[X] Getting to know Ilia - your partner is now the biggest mystery on your team. You have an idea of her strengths and can guess at some of her past, but the rest in unknown. You need to know more, even if it's just a list of topics to avoid.
[X] Family - You took the name of Nora's family and you're saying she's your sister, but that doesn't make it true. There's an adoption ritual you know, one that can easily be adjusted for this situation. And even if your using her name, Nora could clearly benefit from your family
[X] Getting to know Ilia - your partner is now the biggest mystery on your team. You have an idea of her strengths and can guess at some of her past, but the rest in unknown. You need to know more, even if it's just a list of topics to avoid.
[X] Separation - Nora and Ren apparently haven't been apart for more than a few days for almost a decade. Nora isn't taking it too well and Ren clearly doesn't know what to do about it. You suspect he might not be feeling great about it either and just hides it better. Talk to them about it and hopefully get them to talk to each other.
[X] Training with Pyrrha - Pyrrha is undoubtedly the best warrior in your year and she maintains that status with plenty of extra training. She's perfectly happy for you to tag along on her early morning sessions and it's a good chance for you to talk to her without anyone else around.
Now that there was an actual interaction with Weiss, I think getting to know Pyrrha now is pretty important. But Ilia does have somewhat of a priority so idk.
[X] Separation - Nora and Ren apparently haven't been apart for more than a few days for almost a decade. Nora isn't taking it too well and Ren clearly doesn't know what to do about it. You suspect he might not be feeling great about it either and just hides it better. Talk to them about it and hopefully get them to talk to each other.
[X] Learning with Weiss - Weiss apparently took your words to heart and is eager to teach you all about dust and how to use it safely. Maybe just worried about her extensive personal supply that she has to keep in the dorm room. Either way you need to learn more about dust and need to figure out how to get more of it.
[X] Separation - Nora and Ren apparently haven't been apart for more than a few days for almost a decade. Nora isn't taking it too well and Ren clearly doesn't know what to do about it. You suspect he might not be feeling great about it either and just hides it better. Talk to them about it and hopefully get them to talk to each other.
[X] Getting to know Ilia - your partner is now the biggest mystery on your team. You have an idea of her strengths and can guess at some of her past, but the rest in unknown. You need to know more, even if it's just a list of topics to avoid.
[X] Family - You took the name of Nora's family and you're saying she's your sister, but that doesn't make it true. There's an adoption ritual you know, one that can easily be adjusted for this situation. And even if your using her name, Nora could clearly benefit from your family.
Family will probably help with Separation too, even if indirectly.
[X] Getting to know Ilia - your partner is now the biggest mystery on your team. You have an idea of her strengths and can guess at some of her past, but the rest in unknown. You need to know more, even if it's just a list of topics to avoid.
[X] Separation - Nora and Ren apparently haven't been apart for more than a few days for almost a decade. Nora isn't taking it too well and Ren clearly doesn't know what to do about it. You suspect he might not be feeling great about it either and just hides it better. Talk to them about it and hopefully get them to talk to each other.
Blugh. Fun long weekend but my parent's place is not conducive to writing.
Scheduled vote count started by shepsquared on Apr 2, 2023 at 10:13 AM, finished with 18 posts and 18 votes.
[X] Getting to know Ilia - your partner is now the biggest mystery on your team. You have an idea of her strengths and can guess at some of her past, but the rest in unknown. You need to know more, even if it's just a list of topics to avoid.
[X] Separation - Nora and Ren apparently haven't been apart for more than a few days for almost a decade. Nora isn't taking it too well and Ren clearly doesn't know what to do about it. You suspect he might not be feeling great about it either and just hides it better. Talk to them about it and hopefully get them to talk to each other.
[X] Family - You took the name of Nora's family and you're saying she's your sister, but that doesn't make it true. There's an adoption ritual you know, one that can easily be adjusted for this situation. And even if your using her name, Nora could clearly benefit from your family.
[X] Learning with Weiss - Weiss apparently took your words to heart and is eager to teach you all about dust and how to use it safely. Maybe just worried about her extensive personal supply that she has to keep in the dorm room. Either way you need to learn more about dust and need to figure out how to get more of it.
[X] Training with Pyrrha - Pyrrha is undoubtedly the best warrior in your year and she maintains that status with plenty of extra training. She's perfectly happy for you to tag along on her early morning sessions and it's a good chance for you to talk to her without anyone else around.
