Vindictus
XENO
- Location
- Texas
It's an excerpt from the Illiad in ancient greek; Google Translate isn't giving me a really good translation, though.
Mythical (RWBY Pyrrha Quest)
- Thread starter Jemnite
- Start date
- Fantasy
Jemnite
CVN-69 Fella
- Location
- 清源书院
Sing, O muse, of the rage of Achilles, son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul it sent hurrying to Hades; many a hero did it leave prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Zeus fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, first fell out with one another.
First line of the Iliad.
Pathetic King
"I Speak To The Audient Void."
- Location
- Colorado
[X] The duo of red and gold. The taller of the two has the richness the boy lacks. Her hair is rich in both volume and color, deep golden and voluminous, spilling out in what can only be described as a mane of golden curls. Her skin is bronzed and sunkissed, combined with the thick ropes of muscles you can across her arms and shoulders, emblematic of a healthy lifestyle. She wears a an outfit that feels vaguely Vacuan with a red scarf and a dusty brown jacket which clings tightly to her equally voluminous bust, complete with boots with spurs on them.
Hyacinthium
Writing about sad cannibals as we speak.
- Location
- Bedroom
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] The boy praying along alone on one of the wooden benches bolted to the center of the room. He's blond, his hair a sort of tattered wispy white yellow without any richness. His skin is as pale as his hair, almost sort of pallid looking. He wears silver armor plates, chestplate, shoulder, gauntlets, molded onto a hooded longtailed of dark blue. A lance with banner that's so plain in comparison to most hunters weapons it almost stands out in its plainness lays on his lap, already retrieved from his locker. He's tall and thin and even wearing armor has little to no definition to speak of.
I'm feeling very validated rn and I desire actual Joan of Arc.
I'm feeling very validated rn and I desire actual Joan of Arc.
Tamahagane12
Unlimited Salt Works
- Location
- Texas
[X] The boy praying along alone on one of the wooden benches bolted to the center of the room. He's blond, his hair a sort of tattered wispy white yellow without any richness. His skin is as pale as his hair, almost sort of pallid looking. He wears silver armor plates, chestplate, shoulder, gauntlets, molded onto a hooded longtailed of dark blue. A lance with banner that's so plain in comparison to most hunters weapons it almost stands out in its plainness lays on his lap, already retrieved from his locker. He's tall and thin and even wearing armor has little to no definition to speak of.
- Location
- Texas
Not completely accurate.
Arms and Armor—Common Misconceptions and Frequently Asked Questions | Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
First off, high-quality full plate armor with mail isn't actually that cumbersome, even for moderately physically fit people. If you train to use it properly and have the aid of Aura giving you superhuman abilities, then I seriously doubt it would slow you down enough to matter, and even if it did slow you down, you'd already have built your combat style around it.
Second, while you might have a point about protection, there are two examples in the show that counter it. Jaune and Pyrrha's shields. They both do the job of protecting the user admirably, giving prominent in story proof that Remnant is capable of making metal strong, thin, and light enough to be used as a shield. Given Jaune's limited armor, it's reasonable to assume they can do the same with a full set. Considering they can turn a minigun into a purse, I'd be amazed if they lacked the ability to turn shield plating into armor.
Third, lightning dust. That's not how electricity works. In fact, it'd be quite the opposite.
A lightning suit | Ask Dr. Universe | Washington State University
Metal tends to be more conductive than human skin. Significantly so. Electricity also takes the path of least resistance. If you had a full suit of mail armor using sufficiently conductive materials, any electricity shot at you would instead be absorbed into the armor, channeled around you, and sent into the ground. You would be completely fine.
In fact, more than a theory, it's something we've already done with the Faraday Suit.
All in all, there can still be a few reasons why they don't wear armor.
From a Watsonian perspective, Hunters might not do it because the high-quality armor that would actually be worth getting is far too expensive for them to bother with. It'd also probably be another thing to do maintenance on. Considering they have to maintain their weapons, buy ammunition and Dust, as well as living expenses, many might decide to just rely on the cheap tactic of dodging, killing it first, or even just having a shield. Honestly,
Weiss and potentially Pyrrha, are the only people in the cast who I could see having enough money to afford high-quality armor. Maybe Coco, but we don't exactly have a lot of information on her. Jaune only has his as a hand-me-down, but that gets twisted around frequently in various fanon and AU's, and it's not even high-quality. It barely covers some of the essentials.
From a Doylist perspective, it probably just clashed with the aesthetic they were going for. I've found that most forms of media get armor wrong. Either it's in the wrong places, they big it big and cumbersome, or it's actually somehow useless. Power armor is, frankly, more realistic many ways often times.
But the minutia of all that kind of varies depending on the mechanics that the author wants to use.
Anyways, that's the end of that rant. Sorry, but I just get annoyed when people misunderstand armor and rely on classic inaccurate tropes.
[X] The boy praying along alone on one of the wooden benches bolted to the center of the room. He's blond, his hair a sort of tattered wispy white yellow without any richness. His skin is as pale as his hair, almost sort of pallid looking. He wears silver armor plates, chestplate, shoulder, gauntlets, molded onto a hooded longtailed of dark blue. A lance with banner that's so plain in comparison to most hunters weapons it almost stands out in its plainness lays on his lap, already retrieved from his locker. He's tall and thin and even wearing armor has little to no definition to speak of.
I'm going to pick this option just for the sake of argument. I'm kind of interested in how this version of Jaune is different, as he clearly isn't just canon Jaune. I don't know if everyone's gotten the AU treatment and by how much. That said, canon Jaune doesn't interest me too much, and these are just the opening introductions, so I won't cry too much if he doesn't win.
