Warlord01
Who said anything about plan?!
- Location
- Terra - Europa - Land of milk and honey.
Is it 40k I smell?
This paragraph positively smells of Space Wolves and Lamenters.
Simply excellent.
The Other Path [RWBY SI] [AHOIAC AU]
- Thread starter shadenight123
- Start date
Is it 40k I smell?
This paragraph positively smells of Space Wolves and Lamenters.
Simply excellent.
Fragnostic
Cheshire
- Location
- Neko City
Have you seen the source material? Almost everyone gets a semblance eventually, once they unlock their aura. It's inevitable. Heck, so far only Mercury is without a semblance and that's because his father stole it from him. (Also Mercury's father's semblance was apparently a pseudo-All-for-One.)
Not likely, unless Wren's exile will be the thing to push her over the edge...
And the SDC needs to stay vile so Wren has an in with Blake and Sienna.
People REALLY want to see these ships happen.
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I'm more for the OC Cheshire myself. I do wonder what would happen if you put a empty box in a room with Sienna and Blake? Would they destroy it would they share it? My studies with my own cats show one goes in the box while the other waits outside in ambush.
Chapter Twelve
- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Chapter Twelve
Aura was a game changer. It truly was. It wasn't just that I knew what my semblance was, and I would begin experimenting on it at the earliest opportunity, but it also meant that we could run longer, lift heavier weights, do things that normal humans couldn't do.
I could bench-press more than any human heavy builder could, if only I got down how aura worked in reinforcing one's muscles. I could create literal shields from the tip of my fingers, or craft a Halo-like armor to protect my whole body. I could perhaps even create a dome-shield in the future. But first came learning how to actually activate it.
I could feel it within myself. Even as the softness of the bed I was on made me think about finding an actual mattress rather than keep the dingy one I was used to for the past years, I couldn't help but bring a hand up in the air and look at it.
Activating one's aura. If I managed by myself, I wouldn't need the lesson, which would free up more money.
Some people made it look so easy-and then it became instinctual at a certain point too. I had to reach that level. I had to reach it fast.
There was something warm within me since the activation of my Aura. I reckoned it was like instinctively knowing how much you had, and how much you could use. I didn't know if it was a lot, or little, but I knew it was there. I knew it was there, and it warmed and suffused my entire being. I could get lost in it, actually. I took a deep breath, and twitched my fingers a bit. It felt like directing the heat of a furnace.
Yet it reached my palm and stood there. It didn't really go anywhere. I furrowed my brows, my thoughts drifting and the heat dissipating harmlessly within my arm. No, it had to go outside, over the skin, pour out like a shield-I felt the warmth dim, the heat dispersing violently and I gasped as everything came abruptly less.
"Concentrate," I muttered. "We're going to make this right."
Or we may end up doing something wrong, like Emiya Shirou did, and end up with a body made of swords. Perhaps it would be best not to attempt it, what do you say, Wrenny-Boy? Uh? How about not doing it?
"Each day I sleep in is one day evil grows stronger," I muttered instead, slowly standing up. Training could always be performed, anywhere one wished. And I wasn't going to let Aura make me lazy.
It was once we hit fifteen, and the Beginner classes left the place to the Intermediate ones, that the SS SZSR saw the light. "Sizzling Sunrise," Zhelty said with a look of incredible pride on her face. "It's even a paint color."
"Who's the other S and the R?" I asked, glancing at them. "Unless one of you also has a Z in their surname?"
"I'm Chez Shire," Chez said. I slammed a hand against my face.
I should have known that. I should have frigging known that. I turned towards Gorm.
"Roy," he said.
I turned thoughtful. I rubbed my chin while lost in thought. Gorm Roy? It didn't click. Then again, it was his weapon that had clued me in on whom he was, so the word 'Roy' didn't really mean much to me. In the end, I looked at Zhelty.
"Malen," she said. "That's my family surname."
No, that too didn't give me any further insight.
"Well...the Sizzling Sunrise is ready to set sail then?" I asked.
"That it is," Zhelty said with a victorious gleam in her eyes, "And I even have some directions," she said excitedly, pulling out the map as if she were a pirate captain just about ready to go plunder a treasure. Considering what we were going to do, we pretty much were desert pirates, all things considered.
It was an old railway map, back when Vacuo was thriving and had a need for an actual big and multi functional railway system. There were dots pointing at various stations along the way, either for abandoned mines or abandoned refineries, and most of them had also been underscored.
"We're in business, gentlemen and gentlecats," Zhelty added, tapping her finger at a dot with the number one near it. "Let's get the show on the road, shall we?"
The motorbike, at first glance, didn't look any different from before. Then one knelt and looked beneath it, and there, tightly bound and ready to spring out, were the skis and the rail-locking mechanisms. Beneath the towed cart was also a small square box, and Fire Dust had already been poured in.
There were seat-belts that had been hastily installed in the back of the cart. We got aboard and then rolled out, heading off the city and towards the train track in question. We didn't need to get on the tracks from the train station. We just needed to get on the rails and activate the mechashift technology. Once we were hooked to the rail, then it was all a matter of strapping oneself up and activating the Dust-Engine.
With a push of a button and the flick of a lever, I knew fear once more.
We were going fast.
I could hear the grinding beneath us, the drumming of the engine, and the heat it left behind in a plume of smoke. I held my breath, hoping that this fear could somehow lead me to activate my full-body Aura, but as it turned out, that was a lesson for another time. Activating it at will by oneself was already one lesson, learning how to do cool stuff with it was another.
Increasing the amount...no. I would not do that lesson.
Professor Rassvet had been kind enough to explain how it worked free of charge. One just had to go through the entire tribulation, training from hell and pain of activating one's Aura, and then get beaten to a near-death status, at which point, if one didn't enter a fugue state, they could do something similar to their awakening of the Aura. Only it wouldn't be as effective. It would merely unlock a tiny bit more, and that wouldn't heal all the broken bones or torn muscles. Then, after a few months of healing one's body and soul, one could repeat the experience again and again, and each time, it would be even harder than before.
So no, my Aura was what it was, and I was keeping it that way. And anyway, it wasn't like I could measure it. I could feel mine, but when it came to feeling the aura of others in order to make comparisons...that was another lesson. Extrasensory perception with Aura, to be more precise.
Thus, I returned to the present, and to the ever-increasing speed of the SS Sizzling Sunrise.
As far as prototype runs went, this one was going off without a hitch. We began to slow down once a lever was pushed, and by the time we reached our destination, it was a ruined and dusty station half eaten by the sands of the desert.
Near it, a couple of smaller buildings stood in wait for scavengers willing to break them apart for the glory of Lien. The SDC symbol, though faded, still stood etched on a few of those.
Witness me, father.
For everything you have built, I will ensure is destroyed and forgotten.