-Getting to know Ilia - your partner is now the biggest mystery on your team. You have an idea of her strengths and can guess at some of her past, but the rest in unknown. You need to know more, even if it's just a list of topics to avoid.
-Separation - Nora and Ren apparently haven't been apart for more than a few days for almost a decade. Nora isn't taking it too well and Ren clearly doesn't know what to do about it. You suspect he might not be feeling great about it either and just hides it better. Talk to them about it and hopefully get them to talk to each other.
Your first two days of classes were more difficult than you expected. Doctor Oobleck had proven to be just as informative and fast paced in person as he did in his recorded lectures, except now you couldn't slow him down. Professor Hickory's class was all but incomprehensible and you soon found yourself reassigned to a remedial class. Which everyone rapidly found out about, despite the Professor discussing the matter with you in private and his promise of confidentiality.
You hadn't expected Professor Mulberry to force you to defend your choice of weapon in the first five minutes of class and from their reactions most of your peers don't know the difference between a self bow and a composite bow, never mind all the extra attachments and parts the Professor asked about that you'd never heard of. Then again, you didn't know all that much about the weapons of your peers either. Fortunately you'd sat next to Ruby and got to listen to her excited explanations for any questions you had.
Professor Greene's Stealth and Security class was similarly unfamiliar to you despite your experience, due to its focus on urban environments and technological security systems. Surprisingly most of your peers don't know much more than you, with the exception of Ilia. You expect to do much better in her Wilderness Survival class - you can't imagine failing at something you've been practicing for as long as you could walk.
Professor Peach had apparently been told about you and gave you more personal attention than any teacher other than Doctor Oobleck, which helped you get past the useless textbook and unfamiliar names that Plant Sciences was full of so you could leverage what you've learnt of herbs and poultices from your mother. Your experience is similarly useful when she teaches her First Aid class - you may not know what germs are or how to perform CPR, but preventing infections and making splints is old hand for you.
Professor Port was easily the best teacher in the school and you have no idea what everyone else's problem is. His stories are enthralling, his delivery is on par with any Bloodspeaker or Songsinger and the lessons packed into every single one of them are invaluable. It's clear to you now that the Grimm are fundamentally the same sort of enemy as the demons - a never ending horde of hateful monsters that may not taint the land or curse your blood, but instead ruin and foul all the works of man no matter the purpose or cause. His stories about criminals and malfunctioning security systems are just as enlightening - apparently constructs of steel and resin powered by dust are a common sight when human guards would be inappropriate.
But even the thrill of crushing Cardin in Professor Goodwitch's class couldn't stop you from feeling frustrated and shamed as you leave your first tutoring session with Professor Hickory. It's difficult not to blame your teacher for the lack of progress made in that excruciating hour, but you repeatedly remind yourself that he has every right to be frustrated with your lies and excuses for the gaps in your knowledge. He's thoroughly unwilling to actually question your past and just as obviously doesn't believe a word of it. Maybe you should've done more to prepare for the lesson, but you don't know how people learn to read!
You set your frustration aside and steel yourself as you approach the library. Weiss had insisted your team meet there to study together and you had little choice but to agree. It was a good idea and you could hardly say why you didn't want to show up. How could anyone be afraid of a library?
Except for the goblins worried about having all the thoughts stolen out of their heads. Not that you believe such a thing is possible. You aren't even scared really. You just get unnerved by libraries. They're dark cavernous buildings filled with pointless books, hate-filled screeds on why anyone who isn't Taldan deserves their fate and secrets that should be much better guarded. You just don't understand why people get so obsessed with writing things down. What's wrong with talking and singing?
Fortunately Beacon's library is very different from the half-buried building Nenio had dragged you into just after declaring you her new research assistant. It's bright and sensibly tucks the rows of bookshelves to the side, letting the rows of tables students are studying at dominate. You doubt it'll ever be your favourite place at beacon, but you can tolerate it for now.
You return Weiss' wave with considerably less enthusiasm, joining your teammates at their table. You eye the stack of books in front of Weiss with trepidation as you greet the others, letting her take the lead. Hopefully they don't ask about Professor Hickory's tutoring.
"Excellent timing Xanthe. I was thinking we should get a head start on Dust Science before class tomorrow - I assume your grasp of the basics is lacking and the past few days have shown that far too many people don't understand the basic principles of safe storage and usage of Dust." Weiss says cheerfully.
