In Memorial of the Fallen: a RWBY RP [IC Thread]

[Sindrya]

Aka grinned, with what small energy left in him. When he realized that they had arrived in the infirmary without him losing balance or stuff, he was surprised at his own strength.

"Hey..", he called, again. "Can you.. tell.. the nurses.. give me.. blood.. transfusion.." His voice trailed off in the last part. Most of his energies are used up. Anaemia really is troublesome.

He only mouthed the word 'please' at the end of his sentence.

Oh, look. My vision became foggy. Crap. I sure wish anime logic would have worked by now. Those characters losing so much blood from nosebleeding without suffering anaemia really are lucky.

"I will!"

Artol had a cat like smile and slipped over to the nurse, however, she was older than him, which made it nigh impossible to talk, much less be friendly.
In fact, he was suddenly looking quite ominous.

'SHIET.'

So instead of talking, he tried to speak in hands.
He did know how to, however, there was only a small chance the nurse would ever understand if he didn't use the most simple hand speech.

Aka frowned. Why didn't he say anything? Has my ears gone deaf, too?

But that's not possible, right? You can't get deafness from anaemia.

He can't make out what's happening, with his blurry vision and all. He could only make out the silhouette of the nurse, and the vague shape that was constantly flailing around beside him.

But he suddenly lost his balance, and with that, is footing, and dropped to the floor like a bag of potatoes, unconscious and pale.

[Serah]

"I will!"

Artol had a cat like smile and slipped over to the nurse, however, she was older than him, which made it nigh impossible to talk, much less be friendly.
In fact, he was suddenly looking quite ominous.

'SHIET.'

So instead of talking, he tried to speak in hands.
He did know how to, however, there was only a small chance the nurse would ever understand if he didn't use the most simple hand speech.

Aka frowned. Why didn't he say anything? Has my ears gone deaf, too?

But that's not possible, right? You can't get deafness from anaemia.

He can't make out what's happening, with his blurry vision and all. He could only make out the silhouette of the nurse, and the vague shape that was constantly flailing around beside him.

But he suddenly lost his balance, and with that, is footing, and dropped to the floor like a bag of potatoes, unconscious and pale.

'Ah bollocks.' Artol went over to get Aka in a bed, while still holding every single ice cream, then as he looked at the bed, he saw the bed tablets on which doctors scribbled onto.

'Ahaaaaa!' He took a sheet of paper and wrote on it sloppily and in a rush, then held it to the nurse's face.

Friend is having anemia, plz help.
Over there, transfusion.
Plz.

[Serah]

Theriam shook his head vigorously trying to get his thoughts back into place.

Jeez, you're just not used with people taking the lead before you.
Then again, can't blame her.

'Well sorry if I don't want to deal with her PTSD because I fucked up again!'

Alright alright man.
Now kiss her.
Do it. DOT IT.

As he had his spirits back into place, he took Charlotte's chin up and spoke.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" And then kissed her out of the blue.

Even though she had practically initiated the kiss, she was still quite surprised, but very happy. ...Theriam... I love you... As for being told she was beautiful, it was a very pleasant surprise. She wouldn't have been nearly as surprised had he said she was 'hot' or whatever, having heard it before, but it wasn't often that she was called 'beautiful'... to use an understatement. ...You're so good to me, Theriam. Even after how I hurt you. How can you be so kind to someone like me? Inwardly, she still feared that he would abandon her. That he didn't really love her. She wouldn't have been surprised, though... Togami's words hadn't hurt so much for their cruelty. They had hurt because deep inside... they rang true.

As he broke apart, he pulled her into a hug.

"I'll always be here for anyone I care about.
I always am." He smiled brightly at the girl that had managed to tame the cold and emotionless Theriam apart from his brother.

"And if someone tries to hurt you, I'll send them to hell."