Aura was a game changer. It truly was. It wasn't just that I knew what my semblance was, and I would begin experimenting on it at the earliest opportunity, but it also meant that we could run longer, lift heavier weights, do things that normal humans couldn't do.
I could bench-press more than any human heavy builder could, if only I got down how aura worked in reinforcing one's muscles. I could create literal shields from the tip of my fingers, or craft a Halo-like armor to protect my whole body. I could perhaps even create a dome-shield in the future. But first came learning how to actually activate it.
I could feel it within myself. Even as the softness of the bed I was on made me think about finding an actual mattress rather than keep the dingy one I was used to for the past years, I couldn't help but bring a hand up in the air and look at it.
Activating one's aura. If I managed by myself, I wouldn't need the lesson, which would free up more money.
Some people made it look so easy-and then it became instinctual at a certain point too. I had to reach that level. I had to reach it fast.
There was something warm within me since the activation of my Aura. I reckoned it was like instinctively knowing how much you had, and how much you could use. I didn't know if it was a lot, or little, but I knew it was there. I knew it was there, and it warmed and suffused my entire being. I could get lost in it, actually. I took a deep breath, and twitched my fingers a bit. It felt like directing the heat of a furnace.
Yet it reached my palm and stood there. It didn't really go anywhere. I furrowed my brows, my thoughts drifting and the heat dissipating harmlessly within my arm. No, it had to go outside, over the skin, pour out like a shield-I felt the warmth dim, the heat dispersing violently and I gasped as everything came abruptly less.
"Concentrate," I muttered. "We're going to make this right."
Or we may end up doing something wrong, like Emiya Shirou did, and end up with a body made of swords. Perhaps it would be best not to attempt it, what do you say, Wrenny-Boy? Uh? How about not doing it?
"Each day I sleep in is one day evil grows stronger," I muttered instead, slowly standing up. Training could always be performed, anywhere one wished. And I wasn't going to let Aura make me lazy.
It was once we hit fifteen, and the Beginner classes left the place to the Intermediate ones, that the SS SZSR saw the light. "Sizzling Sunrise," Zhelty said with a look of incredible pride on her face. "It's even a paint color."
"Who's the other S and the R?" I asked, glancing at them. "Unless one of you also has a Z in their surname?"
"I'm Chez Shire," Chez said. I slammed a hand against my face.
I should have known that. I should have frigging known that. I turned towards Gorm.
"Roy," he said.
I turned thoughtful. I rubbed my chin while lost in thought. Gorm Roy? It didn't click. Then again, it was his weapon that had clued me in on whom he was, so the word 'Roy' didn't really mean much to me. In the end, I looked at Zhelty.
"Malen," she said. "That's my family surname."
No, that too didn't give me any further insight.
"Well...the Sizzling Sunrise is ready to set sail then?" I asked.
"That it is," Zhelty said with a victorious gleam in her eyes, "And I even have some directions," she said excitedly, pulling out the map as if she were a pirate captain just about ready to go plunder a treasure. Considering what we were going to do, we pretty much were desert pirates, all things considered.
It was an old railway map, back when Vacuo was thriving and had a need for an actual big and multi functional railway system. There were dots pointing at various stations along the way, either for abandoned mines or abandoned refineries, and most of them had also been underscored.
"We're in business, gentlemen and gentlecats," Zhelty added, tapping her finger at a dot with the number one near it. "Let's get the show on the road, shall we?"
The motorbike, at first glance, didn't look any different from before. Then one knelt and looked beneath it, and there, tightly bound and ready to spring out, were the skis and the rail-locking mechanisms. Beneath the towed cart was also a small square box, and Fire Dust had already been poured in.
There were seat-belts that had been hastily installed in the back of the cart. We got aboard and then rolled out, heading off the city and towards the train track in question. We didn't need to get on the tracks from the train station. We just needed to get on the rails and activate the mechashift technology. Once we were hooked to the rail, then it was all a matter of strapping oneself up and activating the Dust-Engine.
With a push of a button and the flick of a lever, I knew fear once more.
We were going fast.
I could hear the grinding beneath us, the drumming of the engine, and the heat it left behind in a plume of smoke. I held my breath, hoping that this fear could somehow lead me to activate my full-body Aura, but as it turned out, that was a lesson for another time. Activating it at will by oneself was already one lesson, learning how to do cool stuff with it was another.
Increasing the amount...no. I would not do that lesson.
Professor Rassvet had been kind enough to explain how it worked free of charge. One just had to go through the entire tribulation, training from hell and pain of activating one's Aura, and then get beaten to a near-death status, at which point, if one didn't enter a fugue state, they could do something similar to their awakening of the Aura. Only it wouldn't be as effective. It would merely unlock a tiny bit more, and that wouldn't heal all the broken bones or torn muscles. Then, after a few months of healing one's body and soul, one could repeat the experience again and again, and each time, it would be even harder than before.
So no, my Aura was what it was, and I was keeping it that way. And anyway, it wasn't like I could measure it. I could feel mine, but when it came to feeling the aura of others in order to make comparisons...that was another lesson. Extrasensory perception with Aura, to be more precise.
Thus, I returned to the present, and to the ever-increasing speed of the SS Sizzling Sunrise.
As far as prototype runs went, this one was going off without a hitch. We began to slow down once a lever was pushed, and by the time we reached our destination, it was a ruined and dusty station half eaten by the sands of the desert.
Near it, a couple of smaller buildings stood in wait for scavengers willing to break them apart for the glory of Lien. The SDC symbol, though faded, still stood etched on a few of those.
Witness me, father.
For everything you have built, I will ensure is destroyed and forgotten.
AzraelvonGruber
probably should put something here...
- Location
- somewhere in France
the mad max vibs are getting stronger... WITNESS HIM !
- Location
- Tampere
Yes yes, go recycler boy, recycle your fathers trash.
- Location
- Tri-State Area
I'm really not a fan of team.. SZSR?
I can see why your writing style fit with the robot girls. Emotionally suppressed or just half flashed out characters seem quite similar. There was a bit of mystery with the android girls, and I was fine with that, but I feel like it does not work with his team members. It just feels like they lack character, like you didn't flash them out properly.
I don't feel much about the rest of the plot. I do like the world building, we didn't have this level of it in the Other Path, but it could also be better as well. I honestly do not care much for Vacuo or the desert people so far.
The greatest thing for me so far was the sand-crab-turtle-Grimm. I'm still reading, but I just don't feel it.
Question: Any chance of a timeskip to beacon/RWBY time?
I can see why your writing style fit with the robot girls. Emotionally suppressed or just half flashed out characters seem quite similar. There was a bit of mystery with the android girls, and I was fine with that, but I feel like it does not work with his team members. It just feels like they lack character, like you didn't flash them out properly.
I don't feel much about the rest of the plot. I do like the world building, we didn't have this level of it in the Other Path, but it could also be better as well. I honestly do not care much for Vacuo or the desert people so far.