"You aren't wrong." You admit.
"I think it's a wonderful idea." Pyrrha adds happily while Ilia suppresses a scowl.
"As we all know, Dust in all of its is a source of elemental energy that powers almost every aspect of civilisation. The Schnee Dust Company and others seek out the remote veins of Dust deep underground and mine the crystals for our use. Most Dust crystals are impure, too weak for usage or too volatile to safely store. To ensure only quality products are sold most crystals are refined into powdered Dust and carefully mixed together, to ensure a consistent level of power and volatility." Weiss begins, speaking with the cadence and enthusiasm of a merchant trying to sell you silk or spices before you thought to ask why they weren't trying to sell them for ten times the price in Kalsguard or Kenabres.
"Because safety is the primary concern of the SDC." Ilia says roughly, her voice all but unreadable. You can't help but give her an odd look. You know her eyes are grey, but you swear they were more blue than yellow.
"Whichever spurious allegations you're thinking of, no claims of negligence or neglect have ever been proven." Weiss responds, her voice turning frosty.
"I thought Dust had to be activated to work. But you make it sound like an unstable explosive I shouldn't be trusting in my quiver." You ask before Ilia can respond.
"So long as Dust is stored and handled appropriately, it's perfectly safe. I'm simply stressing the danger it can pose because some people don't understand basic safety measures." Weiss answers, clearly about to break into a deeper explanation.
"So Ruby exploded because she wasn't storing her bullets properly? That doesn't sound like her." You ask, thinking of the only Dust related incident you've heard of.
"Technically it was my Dust that exploded." Weiss admits.
"Then you were careless with the storage and handling of Dust." You realise, finally connecting the dots. No wonder Ruby was so flustered, Weiss probably blamed her.
"She was careless with my property." Weiss says primly, launching into a deeper explanation of how Dust can be triggered by Aura or any sufficiently energetic reaction in a desperate attempt to ignore your smirk. You can't help but notice Ilia's eyes are now more pink then yellow as she holds back laughter. How odd.
----------------------------------
You keep one eye on Ilia throughout Weiss' lesson and dinner, knowing there's something you're missing here. The eyes are a window to the soul and they don't just change on a whim. Not unless there's magic involved. And Ilia shouldn't have any magic.
It could be her Semblance - Ren demonstrated his Tranquility for you when it became clear that Nora and Maria were both unable to demonstrate how a Semblance works for you and that leeches the colour from whoever he uses it on. She could also be a ganzi - the anarchic counterpart of infernal tiefling and celestial aasimar, characterised by highly varied and unsubtle physical alterations - feathers, serpentine tails, half the skin having a different colour and texture, that sort of thing. Colour changing eyes seem small for a ganzi, but you could believe it. The other possibilities you think of are easily discarded - Ilia obviously isn't a chameleon gnome nor is she a secret mage giving herself away with sloppy spellcraft.
Despite your vigilance, you don't see when Ilia's return to her normal grey, nor do you see them change to any other colour, no matter what you or anyone else says. You know better than to doubt your eyes, so Ilia is either controlling it or there's some cause for the change that you didn't notice. You have to set the issue aside when you return to the dorm and turn to the homework you'd been issued - largely the same as your teammates but you have to submit recordings you saying the answers instead of writing them down and need their aid to answer your questions. It takes far too much of your time for you to be pleased, but the others seem to consider this a light load.
That's not a good sign. But you'll leave the worries of the future for the future and focus on today's issues.
Like when a chill wind wakes you in the middle of the night and Ilia isn't in her bed. You don't need to be an expert tracker to guess where she went, considering the window is wide open, but it certainly helps. The climb is simple enough even when you only have dim ambient light to guide you, the shattered moon barely visible in the night sky. You sigh in relief when you see Ilia on the roof top, legs dangling off the roof as she looks contemplatively at the moon.
She turns to look as you approach, snorting in amusement as she takes in what Nora insisted was appropriate sleepwear. Everyone finds it amusing or juvenile and you're not sure why. It's a just a shirt and pants with several numbers printed on it.
You join her without saying a word, knowing she'll talk when she's ready.
"I had a nightmare. I was back at Boreal Academy and..." Ilia trails off, unable or unwilling to continue.
You wait and hear her sigh. Part of you wishes you could properly watch her, but it's too dark for you to see colour.