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Leingod
Immaculate Blooming Lotus
True enough. But now go run around in the forest for a few hours like a Huntsman is basically required to do fairly often in the course of his job while wearing said plate armor. Or walk the length of a continent like RNJR while wearing it, because Grimm can attack at any time, so if this is going to be a major part of your combat doctrine you can't take it off until you're safely in a settlement or a vehicle. Most fighters who wore things like articulated plate could do so because they did most of their fighting on horseback and didn't have to spend long periods of time just wandering on foot in a forest while wearing it. I don't care how well-balanced it is, you don't want to run a marathon wearing it, or get launched out of a catapult and walk the length of a dangerous monster-filled forest on foot while wearing it.
That's because they act as conduits for Aura, just like their weapons do, and thus it becomes of marginal use once your Aura's tapped out. Remnant's material science is very advanced in comparison to ours, but if it was that easy, the Atlesian Knights wouldn't have armor that can be shredded like paper by anything stronger than a Beowolf and a kilometer-long airship wouldn't be destroyed by a larger-than-average Griffon being slammed down onto its deck.
The Paladins are much more durable... because they're huge and have armor plating that would be way too thick for even someone with superhuman strength to be able to fight properly while wearing without mechanical assistance, i.e. it would be power armor by that point.
Fair enough. I suppose I could bring up Fire or Lava Dust, or Ice Dust, and the effects it could have on armor, but that would just be nitpicking at this point.
Those could also work, I suppose.
I can understand that. Frankly, I've mostly given up on addressing it where it occurs, much as I mostly give up on trying to explain that D&D doesn't really seem to know what a "longsword" is.
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Dream Logic
An offseason swallow
- Location
- In transit
So Jaune is Joan of Arc for real, Nora is going to be impressive...also I wonder if Ren pulled some heroic efforts when his town was attacked? He is Mulan and she was famed for being a hero when her father could not fight.
I wonder if Yang will pull some Heracles? Rage is in both their blood and she has connotations of being from divinity (if only because she is associated with dragons).
Ruby might pull influence from the Wolf...or Atlanta or be the Heracles figure. She has silver eyes which seem to be a sign of unusual parentage. Of course either sister might draw parallels to Atlanta (Yang for the bear motifs, Ruby is associated with The wolf and is defined as a hunter eager to prove herself ala young Atlanta).
Of course this may just be me rooting for BestGreekGirl.
I wonder if Yang will pull some Heracles? Rage is in both their blood and she has connotations of being from divinity (if only because she is associated with dragons).
Ruby might pull influence from the Wolf...or Atlanta or be the Heracles figure. She has silver eyes which seem to be a sign of unusual parentage. Of course either sister might draw parallels to Atlanta (Yang for the bear motifs, Ruby is associated with The wolf and is defined as a hunter eager to prove herself ala young Atlanta).
Of course this may just be me rooting for BestGreekGirl.
Vindictus
XENO
- Location
- Texas
The military carries heavier kit, without the benefit of having superpowers.
I know which image this description came from.
How are you handling Aura here though? I've seen it as everything from a passive light shield over the body, to something that needs to be consciously raised and ends up with a World Of Cardboard occurring for anyone that does have it up, to... well, a lot of things I guess. Including conscious direction of Aura to block an incoming blow drastically reducing the strain that's placed upon it for blocking the incoming blow. Effects would be further exaggerated with armor or a shield.
So you can see how this might be relevant to that above discussion.
I've also seen the idea that having an armor/shield between you and the blow just kind of reduced the aura strain of a blow just because there was something in between the blow and the soft body. Err... that is to say, the armor being there let there be much less loss of Aura in general to block blows.
I mean, there has to be a reason for them to wear that armor. I know, potentially it's just Aesthetics, but that just means an IC reason needs to be made to explain why they do wear it IC. And why so many others don't IC. And it's not like it can be considered a... crutch for new hunters or something silly really with how Pyhrra wears it. *Shrug*
Also, excuse me if I'm rambling, it's like... 1 a.m. right now and I really should be asleep, but insomnia.
Why Greek Heroes?
Also, Jaune's currently wearing a Proto!Saber fanart outfit. I.E. King Arthur.
I know canonically he's Jeanne D'Arc and all, but... You seem to be reaching a bit? I mean, Atalanta?
[X] The duo of red and gold. The taller of the two has the richness the boy lacks. Her hair is rich in both volume and color, deep golden and voluminous, spilling out in what can only be described as a mane of golden curls. Her skin is bronzed and sunkissed, combined with the thick ropes of muscles you can across her arms and shoulders, emblematic of a healthy lifestyle. She wears a an outfit that feels vaguely Vacuan with a red scarf and a dusty brown jacket which clings tightly to her equally voluminous bust, complete with boots with spurs on them.
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Leingod
Immaculate Blooming Lotus
As of Volume 5, it is canon that Aura guard needs to be consciously raised and maintained, but that with training this can become reflexive, and possibly even instinctual.
I remember that now that you mention it. Like I said, very tired.
Also, AU.
- Location
- italy bologna
[X] The boy praying along alone on one of the wooden benches bolted to the center of the room. He's blond, his hair a sort of tattered wispy white yellow without any richness. His skin is as pale as his hair, almost sort of pallid looking. He wears silver armor plates, chestplate, shoulder, gauntlets, molded onto a hooded longtailed of dark blue. A lance with banner that's so plain in comparison to most hunters weapons it almost stands out in its plainness lays on his lap, already retrieved from his locker. He's tall and thin and even wearing armor has little to no definition to speak of.