The greatest thing for me so far was the sand-crab-turtle-Grimm. I'm still reading, but I just don't feel it.
Question: Any chance of a timeskip to beacon/RWBY time?
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Roy either means 'King' in French, or 'Red' in Scottish Gaelic.
Got nothing from Gorm Roy. 'Observant King'? 'Red watcher'? And the closest owl-related mythological figures I can think of is Athena's owl, and Andras.
Going from Mad Max, to nostalgic memories of breath of Fire 4.
So it's a shittier Zenkai boost, only without any convenient senzu beans.
Something something Ozymandias something.
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Chapter Thirteen
- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Chapter Thirteen
Some things were positive. Others were negative. Some, instead, were merely worrying.
Yet things often time looked up. My 'Sweet Sixteen' happened without fanfare, if not for the fact that the Sizzling Sunrise actually got a collapsible wind sail built upon it. We were all working hard to put money aside. Once inside the Shade Academy, we'd have huntsmen missions to tide us over, but until then, the more money we put aside now, the more comfortable we could get later on.
We broke down walls. We tore apart systems. I actually got the brilliant idea to break the pavement and get the iron piping out of the buildings' bathrooms. We didn't strike gold, and we didn't become rich. Yet it worked out. We were even notorious somewhat. That was mainly Gorm's fault, though.
He was an Owl Faunus, and thus he was supposed to keep an eye out for incoming trains. With two of us constantly looking ahead and two looking behind, seeing a train rolling up to you wasn't supposed to be difficult. Well, the sandstorm had been unexpected anyway, but we had avoided any serious damage.
A Huntsman's sixth sense was truly a beautiful thing to behold.
Which was why, as I wondering just what could possibly make my sixth spider-man like sense blare, it became clearer by the sight of my current landlord waving at me to near him from the reception-like entrance where he liked to spend the time chatting up people in the streets and getting to know the prospective students a bit better.
"Mister Shade," he said with a clipped tone of voice, "You have...a visitor. I took the liberty of letting them into your room to avoid unpleasantness with the other tenants. Do be careful, however." He looked at me briefly. "Some people may not be as understanding as I am."
I lifted both eyebrows up. "Thank...you?" I muttered, moving past him and towards the stairs up.
Now, the fact of the matter was that he had said it. Zhelty he already knew, so he'd have mentioned her by name and wouldn't have made a fuss about it. Gorm and Chez both lived there, so they wouldn't need to wait outside the hallway. Whoever it was, it had to be someone influential and problematic enough to warrant the extra care in handling them. This meant Schnee-related. I sighed. I reckoned that Mister Whitey had finally decided to personally check on me? Or perhaps, even worse, father was inside my room waiting for my return in order to make my life an even greater hell?
No, if that was the case, I'd just smash his face in and proceed to tell him to go fuck himself.
I took a deep breath. It had to be Mister Whitey. Perhaps he was wondering when I'd decide to get back into my father's good graces so he could advance his career even further. I stopped just outside of my room, my fingers on the handle. Then I took a small breath, and opened the door.
There was a figure sitting on my bed.
It wasn't Mister Whitey, and I was glad for that because otherwise I'd have to get a new bed, and it wasn't my father, of which I was even gladder, because it meant I wouldn't have to hide a body.
The figure turned to look at me, her hands resting on her lap, her ice-colored eyes and white hair in perfect harmony with the pristine white of the Schnee color palette. She stood up, and wrinkled her nose.
"You stink a bit, little brother," she said, an awkward smile settling on her face.
"Nice to see you, Winter," I muttered, rubbing the back of my head. "I...I wasn't expecting visitors."
"I can see that," Winter acquiesced, her eyes turning towards the only chair in the room which, thus, made it 'The Chair' where all men left their clothes because who has ever heard of using drawers when a single chair can suffice plenty by itself?
"I'd give you a hug, but I guess I need a shower before that?" I said, awkwardness creeping into my voice.
Winter's smile lost a bit of its awkwardness. "We haven't seen each other in years, Wren. If you want to hug me, go for it. I won't mind-"
She didn't finish her sentence, because I was already hugging her. She was five years older than me, which placed her firmly in the twenty-one range. Had she finished Atlas' academy? Was she already a specialist?
"Missed you," I muttered, my voice muffled by her jacket since I was attempting to merge with her in some unholy fusion through the power of my hug. It didn't work, but not for lack of trying. Winter returned the hug with a pleasant smile now settled on her face.
"I missed you too," Winter murmured. "I'm sorry I could not come sooner, but father prohibited it and I couldn't draw money from my SDC account without him knowing, so I had to wait until I got my first stipend."
"It's all right," I whispered, letting go of the hug, although reluctantly. "I'd offer you water, but I think it's poisonous to all non-Vacuan residents who haven't built a tolerance for it. Though I can put some tea up? The kitchen's shared-"
"That's quite all right, Wren," Winter said gently. She bit her lower lip, "I was...I wasn't honestly expecting a warm welcome. Director Whitey said you weren't in a talkative mood, and then added that you had gone rebellious and chosen to refuse the Schnee name-I admit when he said you had asked him to let you live amidst...the people of Vacuo," she said, attempting to find a kind word for 'The Slum Folks', "I thought he was either lying, or I'd find you bitter and angry-you don't look to be either."
I chuckled, and shook my head. "I am angry, Winter, but not at you. The only one I'm keeping all of my anger for is that man that unfortunately is also my father," I muttered, "But I don't want to talk about that. You're finished with the Academy then, got a job in the SDC?"
"No, I actually was disinherited just last week," Winter said with a pleasant-looking smile, like she had achieved a great victory. "Took me a few more years than you, but father's face when I told him I was walking out and never coming back-" she lapsed off, "Anyway, I came here for a reason. I wanted to check on you first and foremost, and...if you want, I have an extra return ticket for Atlas."
I widened my eyes at that. "Winter-"
"You don't have to feel obliged to take it," Winter said hastily. "I was just thinking that if you were in a bad place, or you were treated badly, I'd bring you back. I didn't know you were training to become a huntsman, though," she looked at my arms, where my weapons still rested nonchalantly in good view. "Or I'd have been able to ask General Ironwood if he could find you a spot in Atlas Academy. Maybe he still could," she turned thoughtful, "But only if you want that," she added hastily.
"I-well," I stammered. "I got so used to the heat that going back to Atlas now would probably kill me outright," I swallowed. "I'm-I'm sorry, but I think I found my place, and it's here."
"I see," Winter said, and there was a hint of sadness in her voice. "Still-I'm staying for a few days, and I'd like it if we could reconnect a bit before my departure," and just like that, I realized one thing.
"Winter," I said with an awkward cough, "There's a reason I changed my surname to Shade. Someone with the surname of Schnee and the people of Vacuo don't really go hand in hand." Then, I quietly looked sideways, "And I usually have a job in the afternoons. It's-Well, it's the kind of job I can't really bring my big sister along, but I can take a break tomorrow. Say I've got something to do-I can show you around then. Maybe you can get some clothes that don't scream 'Schnee'? Some hair dye too-"
Winter's eyes narrowed. "Wren."