"It's Weiss' fault. Hearing her talk so flippantly about safety as if it isn't her family's fault my parents died." She explains.
"Your parents worked with Dust." You surmise.
"They were miners. Dust mining is one of the most dangerous jobs out there, but it was the only way they could afford to send me to Boreal. They wanted me to have a better life and died because of it." Her voice cracks and she wipes away tears. "And here I am at Beacon, studying alongside one of the people who benefited from putting my parents in a mine that was always going to collapse."
"They'd be proud of you for making it this far." You point out, moving closer to let Ilia lean on you.
"I don't want them to be proud of me. I never wanted to be a Huntress! I'm only here because, because..." Ilia trails off into silence, her voice hitching and telling you she's fighting back tears.
You sigh and pull her into a hug.
"You didn't know where else to go." You finish for her. Ilia pulls away, standing up and pacing angrily along the roof. You silently watch, not saying anything even as the moonlight illuminates her face and you swear you see her eyes getting darker.
"And now I have nightmares every night, because I can't stop thinking about it. The heiress to the SDC is in my room and I can't say anything to her about it..." Ilia says angrily trailing off again instead of exposing herself.
You consider what you know about Weiss and her family's company, unsure if there's something more to Ilia's hesitation than anger at those responsible for her parent's death. Now that you think about it, Ilia has been ruled by anger since you met her. Anger at Cardin - no, anger at a faunus being humiliated, anger at Blake for some reason, how restrained she was when talking to you or her friend Lobo...
Her eyes had turned yellow when Weiss mentioned safety - when she made it sound like the death of her parents wasn't caused by the SDC. And she'd clearly seen your clothes in the darkness, something you couldn't do despite knowing what you were looking for.
"Because if you bring up your parents she'll realise you're a faunus." You say, realise
Ilia freezes and gives you a panicked look as you silently gesture at her eyes and your shirt. Several silent moments pass, Ilia face hidden in shadow before her shoulders slump in resignation.
"I won't tell anyone. I'll swear on whichever god you want." You offer.
She sits down next to you and lets you pull her into a one-armed hug.
"I don't know why you're keeping it a secret and I don't need to know. What I do know is that confronting Weiss would be the best way to deal with your nightmares." You say, remembering your Ma's advice for the nightmares that eventually came to everyone in the following. "But since that's not an option, tell me about your parents."
You listen to the story of Kimi Amitola, a gecko faunus that never learned how to cook but had a dozens songs perfectly timed to the microwave and her wife Iris, a butterfly faunus that loved to dance and was mortified by the thought of raising her voice in anger. You hear about how they met in Mantle - Iris was a tourist who couldn't afford a guide venturing outside of Menagerie for the first time in her life and Kimi was coming off an overtime overnight shift and had just enough energy to keep the poor hick from getting mugged - what Ilia was told about their wedding and a dozen little stories from Ilia's childhood.
You keep her talking until the dawn, her fond memories warding off the shadows of her now forgotten nightmare as effectively as any spell or song.
"I told you. Your parents aren't gone. And so long as you keep them here, and here," You say, poking her head and chest for emphasis. "They will never leave you. Even if you don't become a Huntress."
Ilia shakes her head, her smile turning sad as she considers your words.
"Thanks. But I'm committed now" She says eventually.
----------------------------------
From what they told you, Ren and Nora have been constant companions for almost a decade. They grew up with no one else to rely on, moving from town to town because no matter what they did they eventually wore out their welcome. And from what they didn't say, you're pretty sure it was Nora's fault they kept getting kicked out.
Setting aside your fury at the thought of anyone exiling children to the Worl-wilderness because they were too much of a nuisance, you aren't surprised to see Nora moping after meeting the new day with her customary enthusiasm and rousing the ire of her teammates. Or for Ren to have difficulty working through some sort of report because he keeps expecting Nora to interrupt him, causing him to look up every time a chair squeaks or a door opens.
You can imagine how they feel. Drakōn might be a constant presence at the pack of your mind, occasionally offering his advice and criticism as always, but it's disconcerting to not have him physically present. And you've only been his summoner for half a year. To say nothing of being separated from your mother and your people.
They thought they were prepared for this. Sure they were hoping to be on the same team, maybe even partners, but Ren had discussed this possibility. Yet it's clear as day to you that they have no idea how to handle this. How to handle looking at their best friend and maybe more spending so much time with someone else.
