realized he wasn’t sure whether the door had been closed or not, but to his delight, it had. He picked up his guard uniform but to his dismay, he realized that he was barely able to fit a pair of boxers on with the compression shorts, so unfortunately those were out of the picture. He sighed deeply, you’d think they could give you more room to breathe with these things.

Noah rejoined his partner wearing his guard’s outfit. He hadn’t really bothered to check until now, but he realized that his partner was most certainly not hard on the eyes. He felt blood rush to his cheeks and he immediately pressed onwards down the hall and back into the elevator. Before long they were joined by a couple of drunk men who smelled of booze and other less pleasant activities. Noah felt himself remembering what it was like when he lived with men and women who smelt like this, and spoke like this as well. He felt his fists bunching up, but soon the ding of the elevator brought him out of the mist of anger.

Ariella and Noah joined their commanders and were given a communicator, Noah could see that two higher ranking officers, Sky and Cru were fully decked out in gear, looking like the exact textbook definition of a guard. One could tell just by looking at them that they were trained to a ‘T’. Sky and Cru shook Noah’s hand he assumed they had already introduced themselves to Ariella as their debriefing began. Before Noah knew it, they were running, sprinting rather towards the gate. He would commonly make this run twice during his day when he was a recruit, and thusly found himself in perfect condition with the helmet on. His chest rising and falling at a steady rate, his knife rattling around on his waist.

“Six hours in the Outlands.” He heard his partner say from off to the side, looking at him. He nodded, but in hindsight he realized that he probably didn’t make it obvious enough that he had acknowledged her statement. It was true, six hours in the Outlands was not something most would be excited about, but he was. A chime sounded off and once more, they were sprinting, this time directly into the belly of the beast itself, into the Outlands.

They made it, they were there. This was what Noah had been a recruit for all this time. He offered Ariella a hand to steady herself as she seemed to be under quite a bit of duress. While they were both panting, Sky and Cru turned to them and motioned off to the west.

“We’ll be headed that way for now, the current plan is to meet up here at the hour, every two hours, is that clear?” Sky asked Ariella and Noah, they both nodded and before long, they were on their own.

Noah began walking out, expecting Ariella to follow him. The whole atmosphere, even the idea that they were out there in the Outlands, it was intoxicating like they could do anything. Yet that was not why they were there. They were there to keep peace, to maintain the will of the castle.
“Ari, what’re you thinking right now? Because I’m thinking this is…” Noah paused. What in god’s good name made him call his partner Ari? He didn’t know her like that. Hell, he didn’t know her. Noah wanted to take that knife and stab himself right about now, but he didn’t. “Incredible.” He said finishing his thought.

They continued walking for a while, in the distance was green, shrubs, bushes, trees you name it. But what they were walking on was nothing but a flat expansive desert. Noah could still see his superiors walking off towards the west. It was certainly interesting, the Outlands, didn’t seem quite as inhospitable as they had made it sound back when Noah was a recruit. He made sure to stick close to Ari that was proper procedure after all, you keep close to your partner and you make sure that whatever comes near the two of you either dies or wasn’t looking for a fight in the first place.

“I’ve got to say, this is something.” Noah said quietly to himself, basking in the energy that he felt in the Outlands, it was like nothing he had ever experienced before in his life. It made life back by the castle seem so small. This was… Massive.

[ROLEPLAY REBOOTED] ~ The Demigods of Camp Half-Blood - (Reboot)

@Mugin

Don't worry too much about it buddy, we'll get it sorted out when she returns from her cruise. Until then, feel free to throw an intro post up when you get the time, no rush.

~Eve Lumière~

"I was in this fight once. The girl I was fighting, she caught me with a solid left kick to my nose, broke my nose and I'm pretty sure my neck wasn't sitting right. She was ready for an easy win, but I kept fighting. At some point I just realized I'd rather become crippled than lose this fight. That's why I won. And it's why I keep winning. "
~ Eve Lumière.

~General Information~

Name: Eve Lumière
Nick-Names: Little Light, Evie,
Sex/ Gender: Female.
Age: 20.
Place Of Origin: Marseilles, France.
Camp Cabin: Cabin Seven, Athena.