"Big sister," I looked at her with the most puppy-eyed look I could muster. Which was ironic because I was becoming a behemoth of a man rippled with muscles and looking every bit like some kind of Action-Man ripoff rather than an actual puppy-eyed little brother. "Please, I want to spend time with you, really..."
"Very well," Winter sighed. "Tomorrow then."
I brightly smiled, and hugged her tightly once more.
"But seriously, you stink Wren, where have you been until now?" she asked next, rubbing the ridge of her nose.
"We had lesson with professor Rassvet on Amphibious Combat and the closest thing to a swamp around these parts is the..." I dimly realized what I was about to say, and clamped up, "Well, anyway, they gave us protective vestments and had us take a couple of high-temperature showers to get most of the mud off."
"Vacuo doesn't have swamps, Wren," Winter pointed out in her wisdom.
"Yes, yes it does," I spoke with a mile-long stare, "and jungles-" the rattling of machine-guns echoed in my ears as the whistling of grenades soon brought me back to those horrible days of lessons in the 'Jungles' of Vacuo. "And monsters that lurk in the heart of darkness along rivers rife with dangerous animals and ferocious Grimm," my voice droned on, my right eyebrow twitching. "I have seen the horror, Winter. The horror!"
And then I was back into the vaguely warm and sunny room, and sharply sucked in breath. I smiled brightly. "I'm going to go get that shower now. We can talk a bit more after, but then in half an hour I've got to meet with my friends for my job so...see you in a bit."
And then I went for my shower.
Winter's concerned face was probably because I hadn't taken the soap or any form of bathrobe with me.
Vacuo's heat made bathrobes unnecessary.
Modesty had died a long time ago.
And Soap...soap was an ephemeral dream, born of a pleasant midsummer night.
We didn't use soap.
We used the tears of our traumas mixed with some kind of cheap liquid that scrubbed your body clean.
It worked well enough, but unfortunately it didn't wash the most important part...
...the human soul rife with the trauma of the GarbageNam Wars.
Some things were positive. Others were negative. Some, instead, were merely worrying.
Yet things often time looked up. My 'Sweet Sixteen' happened without fanfare, if not for the fact that the Sizzling Sunrise actually got a collapsible wind sail built upon it. We were all working hard to put money aside. Once inside the Shade Academy, we'd have huntsmen missions to tide us over, but until then, the more money we put aside now, the more comfortable we could get later on.
We broke down walls. We tore apart systems. I actually got the brilliant idea to break the pavement and get the iron piping out of the buildings' bathrooms. We didn't strike gold, and we didn't become rich. Yet it worked out. We were even notorious somewhat. That was mainly Gorm's fault, though.
He was an Owl Faunus, and thus he was supposed to keep an eye out for incoming trains. With two of us constantly looking ahead and two looking behind, seeing a train rolling up to you wasn't supposed to be difficult. Well, the sandstorm had been unexpected anyway, but we had avoided any serious damage.
A Huntsman's sixth sense was truly a beautiful thing to behold.
Which was why, as I wondering just what could possibly make my sixth spider-man like sense blare, it became clearer by the sight of my current landlord waving at me to near him from the reception-like entrance where he liked to spend the time chatting up people in the streets and getting to know the prospective students a bit better.
"Mister Shade," he said with a clipped tone of voice, "You have...a visitor. I took the liberty of letting them into your room to avoid unpleasantness with the other tenants. Do be careful, however." He looked at me briefly. "Some people may not be as understanding as I am."
I lifted both eyebrows up. "Thank...you?" I muttered, moving past him and towards the stairs up.
Now, the fact of the matter was that he had said it. Zhelty he already knew, so he'd have mentioned her by name and wouldn't have made a fuss about it. Gorm and Chez both lived there, so they wouldn't need to wait outside the hallway. Whoever it was, it had to be someone influential and problematic enough to warrant the extra care in handling them. This meant Schnee-related. I sighed. I reckoned that Mister Whitey had finally decided to personally check on me? Or perhaps, even worse, father was inside my room waiting for my return in order to make my life an even greater hell?
No, if that was the case, I'd just smash his face in and proceed to tell him to go fuck himself.
I took a deep breath. It had to be Mister Whitey. Perhaps he was wondering when I'd decide to get back into my father's good graces so he could advance his career even further. I stopped just outside of my room, my fingers on the handle. Then I took a small breath, and opened the door.
There was a figure sitting on my bed.
It wasn't Mister Whitey, and I was glad for that because otherwise I'd have to get a new bed, and it wasn't my father, of which I was even gladder, because it meant I wouldn't have to hide a body.
The figure turned to look at me, her hands resting on her lap, her ice-colored eyes and white hair in perfect harmony with the pristine white of the Schnee color palette. She stood up, and wrinkled her nose.
"You stink a bit, little brother," she said, an awkward smile settling on her face.
"Nice to see you, Winter," I muttered, rubbing the back of my head. "I...I wasn't expecting visitors."
"I can see that," Winter acquiesced, her eyes turning towards the only chair in the room which, thus, made it 'The Chair' where all men left their clothes because who has ever heard of using drawers when a single chair can suffice plenty by itself?
"I'd give you a hug, but I guess I need a shower before that?" I said, awkwardness creeping into my voice.
Winter's smile lost a bit of its awkwardness. "We haven't seen each other in years, Wren. If you want to hug me, go for it. I won't mind-"
She didn't finish her sentence, because I was already hugging her. She was five years older than me, which placed her firmly in the twenty-one range. Had she finished Atlas' academy? Was she already a specialist?
"Missed you," I muttered, my voice muffled by her jacket since I was attempting to merge with her in some unholy fusion through the power of my hug. It didn't work, but not for lack of trying. Winter returned the hug with a pleasant smile now settled on her face.
"I missed you too," Winter murmured. "I'm sorry I could not come sooner, but father prohibited it and I couldn't draw money from my SDC account without him knowing, so I had to wait until I got my first stipend."
"It's all right," I whispered, letting go of the hug, although reluctantly. "I'd offer you water, but I think it's poisonous to all non-Vacuan residents who haven't built a tolerance for it. Though I can put some tea up? The kitchen's shared-"
"That's quite all right, Wren," Winter said gently. She bit her lower lip, "I was...I wasn't honestly expecting a warm welcome. Director Whitey said you weren't in a talkative mood, and then added that you had gone rebellious and chosen to refuse the Schnee name-I admit when he said you had asked him to let you live amidst...the people of Vacuo," she said, attempting to find a kind word for 'The Slum Folks', "I thought he was either lying, or I'd find you bitter and angry-you don't look to be either."