They need to talk to each other about this. About how they're feeling. Maybe even about all their feelings. And they're not going to do it just because you tell them to. You do briefly entertain a plan revolving around rope, a locked room and alcohol, but apparently you aren't allowed even the weakest drink. So you'll just have to make them talk to each other about this.
Even if that means making things a little unpleasant.
---
"Ren and Blake are getting along well." You and Nora are eating dinner together, RSBR busy with some training Ruby came up with.
"Yeah, Ren said she's really into the Red Bell manga, and a bunch of books I never got around to reading." Nora agrees as she messily devours her steak. "Why?"
"I just think they're similar people." You point out.
---
"Nora and Yang do share the same energy." Ren agrees as he methodically plucks flowers from the thorny vines.
"And Lobo thinks she's hilarious." You point out as you mash the petals into paste.
Ren contemplates that in silence.
"It must be nice to enjoy a late morning and lazy afternoon, knowing she doesn't need you anymore." You add, ignoring your better judgement. Sometimes you actually do need to bleed the poison out.
---
"Ren and Blake are dancing together?" You hold still as Nora works, letting her apply whatever camouflage pattern she decided to go with.
"Sort of - it's an old game that Ren loves. I never really got the hang of it, but he was made for the dance floor. Ruby said he and Blake were tearing it up." Nora happily says.
"It's amazing what someone can do when they aren't being held back." You say as she steps back to look at you.
Nora stares blankly at you, not knowing what to say.
---
"She isn't doing as well as you think." The sound of gunfire punctuates your words, Ren drawing a lotus on the target.
"Nora doesn't need me to hold her hand." Ren says neutrally as you line up your own shot.
"The last time Nora was alone was when her mother abandoned her." Your arrows pick out Drakōn's sigil with a much less elegant curve than Ren's handiwork, but it remains unmistakable. You let your words sit for a moment before continuing. "Don't let her think that you abandoned her too."
---
"I don't see you as a burden." You tell Nora. "Not to me, not to your team and definitely not to Ren."
Nora frowns as she considers that, casually filling a grenade with the dust from three others. "I know I'm not a burden. But Ren's really blossoming without me." She says with a sigh.
"Really? I haven't seen him smile once."
"I know he is." Nora says with a sad conviction. You look away, more than a little frustrated that this is working.
--
"We have a saying back home. That two people like that are either going to fight to the death or..." You trail off and make the explanatory gesture before turning around, leading Ren to your destination.
Ren considers that, his face twisting in both intrigue and worry before he manages to respond.
"If that's what makes her happy." He says eventually.
"It wouldn't make you happy." You point out.
The silence lingers as you lead Ren out to the courtyard, where you have Nora waiting. Fortunately she's staring at the central statues instead of looking back at Beacon.
"Nora. Remember what we were talking about yesterday?" You ask cheerfully.
"About how Ren's better off without me?" She asks sadly.
"I'm not." Ren protests immediately. Nora starts when she hears him, thoroughly surprised. You wait for Ren to continue or for her to say something, but they stay silent.
Unwilling to look each other in the eye.
"Seriously? After everything you tow have said in the last week that's it?" You ask angrily.
'You've made them doubt the nature and strength of their bond.' Drakōn points out, his disapproving tone making his feelings clear.
'They shouldn't. I've only known them for a few weeks and it's obvious!' You respond.
'Some things are easier to see from the outside. Do you have a plan for restoring their faith?'
You sigh when Ren and Nora don't respond.
"Do you two know why I showed up in that forest, right in your path?" You ask.
"Someone threw you into a portal and it spat you out there." Nora answers, her confusion much more obvious than Ren's, who is clearly trying to figure out your point.
"It spat me out somewhere else first. A pocket plane or something. I picked up a crown and I had visions as the world fell apart around me." You begin, eyes shut as you try to remember the details. "I was falling. Someone was asking me questions and it made me feel small. Like I didn't matter. Like nothing I did would ever matter, because I'm were no different from everyone who'd come before me and failed. And then I saw you two." You look at your friends and smile.
"I saw you over and over again. As children and aged elders. As warriors and artists. I saw so many ways your lives could turn out. And I knew that the two of you would stick together. That you didn't matter if you split up, but that didn't matter because you never would. I didn't consider that me being here might mess that up."