Appearance - 20 Years Old:

~Relationship Information~

Relationship Status: Single
Sexuality: Demisexual.
Partner: None.
Godly Parent: Athena.
Human Parent: Raymonde Lumière.
Siblings: Zoe Lumière, her older sister born a few years before Eve.
Legacy: Nemesis
Pet/s: None.
Other:

~Personal Information~

Personality:
Eve and Zoe could be compared to a car. If Zoe was the steering wheel, Eve was the engine, roaring down the road, without her older half, directionless and out of control. She found that Zoe was a lot of what she aspired to be. She was warm, kind, accepting and wanted to help people. But sometimes, people were best defined by what they weren’t not what they were. Eve only cared about a few things: living up to Zoe and making sure they got through life without too much hassle. By the time Eve was making their way to Camp Half-Blood Eve had failed on both regards. A large part of Eve’s life was fighting. It gave her a sense of accomplishment, each victory like a successful painting. It wasn’t all that uncommon for her to return home covered in bruises, with torn knuckles asking for a drink. But that’s what she had Zoe for, she would already have dinner ready, help Eve nurse her wounds and get back out there.

The younger sister found herself interested with law at an early age. She herself didn’t know why she liked it so much, though she and Zoe theorized it had something to do with the immense challenge of it all. The lust for being intellectually challenged was what kept Eve in Harvard among other things. Outside of school Eve is a very different person. She is witty, she likes to have fun and be challenged and she enjoys the outdoors. Though due to recent events involving Zoe, she has completely turned this side of herself off. She has recently been suffering from bouts of nearly crippling fits of very sudden and very powerful anxiety attacks. They occur typically at night, mainly seeing herself standing above the crippled man who hurt her sister, the man who killed her. She cries, she stops herself from crying and she moves on.

When it comes to past times, most would think Eve a child of Ares. While neither Eve nor Zoe had met their mother, through their studies they have come to realize themselves as a sort of duality when it comes to her. They both possess the combat tact and the wisdom that she governs over, however Zoe was more intelligent while Eve is more suitable and likely to fight. This duality governs a lot of Eve’s free time. She fights in order to stay in shape and keep on top of things. Eve is a strong believer that family is most important, no matter what. She valued her sister and her father above all else, not allowing anything to get in their way, but now she is somewhat lost in that regard. However, because of what Eve had done to the professor, they will no longer be able to contact their father without implicating he had a role in what happened.

Skills:
• Combat Pragmatist: Eve is incredibly skilled in combat. Her perception of time is like a muscle that she is able to flex, seemingly slowing down time in order to formulate a strategy and utilize it, destroying the opposition. She is physically strong enough to break bones with her hands and can easily fight against men nearly twice her size, as a true daughter of Athena should. She typically utilizes their strength against them in momentum based throws and strikes.

• Perception of time: As mentioned previously, Eve can slow her perception of time by ‘flexing’ it. To do this, she puts strain on herself and her brain, slowing down the time she sees and acting within that slowed time. She can do this for a long time, including in fights, however being struck while slowing down time can have brutal effects on her brain and psyche. The last time this happened she was out cold for a weekend. It’s a risk. She is still a very competent fighter without it, however.

• Perfect Physical Form: Eve has carefully trained her body in order to attain the form of an Olympic athlete. Stating that she is anything less would be severely underselling her. She can keep pace with an Olympic runner and has the physical strength of a mixed martial artist. This takes a great deal of concentration and daily effort to maintain, she does, however maintain it. With the help of her sister providing her with healthy meals and the energy to keep moving forward.

• Incredible Intellect: Eve, along with her sister Zoe, had no issue attaining grades high enough to enter Harvard University and the two have studied a wide variety of subjects. They both found it easy to pick up knowledge on the fly and use it to their advantage, whether that be in a fight or while on a quest. They are both also very knowledgeable when it comes to Greek history and myths. After Athena claimed Zoe, Eve relentlessly pursued all available knowledge of her mother.