- Location
- United states
[X] The boy praying along alone on one of the wooden benches bolted to the center of the room. He's blond, his hair a sort of tattered wispy white yellow without any richness. His skin is as pale as his hair, almost sort of pallid looking. He wears silver armor plates, chestplate, shoulder, gauntlets, molded onto a hooded longtailed of dark blue. A lance with banner that's so plain in comparison to most hunters weapons it almost stands out in its plainness lays on his lap, already retrieved from his locker. He's tall and thin and even wearing armor has little to no definition to speak of.
Hyacinthium
Writing about sad cannibals as we speak.
- Location
- Bedroom
- Pronouns
- He/Him
No trust me it's Joan of arc literally why would JAUNE D'ARC be anyone other than JOAN D ARC in an au that obviously makes the mythohistorial references in RWBY actually matter
Also I talked with Jemnite before this was even out he's literally Joan of arc jfc
Also I talked with Jemnite before this was even out he's literally Joan of arc jfc
Jemnite
CVN-69 Fella
- Location
- 清源书院
When the gods left the world and abandoned it to the Grimm, it was the huntress Selene who stayed. It was her tears for mankind's sufferings that fell down from the skies and became on the firmament what we know as Dust. It was her presence for whom her brother the Sun did stay by humanity's side instead of leaving with the other gods that we call stars. And it was her breast from which she tore out the secrets of the divine art of weaving heroes and planted that seed within humanity that we might fight back.
That seed is what we today call Aura.
Aura is the latent heroism of the soul ignited into an inferno. It is the fuel that gives rise to the bonfire we call semblance, or the panoply of the soul. It is both blessing and curse, for although it creates immortals out of mortals it also brings upon their shoulders a great destiny of both joy and sorrow in great and equal measure alike. Those who awaken their aura are destined to walk the long and suffering road of a hero.
Practically speaking Aura enhances the sleeping heroic qualia of the user in question. They become faster, stronger, tougher; heal more quickly and more completely. A blow which would carve a deep gash in the flesh of a hero might only slice a line as fine as a simple cut and a wound which would take weeks to heal might be gone by the next dawn. It is no impenetrable shield or infallible defense, it only enhances the heroic virtues of the body and does not elevate them completely, but the endurance and strength it gives is enough that most who fall are those who have exhausted the last flickering dregs of their Aura, their heroism petered out and spent a hundred times over.
Not only can Aura be used to enhance the heroic virtues of its user, but those skilled in its use can imbue their weapons with it as well, bringing out similar qualities out of what would be ordinary steel and dust. In time, Aura will shape the destiny of such tools, weaving for them their own heroic tapestries.
Hyacinthium
Writing about sad cannibals as we speak.
- Location
- Bedroom
- Pronouns
- He/Him
My bro it it two am why are you awake?
Jemnite
CVN-69 Fella
- Location
- 清源书院
Was playing the Stellaris update until late at night. Why are you still awake is like 2:15 AM and you don't have Stellaris
- Location
- USA
Vote Jaune! Find out early if he's worth anything in this AU. He's probably less worthless than canon, but it's hard to go lower than that workout literally crippling him.
I've got low hopes, but the others are guaranteed to be interesting (and safe from getting killed) so we can take the moment where he hasn't managed to die yet to see if we might want to keep it that way
- Location
- Germany
[X] The boy praying along alone on one of the wooden benches bolted to the center of the room. He's blond, his hair a sort of tattered wispy white yellow without any richness. His skin is as pale as his hair, almost sort of pallid looking. He wears silver armor plates, chestplate, shoulder, gauntlets, molded onto a hooded longtailed of dark blue. A lance with banner that's so plain in comparison to most hunters weapons it almost stands out in its plainness lays on his lap, already retrieved from his locker. He's tall and thin and even wearing armor has little to no definition to speak of.
Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
[X] The duo of red and gold. The taller of the two has the richness the boy lacks. Her hair is rich in both volume and color, deep golden and voluminous, spilling out in what can only be described as a mane of golden curls. Her skin is bronzed and sunkissed, combined with the thick ropes of muscles you can across her arms and shoulders, emblematic of a healthy lifestyle. She wears a an outfit that feels vaguely Vacuan with a red scarf and a dusty brown jacket which clings tightly to her equally voluminous bust, complete with boots with spurs on them.
- Location
- USA
[X] The boy praying along alone on one of the wooden benches bolted to the center of the room. He's blond, his hair a sort of tattered wispy white yellow without any richness. His skin is as pale as his hair, almost sort of pallid looking. He wears silver armor plates, chestplate, shoulder, gauntlets, molded onto a hooded longtailed of dark blue. A lance with banner that's so plain in comparison to most hunters weapons it almost stands out in its plainness lays on his lap, already retrieved from his locker. He's tall and thin and even wearing armor has little to no definition to speak of.
Πρωταθλητής 2
Jemnite
CVN-69 Fella
- Location
- 清源书院
Πρωταθλητής 2
Why not, you decide. You quite doubt any of them will be more than a passing fancy, but you might as well kill some time while you're here.
Plus you're going to have to carry one of them across your shield for the next four years at Beacon, either way. Might as well pick find one who will slow you down the least.
You sashay over to a duo of red and gold, a short little girl hidden away in a deep scarlet cloak and her lionlike companion. The former shrinks into the background, but the latter stands out even amongst the colorful arrangement of prospect student-hopefuls filling the ready room. With her flowing mane of lustrous golden curls flowing her back and her bold confident stance, she stands out like the sun.
And gold is very much your color.