[Charlia]

Even though she had practically initiated the kiss, she was still quite surprised, but very happy. ...Theriam... I love you... As for being told she was beautiful, it was a very pleasant surprise. She wouldn't have been nearly as surprised had he said she was 'hot' or whatever, having heard it before, but it wasn't often that she was called 'beautiful'... to use an understatement. ...You're so good to me, Theriam. Even after how I hurt you. How can you be so kind to someone like me? Inwardly, she still feared that he would abandon her. That he didn't really love her. She wouldn't have been surprised, though... Togami's words hadn't hurt so much for their cruelty. They had hurt because deep inside... they rang true.

As he broke apart, he pulled her into a hug.

"I'll always be here for anyone I care about.
I always am." He smiled brightly at the girl that had managed to tame the cold and emotionless Theriam apart from his brother.

"And if someone tries to hurt you, I'll send them to hell."

"Ah..." she said awkwardly, having been reminded not only of her own actions--which she doubted Theriam would approve of--but of Togami's belief. "Speaking of which... I don't want to ruin your mood, but... Do you know that boy, what's his name, Togami?" He might not have listened to me, but if they know each other then Theriam might manage to get him to see sense.

[Serah]

As he broke apart, he pulled her into a hug.

"I'll always be here for anyone I care about.
I always am." He smiled brightly at the girl that had managed to tame the cold and emotionless Theriam apart from his brother.

"And if someone tries to hurt you, I'll send them to hell."

"Ah..." she said awkwardly, having been reminded not only of her own actions--which she doubted Theriam would approve of--but of Togami's belief. "Speaking of which... I don't want to ruin your mood, but... Do you know that boy, what's his name, Togami?" He might not have listened to me, but if they know each other then Theriam might manage to get him to see sense.

Theriam sighed.

"Yes, I know him, and yes, I know what he said to you, hence why the next time I see him, I'm punching him in the throat.
Of course, AFTER I clarified some things.
Then again, maybe Heamet would be better with that.
You wouldn't believe the amount of info he has on anyone.
Sometimes it does scare me a bit.
Now that he's changed for the sarcastic part of himself, he's got much less self restraint.
Hell, the only time I'm able to scare him these days is when I go berserk.
Kinda sad now that I think about it.
It's likely I'll let him talk to him, they're pretty close."

[Charlia]

"Ah..." she said awkwardly, having been reminded not only of her own actions--which she doubted Theriam would approve of--but of Togami's belief. "Speaking of which... I don't want to ruin your mood, but... Do you know that boy, what's his name, Togami?" He might not have listened to me, but if they know each other then Theriam might manage to get him to see sense.

Theriam sighed.

"Yes, I know him, and yes, I know what he said to you, hence why the next time I see him, I'm punching him in the throat.
Of course, AFTER I clarified some things.
Then again, maybe Heamet would be better with that.
You wouldn't believe the amount of info he has on anyone.
Sometimes it does scare me a bit.
Now that he's changed for the sarcastic part of himself, he's got much less self restraint.
Hell, the only time I'm able to scare him these days is when I go berserk.
Kinda sad now that I think about it.
It's likely I'll let him talk to him, they're pretty close."

She clasped her hands in her lap nervously, biting her lip as she tried to pull herself together. "Theriam..." she whispered. "What he said... it's... it's not true, is it? I..." She couldn't continue, at least, not without losing her self-control. Her past, years of being hurt, abused, belittled, and constantly having it drilled into her mind that she was worthless, that she was weak and pathetic, had left her with crippling self-doubt. As a result of being touched, she could no longer feel anything. She'd been lied to so many times that she was willing to believe almost anything. How many fires would it take to burn away the shame and make her feel pure? What would it take, and what had to break before she could begin again? How long would it take before she could climb out of the shadows?

She would be strong, someday, she hoped. Truly strong. But until then, even those words said in the heat of anger would burn into her mind, festering until they seemed as much facts of life as the fact that the earth was turning.

As much facts of life as the pain.

[Serah]

Theriam sighed.

"Yes, I know him, and yes, I know what he said to you, hence why the next time I see him, I'm punching him in the throat.
Of course, AFTER I clarified some things.
Then again, maybe Heamet would be better with that.
You wouldn't believe the amount of info he has on anyone.
Sometimes it does scare me a bit.
Now that he's changed for the sarcastic part of himself, he's got much less self restraint.
Hell, the only time I'm able to scare him these days is when I go berserk.
Kinda sad now that I think about it.
It's likely I'll let him talk to him, they're pretty close."