Biography:

In Marseilles France there was a saying that roughly translated to English states that two is always better than one. This is typically used in recognition of Marseilles and her many sister cities. However, many of the people who grew to know the Lumière sisters would come to say it about them. Eve and Zoe were a unit, raised by one man they still managed to become their own person. With their father’s insistence on them training in self-defense and physical combat, they displayed this separation and yet similarity. Eve took a full course load, so to speak, taking boxing, fencing, krav maga, savate, and muay thai. She was incredibly talented in each discipline. With what Eve lacked in full on raw strength she made up for in full in strategic sense. She could see openings, weak spots, tells, all with ease. Coupling that with her smaller frame and speed and she was a fighter anyone in their right mind would’ve feared.

She and Zoe were placed in only the best private schooling, while she never knew the price of tuition it was upwards of the average college tuition for the Lumière daughters to make it through grade school. While Eve excelled, nearly just as much as Zoe, she spent a large amount of time in extracurricular activities, ending up with worse entrance exam marks than her older sister had achieved during her upper years. While most thought this would’ve perturbed Eve, she was in fact incredibly proud of her sister. She even made dinner that night. The two sisters soon found themselves being snapped at by many large schools, attempting to snap up the young prodigé’s before any other school did. However, their father had big plans for his daughter and they ended up following through with them, they attended Harvard University in the United States. First Zoe, and then two years later, Eve. As soon as Zoe had accepted her information something extraordinary happened. Zoe was claimed by the goddess Athena as one of her children. It wasn’t until their father explained the significance of what had happened that Eve understood. Her sister was deemed worthy to acknowledge, but Eve was not. Eve felt as if she was merely a footnote in her sister’s life. She was but a stepping stone both of her parents had to step over in order to hold their favorite daughter up higher.

The sisters found an apartment when they both attended Harvard and managed to get it at a decent rent, Eve worked night shifts to make ends meet, but all of that wouldn’t matter in a couple years when they graduated. Eve and Zoe shared a similar course load, though not completely mirroring one another, as Zoe was of a higher year. Eve instead took an interest in law like her sister. She made sure to visit her older sister, pick her up from classes and the like. But on top of her already busy course load she soon found herself on the varsity fencing team and she even participated on some side amateur mixed martial arts matches when she had the time. Zoe had begun seeing one of their professors from the previous year and Eve began seeing less and less of her sister. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally, she began to change. Change the way she dressed, spoke even the way she looked around, she was fearful. Eve didn’t have enough evidence to act, but she had enough to inquire. So she picked up a bottle of wine with a winning smile and a fake I.D. and prepared for her sister to arrive that night so they could talk about what was going on. But Zoe never arrived. Never answered her phone. Eve rushed out of the house, she had been told by her father that monsters of myth may follow her, them, but she had never considered it a real possibility until now.

Eve arrived on the scene, she was able to track the cellphone because her and her sister always had their locations set as shared on their phones. There were three figures, they had shovels, they were monsters. They had Zoe. She wasn’t moving. They stopped moving. Eve was a monster.

Those close to her had always told her, to ground herself in reality you just have to say the name of the street you were raised on, then the next block over, and continuing. It was the only thing she could say as Athena claimed her as her child, and guided her to Camp Half-Blood herself. They spoke very little, but Eve thanked her mother for appearing to her.

~Weaponry Information~

Weapon/s: N/A
Weapon/s Name: N/A
Weapon/s Type: N/A
Attributes: N/A

Weapon Appearance

Weapon/s Appearance: N/A

~Other Information~

Other: Zeus is sexy.

Eve is an alcoholic.

Eve has a golden heart shaped locket with a picture of Zoe inside of it. She holds it very dear and does not remove it.

~Theme Song~

Theme Song:
"Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley, Covered by Daniela Andrade.

Guards and Gifts

Noah

Outside the Ballroom - Ballroom Lobby; Castle

Noah loosened the tie around his collar and undid the buttons of his dress shirt as he felt them dampen with his sweat. He was matching his motions with an unseen, unheard fighter who was opposing him. They were vicious, but Noah was better with a blade. He spun, quickly using the momentum from their stab to roll past their blade and sink his into their throat. He stopped and thrust the blade absentmindedly into a belt loop on his dress pants, partially impaling his belt. He noticed that his brand new partner was chatting up some of the higher-ups. They all looked pretty serious, not so much like they were enjoying the party. Noah nodded, figuring they were already getting a mission. He swallowed deeply, forcing his dry throat to prepare for speaking.