The smaller of the two spots you before her companion. You spot a round milky-pale face peer out at you from beneath her scarlet hood, tugging slowly at the ends of her companion. Underneath her hood you spot a few threads of raven black hair before she pulls her hood back over her eyes and steps back, scurrying away to hide behind the golden one.
A shy one it seems. You've dealt with a few in your time. Shrinking violets are hardly worth the effort it takes to coax them out of their shells. You put her aside as you take in the sight of the golden haired one.
She's strong. You call tell that as you're approaching. Her brown leather coat is half a size too small for her frame and rides up on her rather large chest, revealing flat and hard slabs of rectis abdominis. Ropes of muscle cling tight to her shoulders and arms, speaking of the physique of an intensely physical fighter, a brawler. She carries herself with the posture of a predator, easy, laid back, right until the moment she suddenly unleashes all that coiled up energy, right for the neck. She smiles as you approach. It's got just a hint too much teeth to be friendly.
It's a little amusing that she thinks herself a match for you. Just a little.
"Hey hey hey," she drawls out, observing you with lilac eyes. Her voice is surprisingly warm and light with just a hint of deeper tones around the edges. Not exactly what you'd have guess from her appearance. "Looks like someone's come to say hi."
The little one peeks out a bit further from behind her companion. Curious little mouse.
"I observed the two of you all alone," you reply, "and I thought I might investigate what brought such a seemingly mismatched duo together."
"Hah," she laughs. "Do we really look that strange together?" She extends a hand. You note the slightly bulky burnished gold bracer around her wrist which smells faintly of fire dust. "Yang Xiao Long."
"Pyrrha Nikos." You respond in kind and hear a faint gasp from the girl behind Yang's back. Yang herself clasps your hand tightly and you can see her bicep flex a bit as she uses that prodigious muscle to use. Not one to lose, you apply a bit more strength as well. You don't have the bulk she does, but you're hardly soft.
And while the two of you are having your dominance play the girl behind Yang's back suddenly abandons her cover at the mention of your name. The edge of her cloak flops sideways and you finally catch your first glimpse of her eyes which have so far been obscured by both distance and the flapping edge of her oversized scarlet cloak. They're a light grey the color of tarnished silver. Surprisingly boring for the wait.
"Pyrrha Nikos?" She says with all the excitement in the world. Not only does she look small, but she sounds like a child too. Squeaky and exuberant. "As in the four time Mistral Regional Champion Pyrrha Nikos?"
"A fan?" You crush Yang's grip with sudden force and smile indulgently. You'd say you were pleasantly surprised, but then you'd be lying.
There's hardly anything to be surprised about.
"Yeah!" She bounces forward and before Yang is done withdrawing her aching arm, she's in front of you, rose petals flying everywhere in her wake. She sticks both her arms in front of you and catches your arm, shaking it exuberantly up and down. "I'm Ruby Rose!"
"Well met." Your gaze flicks between the now suddenly devoid of shyness Ruby and the slightly amused onlooking Yang.
Your question is clear enough even unspoken. "We're sisters," Yang says. "Half sisters."
Their mother, or father, must have been quite the interesting person to have found two so different partners if his, or her, children are any indicator. "You two have seen me in the tournament then?"
"Yeah!" Ruby explodes. By now she bears absolutely no resemblance to the shy mousey girl who had been hiding behind her elder sister and using her as a shield just seconds ago. "We watched you all the time over the CCT! You were amazing! Especially in the finals last year. You crushed that guy like he was absolutely nothing."
Last year… you think you were matched up against Hektor. That was a fun one. You beat him completely black and blue. Broke his arm in three places. He spent six months in the hospital. His parents were so mad at you.
He probably didn't deserve that sort of treatment but he should have known better than to cross you. The wrath of a Nikos will not be so easily abated once it is incurred.
"His gauntlet was really cool, though. I've never seen anything like that. I mean, obviously he still lost but I mean I've never seen that sort of weapon. The one that he wore of his hand, I mean. The gauntlet. It know it used lightning dust to create a controlled discharge but how did he get the shaping effect? He used some of his lightning spears to parry your blows right? That means had to have been pretty solid. He kind of got worn down at the end though, the lightning manifestations got all fuzzy and blurry. Was it tied to his semblance?"
Ruby absolutely bombards you with questions, stopping not once to breath. You looked towards Yang, who only smiles ruefully with the expression of someone who's long grown accustomed to the unnatural vitality of her sister. Humor her, she mouths. Please.
O mighty are the burdens placed upon the shoulders of the great.
"The Keravnós," you recall from memory, visualizing the thunder gold rune-festooned gauntlet in your minds eye. "The ancestral weapon of the Ilius family. When Iloi, their founder, went to war, he commanded the thunder and lightning with his semblance. His gauntlet inherited some of his nature and since then it has the become the weapon of choice for the head of the family."
"Oooooh," Ruby leans in excited. "Have you used it before?"
"Once." Not counting the time you ripped it off of Hektor's hand and broke his nose with his own weapon, you had gotten a chance to play with it. You didn't like it. Using it required immense concentration and you got the sense to master it would require a willingness to dedicate hour upon ultimately what was just another cute gimmick. Only an idiot with more willpower than sense and not enough talent to make up the difference would devote the time to master such a weapon. "It wasn't really my style."
"I think your weapon is cool, too." Ruby says, possessed by an apparent misimpression that you now want to talk about your style. "I mean both of them. Not a lot of people go with a shield in Vale. Do you want to see my weapon?"
Without even waiting for an answer, her hand whips around to her back and pulls out a blocky mass of red steel. It seems red is really her color after all. As her cloak shifts you catch a glimpse a black skirt and a lot of lace before it's all buried under a mass of scarlet cloth again.