"You saw our future." Ren says, his expression utterly still.
"I saw many futures. Some I'm not going to let come true." You say, remembering the few times you say one of them alone and the certainty of tragedy you'd had when you did.
"Wait, is that what you've been doing?" Nora asks, shocked and angry.
"It's what I've been trying to do." You hang your head in shame before remembering your conviction. "I was wrong with how I tried to help. I'll figure out a better way to do so in the future. Because you're both unhappy with how things are. So I'm going to leave and let you two talk. Hopefully about your feelings, about your hopes and fears and desires. But you choose to plot revenge on me, that's fine. It'll be your choice. But I won't stop trying to help you two. You're the only people here I can trust."
You turn and let Drakōn express his displeasure and approval, hoping this works.
---
The sound of the dormitory doors opening ends your meditation and you're more than happy to stand from your crouch. The lobby is deserted this late at night, with no one else to see Ren and Nora come in, holding hands.
"I'm sorry." You say, before either of them can speak.
"It's fine." Ren says.
"Yeah. You're heart was in the right place and you were right. Me and Ren are like that and we were letting ourselves get like this." Nora says, interlacing her fingers before throwing her hands apart. 'YOu just sped it up."She adds with a grimace.
"And you're...?"
"We're something." Ren says, a small smile appearing as he looks at Nora, who completely misses it.
"So sis. Is there anything you need help with?" Nora asks cheerfully, grabbing your arm and leading you into the elevator. "Any cute boys catch your eye, or any weird modern things you don't understand?"
"Ah." You say, perfectly capable of imagining what Nora's help would be.
"Because it's my job as your big sister to look after you. I might even ask Yang for some tips." Nora continues. You look at Ren and are rewarded with a rare smirk from the man. Apparently they talked about feelings and revenge. And you were expecting Nora to just crush you at every opportunity in Goodwitch's class.
----------------------------------
As your first week at Beacon draws to a close and you learn more about what's expected in class, you find Professor Hickory's tutoring taking up more and more of your free time. What happens in one of those few spare moments?
Voted Option
[ ] Chat with a Peer
[ ] Encountering an Upperclassman
[ ] Interrupting a Huntsman
[ ] Talking to a Teacher
Getting to know Ilia
Raw DCs: 30/90
Bonuses: +15 (Leadership) +5 (Partners) +5 (Talk in the Forest) -10 (Socially Awkward) -10 (Mutual Secrets) = 5 (-4 to DC, +1 to Roll)
True DCs: 26/86
Roll: 1d100 + 1
Result: 93 + 1 = 94, Great Success
Bonus to Spotting the Chameleon roll.
Plagued by Nightmares Trait revealed
Spotting the Chameleon
Raw DC: 70
Bonuses: +15 (Perception) +5 (Multi-Ancestry Following) +10 (Previous Success) -10 (Dark) = 20 (-16 to DC, +4 to Roll)
True DC: 54
Roll: 1d100 + 4
Result: 94 + 4 = 98, Great Success
Chameleon Faunus trait revealed
Dealing with Separation Anxiety
Raw DCs: 30/90
Bonuses: +15 (Leadership) +5 (Family) -10 (Socially Awkward) -10 (Mutual Denial) = 0 (-0 to DC, +0 to Roll)
True DCs: 30/90
Roll: 1d100 + 0
Result: 29 + 0 = 29, Bare Failure
Visions of the Future Interrupt
Raw DC: 30/90
Bonuses: +15 (Leadership) +5 (Family) +20 (Compelling Visions) -10 (Socially Awkward) -10 (Mutual Denial) = 20 (-16 to DC, +4 to Roll)
True DCs: 14/74
Roll: 1d100 + 4
Result: 69 + 4 = 73, Success
Professor Port's Class - Grimm Studies and Military Strategy:
Raw DCs: 40/80
Bonuses: +15 (The Broken Saga) +5 (Preferred Teaching Style) +5 (Experience with the Grimm) -10 (Illiterate) -5 (Foreign Subject Matter) = 10 (-8 to DC, +2 to Roll)
True DCs: 32/72
Roll: 1d100 + 2
Result: 99 + 2 = 101
Critical Roll: 1d100 + 1 (Overflow) = 69 + 1 = 70