Ariella came barging out through the doors, kicking off her heels and barged after the one-quarter-naked boy. He walked towards her and she heard her voice break the silence of the night as it rebounded off of each building that surrounded them, she said his name. She told him they were going on a tour. She pointed out where their new rooms were. Before he could respond he found himself in full march walking towards her.

“Roger.” He said quietly, putting a light hand on the small of her back and leaning down in one swift motion to pick up her heels. He felt something, he wasn’t sure why he did, but it was most certainly… Excitement.

They arrived at the elevator and Noah called it, pressing the round button for going up. He avoided the eye contact of everyone in the ballroom lobby, there were some civ’s, a couple other guards who seemed to be getting some ludicrous ideas about the nature of Noah and Ariella’s relationship, and about two employees. He noted their appearances, and realized why they all seemed to be staring at the pair. He had a hand on his lower back, and he looked like a mess. His hair was messy from the wind, he was sweating and his shirt was opened. Noah felt his cheeks flush briefly before buttoning up his shirt absentmindedly and hopping on the elevator as soon as the door opened. As soon as Ariella was in he was jamming the door close button.

The ride up was slow, too slow. He hated confined spaces like this and he found elevators to be some of the most unreliable inventions since explosives. He turned to Ariella, barely looking at her before quietly saying.

“Sorry about that, it was hot outside.”

By the time the elevator doors were open he followed his partner to their rooms and immediately entered his own and began changing.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

@Prince of Seraphs

This may seem convoluted but here me out.

First find a shady kennel, someone breeding dogs in your neighborhood that doesn't really care where they're going (don't worry they're going to you they're safe). Next you're going to need to install a stripper pole approximately halfway between the nearest hallway to your bedroom door, this is important becauase you may want to take up stripping (also it is key to the plan). We're also going to need a rube goldberg machine in your room that can adequately dispense a small bacon like object to your bedside and ontop of your bed. So I'll wait while you make that. So next up we need some chain, any chain will do though the chain gang typically has the premium chains. Finally, you will need to buy two lifetimes supplies of precooked bacon, keep them in a shed or you can have the lifetime supply on constant delivery to your humble abode. Now the plan, you chain the dog to the stripper pole use the two lifetimes supply of bacon and fill the rube goldberg machine so that you have one piece of bacon fall on your bedside table, and another on your bed. The dog will be hungry for this precooked bacon and attack you, but fret not! You bought the chain you handsome, conniving devil you! Now you take the bacon on your bed, after having been woken up by nearly being mauled to death by a starving rotweiller or similar breed. And deliver it to your faithful alarm clock/dog. You can keep the second piece for yourself.

It's flawless.

Heroes of Beacon - Contest of Champions

Fleur Nuit

Character Sheet

Name:

Fleur Nuit

Parents:

Estelle Nuit (Birth Mother), Bartholomew Dodici (Birth Father), Amaranth Desire (Step Mother).

Age:

15

Gender:

Female

Race:

Human

Weapon:

Fleurir

Fleurir is a Mistralese saying; a double entendre of sorts, it means both for a flower to bloom and a musician to perform their own twist of excellence on a piece. When Estellise and Amy took Fleur to a foundry in order to craft her first weapon, she did not want to be a huntress still. Thusly, Fleur made her mother’s compromise on a violin that doubled as a pair of blades. The weapon has a multitude of tricks and intricacies to it that make Fleur such a strong fighter, even if she didn’t intend to be. Firstly the most obvious blade is the neck of the violin, however the blade upon a quick flick unsheathes a hidden thin blade meant for thrusting and a fighting style reminiscent of fencing. Fleur also uses dust strings whenever she strings the violin. By doing this, by playing different chords she can utilize different techniques. For example, an F Major chord can send a concussive force towards her opponents, while a C Minor can freeze her enemies.

Semblance:

Amour Fou:

Much like Fleur’s personality, her semblance is very much passive. Those around her find themselves falling in love with her, though this love is not sexual in nature it is more a deep admiration, respect and compulsion to protect Fleur. In doing so Fleur is able to not only distract those she is fighting against, she inherently begins to win over others as she fights. This is however inherently weakened by those with notably personal and desperate thoughts on their mind, hatred towards Fleur herself, and those who are aware of her semblance and actively fight against it. Otherwise, Fleur is the perfect huntress to send into an interrogation, negotiation or other tense situations.