As you shift your attention back to the block of red steel in her hands, it unfolds with a cacophony of noise. After screeching, whirring, and clicking in short succession, a scythe almost as long as she is tall stands proudly in the little girl's hands. The silver blade shines under the light, its sharpness almost audible in the silence that comes after everyone within the 50 meters immediately stops talking once they catch sight of the weapon being mecha shifted inside the locker room.
Ruby doesn't notice at all. "I call her Crescent Rose because the blade is like a crescent and it's my baby so it has my last name." She eagerly shows off all the details of her weapon. "See here, this is where the motors for the mecha shifting are and the shaft is actually a barrel so I can shoot with it and also here's where the magazine goes and here's the vent and firing chamber and the scythe blade is also supposed to be able to mecha shift into a glaive but I'm still working on that."
Again you are impressed by her capacity to spit out hundreds of words on a single breath. You look over at Yang who only sighs, her face the picture of resignation. You give Ruby a vague smile of approval and are saved from having to voice any actual opinions by the click of the PA.
"Attention, will all candidates please report to Beacon Hill?" A woman says loud and clear over the speakers. "Initiation is about to begin. I repeat, will all candidates please report to Beacon Hill?"
As the PA repeats its message over and over again in the background Ruby jolts up in a sudden moment of realization. She turns to her sister, inklings of panic growing in her eyes. "Oh no!" She exclaims in a completely crestfallen tone. "Yang I forgot-"
"To bring extra Dust rounds?" Yang preempts the girl. As little red frantically nods her head up and down Yang sighs. "Well, go ahead and grab them quickly before they start the test. I'll keep Pyrrha company while you do."
Ruby's face lights up. "Thanks Yang!"
And then she's gone.
That girl reminds you of Philia somewhat, but where Philia and you trade quips and converse as equals, she overpowered you with her exuberance. You've never had a conversation simply just stolen away from you before, at least not with this total lack of ill-will.
It's an unfamiliar experience and you aren't sure you like it.
"You two looked like you hit it off quite well," Yang says as the two of you walk down a flight of stairs. "Ruby usually doesn't warm up to people that quickly. Normally she'd probably hide behind me for at least a week or so before dipping her toes in. But once she heard that you were the Pyrrha Nikos, Mistral Champion she just jumped straight in."
"Most people have that reaction." You reassure her, just a hint of arrogance bleeding into your voice. "It's normal to be in awe of my presence."
"Hm, yeah." Yang's lips twitch. "She really looks up to you, you know. She was halfway determined to transfer right to Sanctum after she saw your first championship win if it wasn't for the fact our dad taught at Signal."
"Surely not more than her sister."
Is she trying to push her little sister onto you? You're sorry but Philia is your only true Heteroi and you won't accept another.
"Well, it's in a different way." She takes a few steps faster and you speed up your pace to match her reflexively. Her face falls into a frown and she spins around to walk backwards and only then do you realize what she's trying to do. You slow down so she can talk to you face to face. "I'm her older sister. She looks up to me as someone she loves and has grown up with. But you're her idol. I can only tell her so much before she decides it's the blatherings of her older sister."
"And?"
"And well, Ruby is a little…. well I don't quite know if this is the right word, unbalanced." Yang shrugs. "She's at Beacon two years early and she completely belongs to be here but she needs to learn how to slow down and center herself."
"And?" You repeat yourself. "What does that have to do with me?"
"Well, I was hhhhhoping you might decide to help me out there."
You stop walking. Yang stops with you. Her eyes narrow into slits as she studies your face. You stare levely back at her, straight into her eyes. "And? Why should I do this?"
"You mean what's in it for you?" She crosses her arms under her chest and squares her shoulder. "A favor I suppose."
"From who? You?" You smirk. "I haven't even seen what you can do, what makes you think I would be willing to accept the burden of mentoring a hyperactive young girl based on a nebulous favor based on a girl I met no more than half a hour ago?"
"What, you think I can't fight?" Yang's expression is halfway between playfully hurt and genuinely offended. Her posture shifts abruptly and her frame tenses. You don't bother to match her.
If she tried you'd beat her bloody either way.
"I've never seen you fight."
"What, do you want me to prove it right here?" Yang laughs and grins at you with too many teeth. "I'm pretty sure I could give you a good show of it, but if we throw down here we're going to be late for initiation."
"Do you really think there won't be combat in an initiation for a Hunter Academy?" You figure you'll offer her the same deal as you offered the Schnee. "Sharpen those fangs on Grimm first and then we'll see."
You push past her, reaching out one finger to trace the shape of her jaw as you pass by, and step out through a doorway into natural light. Yang watches you as you pass by. From behind you hear her yell. "You're a bit of a tease, you know?"
"I know!" You call back.
You don't bother looking back.
There are prospectives gathered on Beacon Hill already, no more than seventy to eighty at a quick glance. Up ahead of the crowd you can see Headmaster Ozpin himself at the head of the forming crowd. The prodigy headmaster is just as he appeared in all of the books you read about him. His hair is a pale shade of silver, thrown about messily in a bird's nest. His dark spectacles slide down from from his nose. He has small dark bags under his thin amber-brown eyes and and combined with his pale complexion and lack of proper grooming it makes him seem somewhat run down and bedraggled.
But his eyes are as sharp as any.
He's at least bundled himself up appropriately for the cold winter weather. A deep forest green scarf seals him into his warm looking black suit, which you gaze upon with a slight envy. It's cold here in Vale. Unlike balmy Mistral, the mountain backed rains bring cold misty showers. He leans heavily on a cane that ticks every so often. You can see brass cogs moving on the inside.