She clasped her hands in her lap nervously, biting her lip as she tried to pull herself together. "Theriam..." she whispered. "What he said... it's... it's not true, is it? I..." She couldn't continue, at least, not without losing her self-control. Her past, years of being hurt, abused, belittled, and constantly having it drilled into her mind that she was worthless, that she was weak and pathetic, had left her with crippling self-doubt. As a result of being touched, she could no longer feel anything. She'd been lied to so many times that she was willing to believe almost anything. How many fires would it take to burn away the shame and make her feel pure? What would it take, and what had to break before she could begin again? How long would it take before she could climb out of the shadows?

She would be strong, someday, she hoped. Truly strong. But until then, even those words said in the heat of anger would burn into her mind, festering until they seemed as much facts of life as the fact that the earth was turning.

As much facts of life as the pain.

The man put his hand on her head.

"It's not true.
If it was, I wouldn't have gotten close to you.
I just would've left you for dead in the class, with your rotten desk around you.
I could've done so much things if you were that, things I would've regretted.
But I didn't.
That's why I don't trust myself to go talk calmly to Togami.
I have a very impulsive temperament if people I love are hurt, it would be impossible for me to talk to him.
I'd go berserk, and there would be no way for him to stop me.
Oh, uh by the way." He looked around a bit.

"Do you know what that Artol guy has in mind?
Because I can't even read him, even in his subconscious he's thinking of ice cream and living happily with his friends.
I don't want people to know that I can't read him, it'd make me lose the air of mystery I try to keep around you and me."

[Charlia]

She clasped her hands in her lap nervously, biting her lip as she tried to pull herself together. "Theriam..." she whispered. "What he said... it's... it's not true, is it? I..." She couldn't continue, at least, not without losing her self-control. Her past, years of being hurt, abused, belittled, and constantly having it drilled into her mind that she was worthless, that she was weak and pathetic, had left her with crippling self-doubt. As a result of being touched, she could no longer feel anything. She'd been lied to so many times that she was willing to believe almost anything. How many fires would it take to burn away the shame and make her feel pure? What would it take, and what had to break before she could begin again? How long would it take before she could climb out of the shadows?

She would be strong, someday, she hoped. Truly strong. But until then, even those words said in the heat of anger would burn into her mind, festering until they seemed as much facts of life as the fact that the earth was turning.

As much facts of life as the pain.

The man put his hand on her head.

"It's not true.
If it was, I wouldn't have gotten close to you.
I just would've left you for dead in the class, with your rotten desk around you.
I could've done so much things if you were that, things I would've regretted.
But I didn't.
That's why I don't trust myself to go talk calmly to Togami.
I have a very impulsive temperament if people I love are hurt, it would be impossible for me to talk to him.
I'd go berserk, and there would be no way for him to stop me.
Oh, uh by the way." He looked around a bit.

"Do you know what that Artol guy has in mind?
Because I can't even read him, even in his subconscious he's thinking of ice cream and living happily with his friends.
I don't want people to know that I can't read him, it'd make me lose the air of mystery I try to keep around you and me."

"Thank you..." she whispered. "That means a lot to me." She was telling the truth. When he'd said that, it had been like the weight she carried lessened, if only by a little. She wasn't completely confident in her denial of Togami's accusations, but at least she felt a little better about it. "As for Artol," she continued, "I don't think he's as happy-go-lucky as he seems. I managed to get him to show some anger earlier--by refusing to be his friend, of all things--he just snapped." When Theriam finished by saying he tried to keep an air of mystery around both of them, she was grateful. If it succeeded, she would be less likely to be hurt again. At least, she hoped so.

[Serah]

The man put his hand on her head.