Personality:

Fleur avoids conflict unless she is completely comfortable around the people she is with. This trait has been with her since birth and as such she oft found herself repelling her mothers’ ideas of becoming a huntress like themselves, attending Beacon academy and journeying trough her life. Instead, Fleur was ambitious in her own right: as a composer. She would come up with new compositions on the spot, this is a part of her more creative side. Fleur isn’t typically found among friends, she is often found either training with her weapon and semblance or playing music.

Now that she is actually attending Beacon Academy, Fleur is relatively happy she decided to go as she has found there is more to being a huntress than brute strength. She even enjoys fighting to some degree, when she is facing an intelligent opponent. She tends to find a certain appeal in intellectual challenge, which is one of the reasons she composes her own pieces.

Fleur is currently attempting to find out more about her father. If anything, Fleur doesn’t deal with negative emotions well, she gets this from Estelle. She finds herself at a loss for words and feeling numb constantly every time she gets closer to finding out more about her father, the more she learns the worse she feels.

Appearance:

Picture

Biography:

When Estelle graduated from Beacon Academy, she hadn’t taken as much time as she could’ve to make friends, there was her team and Amy. So, she decided to work with those she knew until her father called upon her presence to take up her role as heiress to the Nuit throne. She was married off to a man from the Dodici family, they had apparently reformed since head members of the family had kidnapped Estelle’s sister. When she told Amy of this development, her friend told her to fight the marriage, but Estelle considered herself more patient, wiser.

The marriage was successful in bringing the families together and producing an offspring. Estelle insisted on the name Fleur, and that she take her own last name, Bartholomew didn’t seem to care and it made Estelle happy, for now things seemed to be turning up for the Faunus. She was named Fleur taking her best friend Amaranth’s namesake and combining it with the Mistralese language. Bartholomew drank quite a bit, blamed Estelle’s sister’s team for that, the horrors they inflicted on his family when they rescued Estelle’s sister. He would always target their beautiful baby daughter, but Estelle knew how to push his buttons and make him target her instead. After merely three years of this treatment, once Fleur had gotten to an age that Estelle felt that she had to move her at, Estelle became a widow.

She took Fleur that night and cradled her in her arms singing to her as she hired a caravan to take them back to Vale, back to Amy. When Estelle arrived at Amy’s door she remembered the night well, she looked like shit, smelled like it to. She and Fleur had been on the road for days now, and upon seeing her friend she began sobbing, tears streaming down her bruised cheeks. They spent the night together, and from that day on they spent most nights together. When Estelle woke up the next day, breakfast had been served along, they became lovers moments after.

Since Fleur could speak coherently she always referred to Amy as mum and Estelle as momma, it was their own little system. However not all was well in the Desire-Nuit household, as Amy and Estelle pushed Fleur to become a huntress, she pushed in an opposite direction, towards music. It took some doing to show her that she could do both, and before long the girl had become a student at Beacon Academy where her mothers had met and their journey had began.

Short Story Segment

Musique Pour La Tristesse (Music For Sadness)

Amy wrapped her arms around Estelle’s neck, squeezing her warmly, pecking her cheek with puckered lips.

“It’s going to be okay, we raised our baby right – she’ll understand hon.”

“Momma are you ready yet?” Estelle’s sharp ears plucked the sound echoing through their house as her fingers deftly raised themselves to her eyes and whisked away a fleeting tear as they had done so many times before.

“I’m coming sweetheart.” Estelle said just loud enough to be heard by her daughter downstairs. She turned to Amy and gave her a fleeting kiss, one that was never quite long enough, before turning to leave their room.

“I’m so proud of you babe.” Amy said sweetly.

Estelle grabbed her purse hanging on the mantle beside their door and hurried down the steps to see her daughter’s bright blue eyes waiting for her. She noted that she barely resembled her daughter, she had inherited so much from her father, except for one thing. A look of sadness, melancholia overwhelming every one of Fleur’s beautiful features, Estelle frowned.