Result: 100 + 70 = 170, Critical Success
Trait Upgraded: Auditory Learner - Gain a bonus (+10) to learning verbally
Gained Trait: Fascinated by Battle Theory - Gain a bonus to Port's class (+10)
Lost Foreign Subject Matter malus to Professor Port's class
Professor Oobleck's Class - History and Legends of Remnant
Raw DCs: 40/80
Bonuses: +10 (Auditory Learner) +5 (Intrigued by Remnant's History) +5 (Experience with the Grimm) +10 (Oobleck's Personal Guidance) -10 (Illiterate) = 20 (-16 to DC, +4 to Roll)
True DCs: 24/64
Roll: 1d100 + 4
Result: 39 + 3 = 42, Bare Success
Professor Greene's Class - Stealth and Security, Wilderness Survival
Raw DCs: 40/80
Bonuses: +10 (Auditory Learner) +15 (Personal Experience) -10 (Illiterate) -10 (Foreign Subject Matter) = 5 (-4 to DC, +1 to Roll)
True DCs: 36/76
Roll: 1d100 + 1
Result: 35 + 1 = 36, Bare Success
Professor Hickory's Class - English, Mathematics, Technology
Raw DCs: 40/80
Bonuses: -10 (Illiterate) -10 (Uneducated) -5 (Foreign Subject Matter) = -25 (+20 to DC, -5 to Roll)
True DCs: 45/85
Roll: 1d100 - 5
Result: 8 - 5 = 3, Failure
Professor Hickory's Tutoring - Literacy
Raw DCs: 40/80
Bonuses: +10 (Only student) +5 (Determination) -10 (Illiterate) -10 (Uneducated) -5 (Foreign Subject Matter) = -10 (+8 to DC, -2 to Roll)
True DCs: 48/88
Roll: 1d100 - 2
Result: 45 - 2 = 43, Bare Success
Professor Mulberry's Class - Weapon Crafting and Upkeep, Dust Sciences
Raw DCs: 40/80
Bonuses: +5 (Crafter) -10 (Illiterate) -5 (Foreign Subject Matter) = -10 (+8 to DC, -2 to Roll)
True DCs: 48/88
Roll: 1d100 - 2
Result: 33 - 2 = 31, Success
Lost Foreign Subject Matter malus to Professor Mulberry's class
Professor Peach's Class - Plant Science, First Aid, Chemistry
Raw DCs: 40/80
Bonuses: +20 (Personal Experience) +5 (Professor Peach's Personal Attention) -10 (Illiterate) -10 (Foreign Subject Matter) = 5 (-4 to DC, +1 to Roll)
True DCs: 36/76
Roll: 1d100 + 1
Result: 90 + 1 = 91, Great Success
Gained Trait: Intrigued by Remnant's Flora
Reduced Foreign Subject Matter malus to Professor Peach's class
Trait Gains:
Trait Revealed: Plagued by Nightmares - Ilia suffers from nightmares
Trait Revealed: Chameleon Faunus - Ilia is a faunus (what even is a chameleon?)
Trait Upgraded: Auditory Learner - Gain a bonus (+10) to learning verbally
Gained Trait: Fascinated by Battle Theory - Gain a bonus to Port's class (+10)
Lost Trait: Foreign Subject Matter (Port) - malus to Professor Port's class
Lost Trait: Foreign Subject Matter (Mulberry) - malus to Professor Mulberry's class
Gained Trait: Intrigued by Remnant's Flora
Trait Downgraded: Foreign Subject Matter (Peach) - malus to Professor Peach's class
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A/N: Really sorry about how long this took. Had a few miscellaneous issues but the main problem was the last section with Ren and Nora. I rewrote that from scratch four or five times and it still isn't particularly satisfying. Especially not in the same update as the bit with Ilia.
Still, I'm looking forwards to moving on.[/spoiler][/spoiler]
"I don't want them to be proud of me. I never wanted to be a Huntress! I'm only here because, because..." Ilia trails off into silence, her voice hitching and telling you she's fighting back tears
Amusingly that never occurred to me as an explanation for why she's here. I think I mindholed some of that with the 'how young could she possibly be when she showed up in the Adam short with the exact same design' details. And it's a really good explanation.
There can't possibly be anything nefarious to her motivations right?
Amusingly that never occurred to me as an explanation for why she's here. I think I mindholed some of that with the 'how young could she possibly be when she showed up in the Adam short with the exact same design' details. And it's a really good explanation.
There can't possibly be anything nefarious to her motivations right?