You spot one figure standing apart from the crowd. It's that wispy looking boy from the locker room, the one who was armored in white and praying in silence on one of the benches. He has his banner spear in hand now and is staring out across the hillside into the forest. From a distance you can see his lips moving, but not clearly enough to read them.
Odd boy.
You tramp across the cold and dew soaked grass, too proud to allow yourself to shiver, searching for a spot where you can see the Headmaster clearly. You watch one of his teachers, a frazzy looking fellow, pour him a mug of coffee from a silver-steel thermos. He takes a few sips, and then clears his throat with a few soft coughs.
The murmuring dulls to a stop.
"Ahem," he coughs one last time. "Well, I suppose we should begin. In the interests of briefness, I'll skip straight to the point."
"This year's exam is a simple search and retrieval mission. You all will be venturing into scenic Emerald Forest behind you-" You spot some students actually turn to look for some reason as if they didn't know exactly where the Grimm filled forest was. "-and retrieving one of 32 relics planted by our teachers. The trek will likely take more than a day and you will be responsible for securing supplies and shelter on your own. It would be in your best interests to proceed as quickly as possible."
There's the sound of shifting rock behind you and you and most of the crowd turn to see the odd boy from before already slipping down the side of the cliff before the headmaster is done speaking. A few students laugh and whispers begin to spread through the prospectives.
"I don't know why you're all laughing," the headmaster says, his voice crisp and clear even through all the noise. The din quiets down almost immediately. "He's heading straight for the relics. He might even get there before any of you."
...before you? The words echo in your head, drowning out everything else, and your right hand tightens into a fist.
Before you?
Unacceptable.
Miló and Akoúo̱ are in your hands before you've taken three steps after him. You push through the crowd, toppling over people in your wake like bowling pins. Ozpin's last words echo in your ears as you leap off the cliff.
"-the key to this test is cooperation and teamwork. I advise you all to keep that in mind going forward."
You beat feet and tear through the forest.
[ ] Chase the boy down. He knows where the relics are. You will have him divulge the location to you.
[ ] Trail the boy. You can afford to watch him from a distance, and put on a last burst of speed at the end to outtake him and take a relic before him. From then on it's only a matter to making it back before him.
[ ] Burst past him. You're confident enough in your skills that you can find the relic before him, no matter how odd his start was. You just couldn't afford to let him get the upper hand.
[ ] Write in
Why not, you decide. You quite doubt any of them will be more than a passing fancy, but you might as well kill some time while you're here.
Plus you're going to have to carry one of them across your shield for the next four years at Beacon, either way. Might as well pick find one who will slow you down the least.
You sashay over to a duo of red and gold, a short little girl hidden away in a deep scarlet cloak and her lionlike companion. The former shrinks into the background, but the latter stands out even amongst the colorful arrangement of prospect student-hopefuls filling the ready room. With her flowing mane of lustrous golden curls flowing her back and her bold confident stance, she stands out like the sun.
And gold is very much your color.
The smaller of the two spots you before her companion. You spot a round milky-pale face peer out at you from beneath her scarlet hood, tugging slowly at the ends of her companion. Underneath her hood you spot a few threads of raven black hair before she pulls her hood back over her eyes and steps back, scurrying away to hide behind the golden one.
A shy one it seems. You've dealt with a few in your time. Shrinking violets are hardly worth the effort it takes to coax them out of their shells. You put her aside as you take in the sight of the golden haired one.
She's strong. You call tell that as you're approaching. Her brown leather coat is half a size too small for her frame and rides up on her rather large chest, revealing flat and hard slabs of rectis abdominis. Ropes of muscle cling tight to her shoulders and arms, speaking of the physique of an intensely physical fighter, a brawler. She carries herself with the posture of a predator, easy, laid back, right until the moment she suddenly unleashes all that coiled up energy, right for the neck. She smiles as you approach. It's got just a hint too much teeth to be friendly.
It's a little amusing that she thinks herself a match for you. Just a little.
"Hey hey hey," she drawls out, observing you with lilac eyes. Her voice is surprisingly warm and light with just a hint of deeper tones around the edges. Not exactly what you'd have guess from her appearance. "Looks like someone's come to say hi."
The little one peeks out a bit further from behind her companion. Curious little mouse.
"I observed the two of you all alone," you reply, "and I thought I might investigate what brought such a seemingly mismatched duo together."
"Hah," she laughs. "Do we really look that strange together?" She extends a hand. You note the slightly bulky burnished gold bracer around her wrist which smells faintly of fire dust. "Yang Xiao Long."
"Pyrrha Nikos." You respond in kind and hear a faint gasp from the girl behind Yang's back. Yang herself clasps your hand tightly and you can see her bicep flex a bit as she uses that prodigious muscle to use. Not one to lose, you apply a bit more strength as well. You don't have the bulk she does, but you're hardly soft.
And while the two of you are having your dominance play the girl behind Yang's back suddenly abandons her cover at the mention of your name. The edge of her cloak flops sideways and you finally catch your first glimpse of her eyes which have so far been obscured by both distance and the flapping edge of her oversized scarlet cloak. They're a light grey the color of tarnished silver. Surprisingly boring for the wait.
"Pyrrha Nikos?" She says with all the excitement in the world. Not only does she look small, but she sounds like a child too. Squeaky and exuberant. "As in the four time Mistral Regional Champion Pyrrha Nikos?"
"A fan?" You crush Yang's grip with sudden force and smile indulgently. You'd say you were pleasantly surprised, but then you'd be lying.