“Alright, finally, we good to go?” Fleur said turning to the door, not waiting for her mother’s answer before opening the door.

“Yes, let’s go.” Estelle said in a similar warm tone that she saved for her lover and her daughter.

Once they were at the station Estelle found herself fidgeting, twiddling her thumbs, playing with her hair. Anything to keep moving, she even found herself reaching for her sword, which was not there, every few minutes.

“Is Auntie Bianca going to meet us at the station?” Fleur asked, her eyes gleaming with the smallest signs of happiness.

“No sweetie, it’s just us today.” Estelle said cursing herself for not thinking about inviting Bianca. But she was probably off busy with Gratia or Napoli. Estelle noticed that silence had followed and set in, Fleur was playing with her hair, curling it around one finger.

“Are you looking forward to today?” Estelle asked, looking for the train, waiting for it to come in.

“Not really, it feels like a checkup; I know I need to go but I’ve been dreading it ever since.” Her daughter answered visibly defeated.

“I understand that,” Estelle began before silently picking out the best way to continue her sentence. “Do you have any questions?”

“I should probably just wait until we get there, right?”

“Oh,” Estelle faltered “of course.”

Before long, the train broke the silence that followed, braking loudly next to the mother and daughter. Quickly they boarded and found a seat, as always Fleur picked.

“What’s it like there?” Fleur said breaking the same silence that the train had just freed them from. But Estelle grinned, however wracked with anxiety that grin was, for this was something she knew well.

“Well, it’s tough. People expect a lot from you and it isn’t easy to get by either. But those that play their cards correctly, well, they can make it I suppose.”

“Did you play yours?” Fleur asked, perking up.

“Not quite as well as others.” Estelle said wincing at the memories that all replayed themselves in an instant. “I feel more nervous than you do.” Estelle said with a forced out laugh. Attempting to make light of the small fears she had.

“Why?” Her daughter asked, sending a beat from Estelle’s heart directly to her mind.

“I-“ Estelle began, attempting to give reason to her daughter.

“Do you think I’ll end up like him?”

“Sweetie you’re nothing like-“

“Then why are you worried?”

Estelle felt a sensation in her nose that was meant as a warning, her vision would become misty and she would begin to produce tears. She grabbed her skirt with her fists, catching some of the flesh from her legs in her grip but not lessening it whatsoever. The pain brought her back, back to reason.

“I’m not worried that you’re going to end up like your father, it was your mum’s idea for you to bring you out here so that you knew where you came from, what I took you from.”

Fleur turned to the window in silence.

Once they arrived at their platform the conductor’s voice rang out through the train. “Last stop: Zephyr, Mistral – please depart.”
Estelle walked her daughter silently up the grand hill that Zephyr was built on, Fleur seemed to marvel at the architecture, the windmills in the distance; even Estelle had forgotten how beautiful this town was. They arrived at the Dodici manor and stopped at the front door.

“This” Estelle said motioning towards the door. “This is what I took you from.”

Fleur gazed up at the manor, there was no doubt that it put their very modest two-floor apartment to shame. It was silent for a moment before Fleur walked in front of her mother. Estelle’s heart dropped as she saw her daughter walking towards the very same family she had worked so hard to separate her from.

But Fleur turned back to her mother. “Tell me about dad, not the boring stuff you’ve always told me. Tell me about him.”

Estelle bit her lip in order to stop her jaw from shaking as much as it was before beginning.

“On the best days, your father was not a very happy man. I would call him something more akin to content. On his worst days your father, he was…” But Estelle trailed off, her left hand aimlessly trailing over her own cheek brushing a common location where he would strike her. “He was less content, sometimes with you, sometimes with me, and sometimes with himself; only I could tell which it was.” Estelle said as if she was reminding herself. “I thought that if you were raised there, that you would not grow to be the young woman that I” Estelle fought her words, her cheeks were damp but she pushed on. “I love today. I couldn’t let you live there.”

Fleur nodded once more, as she had been doing through Estelle’s explanation. Estelle knew that her daughter was smart enough to know that she was not being given the entire story, but her mother was visibly disturbed.

“That’s good enough then.” Fleur said, walking straight past Estelle and back towards the tram station. “I didn’t really want to do this anyway, let’s go.” She said, and her mother followed.