I chuckled, and shook my head. "I am angry, Winter, but not at you. The only one I'm keeping all of my anger for is that man that unfortunately is also my father," I muttered, "But I don't want to talk about that. You're finished with the Academy then, got a job in the SDC?"
"No, I actually was disinherited just last week," Winter said with a pleasant-looking smile, like she had achieved a great victory. "Took me a few more years than you, but father's face when I told him I was walking out and never coming back-" she lapsed off, "Anyway, I came here for a reason. I wanted to check on you first and foremost, and...if you want, I have an extra return ticket for Atlas."
I widened my eyes at that. "Winter-"
"You don't have to feel obliged to take it," Winter said hastily. "I was just thinking that if you were in a bad place, or you were treated badly, I'd bring you back. I didn't know you were training to become a huntsman, though," she looked at my arms, where my weapons still rested nonchalantly in good view. "Or I'd have been able to ask General Ironwood if he could find you a spot in Atlas Academy. Maybe he still could," she turned thoughtful, "But only if you want that," she added hastily.
"I-well," I stammered. "I got so used to the heat that going back to Atlas now would probably kill me outright," I swallowed. "I'm-I'm sorry, but I think I found my place, and it's here."
"I see," Winter said, and there was a hint of sadness in her voice. "Still-I'm staying for a few days, and I'd like it if we could reconnect a bit before my departure," and just like that, I realized one thing.
"Winter," I said with an awkward cough, "There's a reason I changed my surname to Shade. Someone with the surname of Schnee and the people of Vacuo don't really go hand in hand." Then, I quietly looked sideways, "And I usually have a job in the afternoons. It's-Well, it's the kind of job I can't really bring my big sister along, but I can take a break tomorrow. Say I've got something to do-I can show you around then. Maybe you can get some clothes that don't scream 'Schnee'? Some hair dye too-"
Winter's eyes narrowed. "Wren."
"Big sister," I looked at her with the most puppy-eyed look I could muster. Which was ironic because I was becoming a behemoth of a man rippled with muscles and looking every bit like some kind of Action-Man ripoff rather than an actual puppy-eyed little brother. "Please, I want to spend time with you, really..."
"Very well," Winter sighed. "Tomorrow then."
I brightly smiled, and hugged her tightly once more.
"But seriously, you stink Wren, where have you been until now?" she asked next, rubbing the ridge of her nose.
"We had lesson with professor Rassvet on Amphibious Combat and the closest thing to a swamp around these parts is the..." I dimly realized what I was about to say, and clamped up, "Well, anyway, they gave us protective vestments and had us take a couple of high-temperature showers to get most of the mud off."
"Vacuo doesn't have swamps, Wren," Winter pointed out in her wisdom.
"Yes, yes it does," I spoke with a mile-long stare, "and jungles-" the rattling of machine-guns echoed in my ears as the whistling of grenades soon brought me back to those horrible days of lessons in the 'Jungles' of Vacuo. "And monsters that lurk in the heart of darkness along rivers rife with dangerous animals and ferocious Grimm," my voice droned on, my right eyebrow twitching. "I have seen the horror, Winter. The horror!"
And then I was back into the vaguely warm and sunny room, and sharply sucked in breath. I smiled brightly. "I'm going to go get that shower now. We can talk a bit more after, but then in half an hour I've got to meet with my friends for my job so...see you in a bit."
And then I went for my shower.
Winter's concerned face was probably because I hadn't taken the soap or any form of bathrobe with me.
Vacuo's heat made bathrobes unnecessary.
Modesty had died a long time ago.
And Soap...soap was an ephemeral dream, born of a pleasant midsummer night.
We didn't use soap.
We used the tears of our traumas mixed with some kind of cheap liquid that scrubbed your body clean.
It worked well enough, but unfortunately it didn't wash the most important part...
...the human soul rife with the trauma of the GarbageNam Wars.
Dragonskyt
Ashen one, hearest thou my voice, still?
- Location
- Kiln of the First Flame
I do wonder how Sun, Neptune and the gang came out so nor-
*Remembers Neptune's fright of water*
Oh god, he too had to go through this didn't he?
*Remembers Neptune's fright of water*
Oh god, he too had to go through this didn't he?
Dezron
In the Omnissiah we trust !
- Location
- Poland
I think they come from "richer" part of Vacuo , Sun was looking like he was only stealing for fun .
- Location
- Belgium
I think he was speaking about the whole "Unholy Training from hell inside the sewer system of Vacuo" bad enough to give Wren some kind of PTSD, not about living in the slum.
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They started in Haven, not Shade. They didn't go to Shade until the truth behind Haven came out.
- Location
- Elsewhere
Or alternatively, if you had trained even harder you would have unlocked your Aura earlier!
You seem to have hit the butter zone of the most suffering in bother training and Aura Unlocking.
Good job?
- Location
- East of Eden
I think that was just Neptune, I recall Sun saying several times he went to Mistral and Haven from Vacuo.
He's from Vacuo, but he went to Haven, not Shade. The only teams we've seen that came from Shade are BRNZ and NDGO.
Fragnostic
Cheshire
- Location
- Neko City
Makes you wonder why the hell Jaune's aura was so big, eh?
I guess having seven sisters and overprotective parents doesn't mean they won't torture you accidentally...
Eh, needs more grit, diesel, and flaming heavy metal bands.
I don't need more than the description given already. My imagination fills in the blanks.
'Nam Flashback Intensifies
Ah, but this is a preparatory school before Shade.
It's plausible to finish the preparatory school in Vacuo and then go to Haven in Mistral.
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- Location
- Venezuela
I have to say I am liking this more than AHOIAC, the other story is good of course but the story of the determined hero, training from sunrise to sunset, fighting against the murderous grimm, and quite literally punching evil in the face is great. It just some of the good old stuff. 
Like the choice of weapons, and I legit smile at their names being Robusta and Arabica, pretty sure that the other sisters shall appear maybe as some greaves/boots that of course are also a gun .
Liking the other characters, Gorm, Zhelty and Chez seem to be good dependable characters that can evolve with time. Just like Wren himself.
Indeed, it seems that Wren is in a combat school, quite likely Vacuo's own counterpart to Signal from Vale and Sanctum from Mistral
Like the choice of weapons, and I legit smile at their names being Robusta and Arabica
, pretty sure that the other sisters shall appear maybe as some greaves/boots that of course are also a gun .Liking the other characters, Gorm, Zhelty and Chez seem to be good dependable characters that can evolve with time. Just like Wren himself.
Indeed, it seems that Wren is in a combat school, quite likely Vacuo's own counterpart to Signal from Vale and Sanctum from Mistral
Chapter Fourteen
- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Chapter Fourteen
"What do you mean you can't make it tomorrow?" Zhelty asked, sounding honestly affronted as much as a girl wielding a pickaxe and destroying a pavement could be.