There's hardly anything to be surprised about.
"Yeah!" She bounces forward and before Yang is done withdrawing her aching arm, she's in front of you, rose petals flying everywhere in her wake. She sticks both her arms in front of you and catches your arm, shaking it exuberantly up and down. "I'm Ruby Rose!"
"Well met." Your gaze flicks between the now suddenly devoid of shyness Ruby and the slightly amused onlooking Yang.
Your question is clear enough even unspoken. "We're sisters," Yang says. "Half sisters."
Their mother, or father, must have been quite the interesting person to have found two so different partners if his, or her, children are any indicator. "You two have seen me in the tournament then?"
"Yeah!" Ruby explodes. By now she bears absolutely no resemblance to the shy mousey girl who had been hiding behind her elder sister and using her as a shield just seconds ago. "We watched you all the time over the CCT! You were amazing! Especially in the finals last year. You crushed that guy like he was absolutely nothing."
Last year… you think you were matched up against Hektor. That was a fun one. You beat him completely black and blue. Broke his arm in three places. He spent six months in the hospital. His parents were so mad at you.
He probably didn't deserve that sort of treatment but he should have known better than to cross you. The wrath of a Nikos will not be so easily abated once it is incurred.
"His gauntlet was really cool, though. I've never seen anything like that. I mean, obviously he still lost but I mean I've never seen that sort of weapon. The one that he wore of his hand, I mean. The gauntlet. It know it used lightning dust to create a controlled discharge but how did he get the shaping effect? He used some of his lightning spears to parry your blows right? That means had to have been pretty solid. He kind of got worn down at the end though, the lightning manifestations got all fuzzy and blurry. Was it tied to his semblance?"
Ruby absolutely bombards you with questions, stopping not once to breath. You looked towards Yang, who only smiles ruefully with the expression of someone who's long grown accustomed to the unnatural vitality of her sister. Humor her, she mouths. Please.
O mighty are the burdens placed upon the shoulders of the great.
"The Keravnós," you recall from memory, visualizing the thunder gold rune-festooned gauntlet in your minds eye. "The ancestral weapon of the Ilius family. When Iloi, their founder, went to war, he commanded the thunder and lightning with his semblance. His gauntlet inherited some of his nature and since then it has the become the weapon of choice for the head of the family."
"Oooooh," Ruby leans in excited. "Have you used it before?"
"Once." Not counting the time you ripped it off of Hektor's hand and broke his nose with his own weapon, you had gotten a chance to play with it. You didn't like it. Using it required immense concentration and you got the sense to master it would require a willingness to dedicate hour upon ultimately what was just another cute gimmick. Only an idiot with more willpower than sense and not enough talent to make up the difference would devote the time to master such a weapon. "It wasn't really my style."
"I think your weapon is cool, too." Ruby says, possessed by an apparent misimpression that you now want to talk about your style. "I mean both of them. Not a lot of people go with a shield in Vale. Do you want to see my weapon?"
Without even waiting for an answer, her hand whips around to her back and pulls out a blocky mass of red steel. It seems red is really her color after all. As her cloak shifts you catch a glimpse a black skirt and a lot of lace before it's all buried under a mass of scarlet cloth again.
As you shift your attention back to the block of red steel in her hands, it unfolds with a cacophony of noise. After screeching, whirring, and clicking in short succession, a scythe almost as long as she is tall stands proudly in the little girl's hands. The silver blade shines under the light, its sharpness almost audible in the silence that comes after everyone within the 50 meters immediately stops talking once they catch sight of the weapon being mecha shifted inside the locker room.
Ruby doesn't notice at all. "I call her Crescent Rose because the blade is like a crescent and it's my baby so it has my last name." She eagerly shows off all the details of her weapon. "See here, this is where the motors for the mecha shifting are and the shaft is actually a barrel so I can shoot with it and also here's where the magazine goes and here's the vent and firing chamber and the scythe blade is also supposed to be able to mecha shift into a glaive but I'm still working on that."
Again you are impressed by her capacity to spit out hundreds of words on a single breath. You look over at Yang who only sighs, her face the picture of resignation. You give Ruby a vague smile of approval and are saved from having to voice any actual opinions by the click of the PA.
"Attention, will all candidates please report to Beacon Hill?" A woman says loud and clear over the speakers. "Initiation is about to begin. I repeat, will all candidates please report to Beacon Hill?"
As the PA repeats its message over and over again in the background Ruby jolts up in a sudden moment of realization. She turns to her sister, inklings of panic growing in her eyes. "Oh no!" She exclaims in a completely crestfallen tone. "Yang I forgot-"
"To bring extra Dust rounds?" Yang preempts the girl. As little red frantically nods her head up and down Yang sighs. "Well, go ahead and grab them quickly before they start the test. I'll keep Pyrrha company while you do."
Ruby's face lights up. "Thanks Yang!"
And then she's gone.
That girl reminds you of Philia somewhat, but where Philia and you trade quips and converse as equals, she overpowered you with her exuberance. You've never had a conversation simply just stolen away from you before, at least not with this total lack of ill-will.
It's an unfamiliar experience and you aren't sure you like it.
"You two looked like you hit it off quite well," Yang says as the two of you walk down a flight of stairs. "Ruby usually doesn't warm up to people that quickly. Normally she'd probably hide behind me for at least a week or so before dipping her toes in. But once she heard that you were the Pyrrha Nikos, Mistral Champion she just jumped straight in."
"Most people have that reaction." You reassure her, just a hint of arrogance bleeding into your voice. "It's normal to be in awe of my presence."