The ride home was in complete silence as the reds and oranges of the sunset draped themselves over the landscape and into the tram. When they got home, Estelle hugged her daughter and left for the night shift she commonly took in order to be around during the day for her daughter.
It was around three in the morning when Amy heard a knock on her bedroom door.

“Come in.” She said finishing the sentence of the book she was reading and putting her finger on the word, before looking up. “What’s up sweetie?” She said greeting her daughter.

“Can you tell me about momma?” Fleur asked, hopping on her mum’s bed.

“Sure, what do you want to know?” Amy asked placing the book beside her, giving her daughter her full attention.

“Well, when did you two fall in love?” Fleur asked innocently.

Amy blushed a little, but waved it off. “I don’t think there was any one moment specifically where your momma and I fell in love, I think we both just realized it one night.”

“Was that when you met me?” Fleur asked impatiently.

Amy hadn’t expected a question so upfront with Fleur, but she pivoted. “Yes, it was,”

“What was my dad like?”

“He wasn’t a good man.”

Fleur groaned loudly. “Why not?”

“He did bad things.”

“Mum.” Fleur objected. “I want to know.”

Amy sighed and silently apologized to Estelle. “Do you remember what your momma and I tell you about love?”

“It’s when two people mean the world to each other, and when they’d do anything for each other.” Fleur mused as if reading a textbook.

“He was not like that.” Amy said obtusely. “Your father got very angry sometimes-“

“Momma already told me about this. He got angry, well I’m angry right now so am I just as bad?” Fleur questioned, until now Amy hadn’t noticed but her eyes were slightly red, they seemed as if they were ready to cry.

Amy pulled her daughter into her chest and wrapped her arms around her tenderly. “No, sweetie you’re nothing like him. You are exactly like your momma.” She cooed softly rocking back and forth slowly. “You love music, more than anything and your momma and I had to fight you just to get you to attend Beacon. Your father… He hurt your momma, she was in a lot of pain when she came to me, after he died. It’s something that you would never do to someone you loved.” She said quietly.

“All this time, no one could tell me that?” Fleur said quietly into her mother’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry sweetie, but your momma struggles with telling you every single morning and every single night. She thinks about how to tell you, when to tell you, what to do after she tells you.” Amy said continuing to rock her baby back and forth.

For a while, they continued like that, until Fleur got up. “How much did momma go through for me?”

“She and I would do everything we’ve already went through twice over for you sweetie. We love you with everything we have.” Amy said, leaning over to her daughter and wiping a small tear away, absentmindedly fixing her hair.

“Thanks mum. Truth be told, I wouldn't want to live in that kind of mansion anyway.” Fleur said giving her mother a final hug. She turned to leave the room and as she was closing the door she paused. “I’ll make mum breakfast tomorrow.” She said quietly, exiting the room.

Final WC: 1,636

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

Estelle Sidos Heurassein - Defending a Caravan

As soon as Estelle had seen the canyon on the horizon, her hand rested on the pommel of her blade. She knew at some point or another she would have to draw it in order to defend herself. The entire ride up to the canyon was beautiful, but completely silent. They were a team of seniors and as such knew how a mission should proceed. That being said, their captain unconscious wasn’t exactly part of the plan. As they descended in between the rocky cushions the land had developed, eroded over time Estelle grew wearier. She shot a glance across the way to Sterling, she figured he’d feel the same if he wasn’t already taking a nap or something.

Estelle unsheathed her weapon and took some of the lighting dust from one of its compartments, activating it. She jumped up on top of the caravan and waved down to the girl, attempting to dictate that she should move to them but stay out of the line of fire. Afterwards all that was left was to get to work, Estelle breathed deeply taking in her breath and as the air exited her lungs she allowed the lightning to flow through her and shoot directly towards the Tajitus, she was attempting to aim for their upper bodies hopefully bisecting at least two.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

@Prince of Seraphs
Yeah from memory, that's pretty standard-fare for high school, I know my program in University (most Canadian programs actually) can be pretty harsh. Any late assignments are automatic zeroes, if you get zero on any assignment you fail the class and credit and you can only get extensions on medical notes.