"Careful not to break too many tiles. We can resell those that are whole," Gorm pointed out, more delicately prying them out of the bathroom we were currently demolishing. Chez was working on the window panels, trying to keep the glass intact. She too turned her attention downwards to where I had just delivered the information, while pulling out some piping that, of course, refused to properly bend to the cause of making us earn money.
"I mean that while walking back home to get a shower I met this tourist, and they wanted a local to show them around Vacuo," I said. "It's probably going to be good money and it's a one time thing."
"You didn't even mention getting paid now, did you?" Zhelty grumbled. "Is it a man or a woman?"
"A woman," I said. "But that-"
Gorm whistled. "Sugar-Mama here Wren comes," he wriggled his eyebrows. "She pretty?"
I bristled. I strangled the pipe I was working on since it refused to budge. "He's not answering," Chez pointed from the window, "Guess you hit the Wren's eye."
"Oh? Pretty tourist woman, uh?" Zhelty said, slamming her pickaxe a bit harder on the ground, "Guess she's looking for a one night stand."
"I don't really think that's what she wants," I dryly said. "And also, come on guys, if I get something I'll offer you drinks. You can also keep breaking down this place without me, no?"
"Nah, a rest day is a good day," Chez muttered from the window, before grinning brightly. "Ah-ha!" she pulled the window out of its panels and as she held the glass in both of her hands, she triumphantly turned towards to show it off. This made her seemingly lose her balance. She cried out, ever so briefly, and I ran forward. Gorm did too.
He ended up with the glass panel in his hands, exhaling in relief, "The money's saved."
I would have wanted to end up with Chez in my arms, but it was not to be. Cats, when falling, apparently grabbed the first thing they had at their disposal. In this circumstance, she ended up arched over my shoulders, tightly gripping my head. "The cat is safe too," I dryly said, extending a hand to my side to give her a more solid footing in order to get down from me. "Now get off my shoulders," I grumbled. "You're-"
"If you say heavy," Chez said with surprising ice in her voice, taking my hand and nimbly getting down on her feet from my shoulders, "You won't like what I will leave inside your boots."
"Are you really playing into the stereotype?" I asked.
"If it gets me what I want? Yes, nyah," she said with a snicker, her cat ears twitching briefly.
Zhelty slammed her pickaxe on the ground harder still. "Are you working or are you playing?" she grumbled, glaring daggers at us. "If we ain't working tomorrow, we're going to work double today! Come on!"
True to form, we ended up working twice as hard to make up for the next day missed opportunities.
"Where would you bring someone to enjoy Vacuo?" I asked on the way back, strapped down as we sped up along the rails. "What's there to sight-see of the city anyway?"
"The sand gardens," Chez said. "Come on, you've been in Vacuo longer than me, and you don't even know that?"
"Vacuo has sand gardens?" I muttered. "How does one make a garden out of sand in a place that literally has sand fly everywhere?"
"They're protected by walls, duh," Zhelty grumbled. "There are also the Vacuo caverns, it's where the water reservoir of the city is."
"If she has the money, she can pay the tickets to visit the hanging gardens," Gorm muttered. "They're the only green thing in Vacuo, and where the vegetables come from, by the way."
"Ugh, green stuff," I sarcastically replied. "Any other places?"
"There's the better side of Vacuo you can visit; there are bound to be shops and tourist attractions there, maybe even a museum," Zhelty yelled. "Not that I would know since I've never been there either!"
"Nice, so I can just be a bodyguard rather than a tourist guide," I mused. "Works fine that way too."
There was a fuming silence that somehow settled, and remained, until we big each other goodbye. The next day, I was ready to guide Winter around the city of Vacuo and to show her the wonders of the city of sand, sweat, tears, blood and probably everything nice, though the latter was hidden behind a garbage dump with radioactive and biological hazards.
Winter had actually listened to me. Her clothes were more down to earth, and definitely not white or with SDC and Schnee symbols on them. She had a large straw hat to cover her white hair, and pretty much looked like a tourist seeking the wonders of Vacuo. The sword-dagger that she wielded was still there, of course, standing by her hip and I didn't doubt she would use it at a moment's notice.
"Wren, did you have to wait long?" she asked as she walked closer, but I simply shook my head in reply. There was a grin on my face.
"So, I got some suggestions on what we can see of the city," I pointed out. "The closest one are the water reservoirs of the city. They're in caverns, so it's a cool place and until the sun goes a bit over our heads, it's the best way to start visiting the city."
"Very well," Winter acquiesced, "Lead the way."
I extended my left arm in her direction, "I shall, my fair lady."
Winter chuckled at that, but actually did link arms. "Wren," she rolled her eyes, "Never try to woo a lady with such words. They won't work."
I huffed, and took on a sedated pace by her side. "So, how's the rest of the family?" I asked as we walked. "Weiss, Whitley, mother?"
"Weiss is doing well," Winter said. "She wants to follow in my footsteps, and be even better than me. She confided she wants to attend Beacon academy," she added with a pleased smile on her face. "Whitley is...well, father is being incredibly strict with him," she grimaced. "And mother..." she sighed. "She sends her love?"
I cringed at that. "How is she, Winter?"
"It's...It's nothing to worry about, Wren. Once everything's settled, I'll find a way," Winter muttered, "It's my responsibility."
"She's my mother too," I said. "If there's anything I can do-"
"I'm sure she'll be happy to know you're doing well," Winter said. "But let's talk about you instead. How are you doing? Any friends? Any troubles? What about the family semblance? Are you practicing it?"
I felt incredibly embarrassed at having to speak about myself. I was so used to not saying anything, it was a bit of a problem getting information out of me.
"Well, friends I have a few. My teammates, or well, my future teammates-we already decided that whatever happens, we'll be together in Shade's academy even if we have to threaten some professor," I mused with a chuckle, "Troubles not really. Well, the White Fang around the area has gotten a bit too excited, something about a leadership change, but the people of Vacuo are mostly loner types who only want to go on living, so most don't buy into a violent approach." I sighed, "Too much of a hassle under this sun."
"It is quite the weather," Winter muttered. "I should have brought a fan."
"I'm glad you didn't," I answered. "If you had, they'd have pegged you down as weak."
"Weak?" she asked, an eyebrow arched.
"All are welcome in Vacuo, as long as they can survive it," I answered nonchalantly. "That means the weather too. A sandstorm is no reason to miss work, for example. A torrential deluge is no excuse to avoid going to class. Professor Rassvet, the weather, environment and Grimm expert of our preparatory school made that very, very clear." I shuddered. "As for the family semblance...I'm practicing it, but in private. I think it would be a dead giveaway of who I am if someone saw the Schnee symbol on the glyphs."
I grinned. "I've been getting sneaky about it," I extended my right hand in front of us, and quietly concentrated. A small white glyph appeared in the palm of my hand, glimmering softly, barely visible. "If I can manage to make the Glyphs invisible..." I chuckled. The possibilities would be endless. Though I doubted that would be the case. The more aura once put, the brighter the Glyph, and making them near-invisible meant they were incredibly weaker.