"Hm, yeah." Yang's lips twitch. "She really looks up to you, you know. She was halfway determined to transfer right to Sanctum after she saw your first championship win if it wasn't for the fact our dad taught at Signal."
"Surely not more than her sister."
Is she trying to push her little sister onto you? You're sorry but Philia is your only true Heteroi and you won't accept another.
"Well, it's in a different way." She takes a few steps faster and you speed up your pace to match her reflexively. Her face falls into a frown and she spins around to walk backwards and only then do you realize what she's trying to do. You slow down so she can talk to you face to face. "I'm her older sister. She looks up to me as someone she loves and has grown up with. But you're her idol. I can only tell her so much before she decides it's the blatherings of her older sister."
"And?"
"And well, Ruby is a little…. well I don't quite know if this is the right word, unbalanced." Yang shrugs. "She's at Beacon two years early and she completely belongs to be here but she needs to learn how to slow down and center herself."
"And?" You repeat yourself. "What does that have to do with me?"
"Well, I was hhhhhoping you might decide to help me out there."
You stop walking. Yang stops with you. Her eyes narrow into slits as she studies your face. You stare levely back at her, straight into her eyes. "And? Why should I do this?"
"You mean what's in it for you?" She crosses her arms under her chest and squares her shoulder. "A favor I suppose."
"From who? You?" You smirk. "I haven't even seen what you can do, what makes you think I would be willing to accept the burden of mentoring a hyperactive young girl based on a nebulous favor based on a girl I met no more than half a hour ago?"
"What, you think I can't fight?" Yang's expression is halfway between playfully hurt and genuinely offended. Her posture shifts abruptly and her frame tenses. You don't bother to match her.
If she tried you'd beat her bloody either way.
"I've never seen you fight."
"What, do you want me to prove it right here?" Yang laughs and grins at you with too many teeth. "I'm pretty sure I could give you a good show of it, but if we throw down here we're going to be late for initiation."
"Do you really think there won't be combat in an initiation for a Hunter Academy?" You figure you'll offer her the same deal as you offered the Schnee. "Sharpen those fangs on Grimm first and then we'll see."
You push past her, reaching out one finger to trace the shape of her jaw as you pass by, and step out through a doorway into natural light. Yang watches you as you pass by. From behind you hear her yell. "You're a bit of a tease, you know?"
"I know!" You call back.
You don't bother looking back.
There are prospectives gathered on Beacon Hill already, no more than seventy to eighty at a quick glance. Up ahead of the crowd you can see Headmaster Ozpin himself at the head of the forming crowd. The prodigy headmaster is just as he appeared in all of the books you read about him. His hair is a pale shade of silver, thrown about messily in a bird's nest. His dark spectacles slide down from from his nose. He has small dark bags under his thin amber-brown eyes and and combined with his pale complexion and lack of proper grooming it makes him seem somewhat run down and bedraggled.
But his eyes are as sharp as any.
He's at least bundled himself up appropriately for the cold winter weather. A deep forest green scarf seals him into his warm looking black suit, which you gaze upon with a slight envy. It's cold here in Vale. Unlike balmy Mistral, the mountain backed rains bring cold misty showers. He leans heavily on a cane that ticks every so often. You can see brass cogs moving on the inside.
You spot one figure standing apart from the crowd. It's that wispy looking boy from the locker room, the one who was armored in white and praying in silence on one of the benches. He has his banner spear in hand now and is staring out across the hillside into the forest. From a distance you can see his lips moving, but not clearly enough to read them.
Odd boy.
You tramp across the cold and dew soaked grass, too proud to allow yourself to shiver, searching for a spot where you can see the Headmaster clearly. You watch one of his teachers, a frazzy looking fellow, pour him a mug of coffee from a silver-steel thermos. He takes a few sips, and then clears his throat with a few soft coughs.
The murmuring dulls to a stop.
"Ahem," he coughs one last time. "Well, I suppose we should begin. In the interests of briefness, I'll skip straight to the point."
"This year's exam is a simple search and retrieval mission. You all will be venturing into scenic Emerald Forest behind you-" You spot some students actually turn to look for some reason as if they didn't know exactly where the Grimm filled forest was. "-and retrieving one of 32 relics planted by our teachers. The trek will likely take more than a day and you will be responsible for securing supplies and shelter on your own. It would be in your best interests to proceed as quickly as possible."
There's the sound of shifting rock behind you and you and most of the crowd turn to see the odd boy from before already slipping down the side of the cliff before the headmaster is done speaking. A few students laugh and whispers begin to spread through the prospectives.
"I don't know why you're all laughing," the headmaster says, his voice crisp and clear even through all the noise. The din quiets down almost immediately. "He's heading straight for the relics. He might even get there before any of you."
...before you? The words echo in your head, drowning out everything else, and your right hand tightens into a fist.
Before you?
Unacceptable.
Miló and Akoúo̱ are in your hands before you've taken three steps after him. You push through the crowd, toppling over people in your wake like bowling pins. Ozpin's last words echo in your ears as you leap off the cliff.
"-the key to this test is cooperation and teamwork. I advise you all to keep that in mind going forward."
You beat feet and tear through the forest.
[ ] Chase the boy down. He knows where the relics are. You will have him divulge the location to you.
[ ] Trail the boy. You can afford to watch him from a distance, and put on a last burst of speed at the end to outtake him and take a relic before him. From then on it's only a matter to making it back before him.
[ ] Burst past him. You're confident enough in your skills that you can find the relic before him, no matter how odd his start was. You just couldn't afford to let him get the upper hand.
[ ] Write in
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