Still, when you need a temporary stepping stone, it doesn't really need to be that sturdy. And if you need a small boost in speed, you don't really need a shining giant glyph under your feet. Just two smaller ones, under the sole of your boots.
"The family semblance can do much more than that, Wren," Winter said. "Summoning is a part of it too. Once you defeat a Grimm, you can summon it by your side provided you feel strongly about the fight you had with it. When the foe you have slain pushed you to your limits, then that is when you can summon it after defeating it," she acquiesced. "I could teach you that, if...well, if you came back to Atlas."
I shook my head. "I'll keep experimenting on my own, Winter, but thank you for worrying about me." I smiled. "But again, I already told you, I like it here."
"I know you do," Winter said. "I can see that," she added with a wry smile.
We went through the water reservoirs, which were incredibly cool, and also incredibly crowded by the people escaping the summer heat. We went past them after an hour of admiring the glittering water pools, and the stern huntsmen charged with protecting it and authorized to break bones if someone attempted to take some of it on the sly or, worst, risk contaminating it.
Once we left the reservoir, and headed for the sand gardens, my older sister tensed ever so imperceptibly.
"We are being followed," she said in a hushed whisper. "Perhaps muggers?"
I raised an eyebrow, and as we took a gentle turn, I briefly turned my gaze behind me, feigning having to crack my neck a bit.
"No," I said with a dreadful sigh. "Not muggers. Worse. Teammates."
"Oh," Winter said offhandedly. "Do they know who you are?"
"Not really," I muttered. "I said I was showing a tourist around today for some quick money, but I guess they either didn't trust me, or they are wondering if you're going to drag me in a dark alley and sell my organs at the black market."
Winter's lips thinned. "Is there a black market for organs in Vacuo?"
"I guess there's one in Atlas too," I hummed. "I mean, there's probably one everywhere. It's a black market. It sells what it shouldn't." I rolled my eyes. "If you wait a moment, I can shoo them off."
"No, no, I have a better idea," Winter said nonchalantly. "I would like to meet my brother's teammates after all."
I had a dreadful feeling.
"You said you used Shade as a surname, yes?"
"Winter, please, don't," I muttered.
"Silly little brother," Winter said with a pleasant smile on her face. "It's my prerogative as your older sister to look out after you, and also, in rare circumstances...to embarrass you."
"You are taking too much pleasure in doing this," I pointed out, my affronted expression betraying my inner trauma starting to surface at the dreadful thoughts of the two opposite alignments known as 'My Friends' and 'My Elder Sister' meeting.
"What can I say," Winter said with a sigh. "It's been years since I last saw my little brother.. I guess I just want to know the kind of company he keeps too, but if you don't want to assuage your older sister's worries..."
"You are guilt-tripping me," I said flatly. I huffed, and looked away. "And it's working, damn it."
Winter chuckled with a nice ring to her laughter. "I know. It works on Weiss and Whitley too."
This was unfair, truly, incredibly, unmistakably unfair!
My older sister couldn't be this incredibly unfair!
"What do you mean you can't make it tomorrow?" Zhelty asked, sounding honestly affronted as much as a girl wielding a pickaxe and destroying a pavement could be.
"Careful not to break too many tiles. We can resell those that are whole," Gorm pointed out, more delicately prying them out of the bathroom we were currently demolishing. Chez was working on the window panels, trying to keep the glass intact. She too turned her attention downwards to where I had just delivered the information, while pulling out some piping that, of course, refused to properly bend to the cause of making us earn money.
"I mean that while walking back home to get a shower I met this tourist, and they wanted a local to show them around Vacuo," I said. "It's probably going to be good money and it's a one time thing."
"You didn't even mention getting paid now, did you?" Zhelty grumbled. "Is it a man or a woman?"
"A woman," I said. "But that-"
Gorm whistled. "Sugar-Mama here Wren comes," he wriggled his eyebrows. "She pretty?"
I bristled. I strangled the pipe I was working on since it refused to budge. "He's not answering," Chez pointed from the window, "Guess you hit the Wren's eye."
"Oh? Pretty tourist woman, uh?" Zhelty said, slamming her pickaxe a bit harder on the ground, "Guess she's looking for a one night stand."
"I don't really think that's what she wants," I dryly said. "And also, come on guys, if I get something I'll offer you drinks. You can also keep breaking down this place without me, no?"
"Nah, a rest day is a good day," Chez muttered from the window, before grinning brightly. "Ah-ha!" she pulled the window out of its panels and as she held the glass in both of her hands, she triumphantly turned towards to show it off. This made her seemingly lose her balance. She cried out, ever so briefly, and I ran forward. Gorm did too.
He ended up with the glass panel in his hands, exhaling in relief, "The money's saved."
I would have wanted to end up with Chez in my arms, but it was not to be. Cats, when falling, apparently grabbed the first thing they had at their disposal. In this circumstance, she ended up arched over my shoulders, tightly gripping my head. "The cat is safe too," I dryly said, extending a hand to my side to give her a more solid footing in order to get down from me. "Now get off my shoulders," I grumbled. "You're-"
"If you say heavy," Chez said with surprising ice in her voice, taking my hand and nimbly getting down on her feet from my shoulders, "You won't like what I will leave inside your boots."
"Are you really playing into the stereotype?" I asked.
"If it gets me what I want? Yes, nyah," she said with a snicker, her cat ears twitching briefly.
Zhelty slammed her pickaxe on the ground harder still. "Are you working or are you playing?" she grumbled, glaring daggers at us. "If we ain't working tomorrow, we're going to work double today! Come on!"
True to form, we ended up working twice as hard to make up for the next day missed opportunities.
"Where would you bring someone to enjoy Vacuo?" I asked on the way back, strapped down as we sped up along the rails. "What's there to sight-see of the city anyway?"
"The sand gardens," Chez said. "Come on, you've been in Vacuo longer than me, and you don't even know that?"
"Vacuo has sand gardens?" I muttered. "How does one make a garden out of sand in a place that literally has sand fly everywhere?"
"They're protected by walls, duh," Zhelty grumbled. "There are also the Vacuo caverns, it's where the water reservoir of the city is."
"If she has the money, she can pay the tickets to visit the hanging gardens," Gorm muttered. "They're the only green thing in Vacuo, and where the vegetables come from, by the way."
"Ugh, green stuff," I sarcastically replied. "Any other places?"
"There's the better side of Vacuo you can visit; there are bound to be shops and tourist attractions there, maybe even a museum," Zhelty yelled. "Not that I would know since I've never been there either!"
"Nice, so I can just be a bodyguard rather than a tourist guide," I mused. "Works fine that way too."
There was a fuming silence that somehow settled, and remained, until we big each other goodbye. The next day, I was ready to guide Winter around the city of Vacuo and to show her the wonders of the city of sand, sweat, tears, blood and probably everything nice, though the latter was hidden behind a garbage dump with radioactive and biological hazards.
Winter had actually listened to me. Her clothes were more down to earth, and definitely not white or with SDC and Schnee symbols on them. She had a large straw hat to cover her white hair, and pretty much looked like a tourist seeking the wonders of Vacuo. The sword-dagger that she wielded was still there, of course, standing by her hip and I didn't doubt she would use it at a moment's notice.
"Wren, did you have to wait long?" she asked as she walked closer, but I simply shook my head in reply. There was a grin on my face.
"So, I got some suggestions on what we can see of the city," I pointed out. "The closest one are the water reservoirs of the city. They're in caverns, so it's a cool place and until the sun goes a bit over our heads, it's the best way to start visiting the city."
"Very well," Winter acquiesced, "Lead the way."
I extended my left arm in her direction, "I shall, my fair lady."
Winter chuckled at that, but actually did link arms. "Wren," she rolled her eyes, "Never try to woo a lady with such words. They won't work."
I huffed, and took on a sedated pace by her side. "So, how's the rest of the family?" I asked as we walked. "Weiss, Whitley, mother?"
"Weiss is doing well," Winter said. "She wants to follow in my footsteps, and be even better than me. She confided she wants to attend Beacon academy," she added with a pleased smile on her face. "Whitley is...well, father is being incredibly strict with him," she grimaced. "And mother..." she sighed. "She sends her love?"
I cringed at that. "How is she, Winter?"
"It's...It's nothing to worry about, Wren. Once everything's settled, I'll find a way," Winter muttered, "It's my responsibility."
"She's my mother too," I said. "If there's anything I can do-"
"I'm sure she'll be happy to know you're doing well," Winter said. "But let's talk about you instead. How are you doing? Any friends? Any troubles? What about the family semblance? Are you practicing it?"
I felt incredibly embarrassed at having to speak about myself. I was so used to not saying anything, it was a bit of a problem getting information out of me.
"Well, friends I have a few. My teammates, or well, my future teammates-we already decided that whatever happens, we'll be together in Shade's academy even if we have to threaten some professor," I mused with a chuckle, "Troubles not really. Well, the White Fang around the area has gotten a bit too excited, something about a leadership change, but the people of Vacuo are mostly loner types who only want to go on living, so most don't buy into a violent approach." I sighed, "Too much of a hassle under this sun."
"It is quite the weather," Winter muttered. "I should have brought a fan."
"I'm glad you didn't," I answered. "If you had, they'd have pegged you down as weak."
"Weak?" she asked, an eyebrow arched.
"All are welcome in Vacuo, as long as they can survive it," I answered nonchalantly. "That means the weather too. A sandstorm is no reason to miss work, for example. A torrential deluge is no excuse to avoid going to class. Professor Rassvet, the weather, environment and Grimm expert of our preparatory school made that very, very clear." I shuddered. "As for the family semblance...I'm practicing it, but in private. I think it would be a dead giveaway of who I am if someone saw the Schnee symbol on the glyphs."
I grinned. "I've been getting sneaky about it," I extended my right hand in front of us, and quietly concentrated. A small white glyph appeared in the palm of my hand, glimmering softly, barely visible. "If I can manage to make the Glyphs invisible..." I chuckled. The possibilities would be endless. Though I doubted that would be the case. The more aura once put, the brighter the Glyph, and making them near-invisible meant they were incredibly weaker.
Still, when you need a temporary stepping stone, it doesn't really need to be that sturdy. And if you need a small boost in speed, you don't really need a shining giant glyph under your feet. Just two smaller ones, under the sole of your boots.
"The family semblance can do much more than that, Wren," Winter said. "Summoning is a part of it too. Once you defeat a Grimm, you can summon it by your side provided you feel strongly about the fight you had with it. When the foe you have slain pushed you to your limits, then that is when you can summon it after defeating it," she acquiesced. "I could teach you that, if...well, if you came back to Atlas."
I shook my head. "I'll keep experimenting on my own, Winter, but thank you for worrying about me." I smiled. "But again, I already told you, I like it here."
"I know you do," Winter said. "I can see that," she added with a wry smile.
We went through the water reservoirs, which were incredibly cool, and also incredibly crowded by the people escaping the summer heat. We went past them after an hour of admiring the glittering water pools, and the stern huntsmen charged with protecting it and authorized to break bones if someone attempted to take some of it on the sly or, worst, risk contaminating it.
Once we left the reservoir, and headed for the sand gardens, my older sister tensed ever so imperceptibly.
"We are being followed," she said in a hushed whisper. "Perhaps muggers?"
I raised an eyebrow, and as we took a gentle turn, I briefly turned my gaze behind me, feigning having to crack my neck a bit.
"No," I said with a dreadful sigh. "Not muggers. Worse. Teammates."
"Oh," Winter said offhandedly. "Do they know who you are?"
"Not really," I muttered. "I said I was showing a tourist around today for some quick money, but I guess they either didn't trust me, or they are wondering if you're going to drag me in a dark alley and sell my organs at the black market."
Winter's lips thinned. "Is there a black market for organs in Vacuo?"
"I guess there's one in Atlas too," I hummed. "I mean, there's probably one everywhere. It's a black market. It sells what it shouldn't." I rolled my eyes. "If you wait a moment, I can shoo them off."
"No, no, I have a better idea," Winter said nonchalantly. "I would like to meet my brother's teammates after all."
I had a dreadful feeling.
"You said you used Shade as a surname, yes?"
"Winter, please, don't," I muttered.
"Silly little brother," Winter said with a pleasant smile on her face. "It's my prerogative as your older sister to look out after you, and also, in rare circumstances...to embarrass you."
"You are taking too much pleasure in doing this," I pointed out, my affronted expression betraying my inner trauma starting to surface at the dreadful thoughts of the two opposite alignments known as 'My Friends' and 'My Elder Sister' meeting.
"What can I say," Winter said with a sigh. "It's been years since I last saw my little brother.. I guess I just want to know the kind of company he keeps too, but if you don't want to assuage your older sister's worries..."
"You are guilt-tripping me," I said flatly. I huffed, and looked away. "And it's working, damn it."
Winter chuckled with a nice ring to her laughter. "I know. It works on Weiss and Whitley too."
This was unfair, truly, incredibly, unmistakably unfair!
My older sister couldn't be this incredibly unfair!
AzraelvonGruber
probably should put something here...
- Location
- somewhere in France
Welp now i'm curious... What name will Winter use as an alias ?
Umbra ? Shadow ? Ombre ?
Umbra ? Shadow ? Ombre ?
- Location
- Versailles
Poor Whitley, it is even worse here since instaed of being abandoned by his sisters, he saw his brother get exiled
Jacques really is sowing the seeds for his own murder by family isn't he.