"It's not true.
If it was, I wouldn't have gotten close to you.
I just would've left you for dead in the class, with your rotten desk around you.
I could've done so much things if you were that, things I would've regretted.
But I didn't.
That's why I don't trust myself to go talk calmly to Togami.
I have a very impulsive temperament if people I love are hurt, it would be impossible for me to talk to him.
I'd go berserk, and there would be no way for him to stop me.
Oh, uh by the way." He looked around a bit.

"Do you know what that Artol guy has in mind?
Because I can't even read him, even in his subconscious he's thinking of ice cream and living happily with his friends.
I don't want people to know that I can't read him, it'd make me lose the air of mystery I try to keep around you and me."

"Thank you..." she whispered. "That means a lot to me." She was telling the truth. When he'd said that, it had been like the weight she carried lessened, if only by a little. She wasn't completely confident in her denial of Togami's accusations, but at least she felt a little better about it. "As for Artol," she continued, "I don't think he's as happy-go-lucky as he seems. I managed to get him to show some anger earlier--by refusing to be his friend, of all things--he just snapped." When Theriam finished by saying he tried to keep an air of mystery around both of them, she was grateful. If it succeeded, she would be less likely to be hurt again. At least, she hoped so.

Theriam was intrigued when she said the word 'snapped'.

"What do you mean 'snapped'?
Did he get more ominous?
I vaguely remember him shaking Jugo after asking if he broke his jaw by punching himself, but apart from that...
I don't really remember much of anything." He inquired, honestly quite curious about the elusive man.

"Something doesn't sit right about that guy.
He's too... Pure.
Like it's all just an act.
Of course, I'm not doubting the fact that he likes ice cream, almost everyone does.
But it just seems like a convenient facade."

[Charlia]

"Thank you..." she whispered. "That means a lot to me." She was telling the truth. When he'd said that, it had been like the weight she carried lessened, if only by a little. She wasn't completely confident in her denial of Togami's accusations, but at least she felt a little better about it. "As for Artol," she continued, "I don't think he's as happy-go-lucky as he seems. I managed to get him to show some anger earlier--by refusing to be his friend, of all things--he just snapped." When Theriam finished by saying he tried to keep an air of mystery around both of them, she was grateful. If it succeeded, she would be less likely to be hurt again. At least, she hoped so.

Theriam was intrigued when she said the word 'snapped'.

"What do you mean 'snapped'?
Did he get more ominous?
I vaguely remember him shaking Jugo after asking if he broke his jaw by punching himself, but apart from that...
I don't really remember much of anything." He inquired, honestly quite curious about the elusive man.

"Something doesn't sit right about that guy.
He's too... Pure.
Like it's all just an act.
Of course, I'm not doubting the fact that he likes ice cream, almost everyone does.
But it just seems like a convenient facade."

"Well, I said I doubted we were going to get along well, so he got all upset and asked 'You're my friend, right? Right? We're going to go and eat ice cream together, right?' And basically acted like if I said no, he would flay me alive. I said 'no'. And then he just snapped back to that happy, creepy personality and gave me ice cream anyway. To be perfectly honest, the guy creeps me out. Because yes. He is too pure. Far too pure." Purity isn't even a real thing.

[Aidannadia]

Ning Kohkahycumest

Ning spent a good amount of time trying to find where Togami went, with no luck. He sighed as he turned to head back for Beacon. I'll just go back to the dorm and wait for him... he thought as he walked.

When he arrived at the dorm, he opened the door slowly. Noticing something in Togami's bed, which he assumed was Togami. Quietly he walked over to his bed, and sat on it, trying not to bother Togami. If he is asleep, no need to wake him. he thought as he cleared his mind and started to regulate his breathing, meditating.

Togami heard the heavy footsteps of his teammate clearly as Ning came into the dorm, but he did not respond and continued staring up at the ceiling as the team member clomped his way over to his own bed. He's probably meditating. This is usually the time of day that he does anyway.

"It seems like I am in a position to apologize," The words left a foul taste in his mouth when he cut through the silence like a guillotine through a Frenchman's neck. Togami rubbed the skin covering his throat remorsefully at the thought. "So, I am sorry for for acting like a buffoon." He sat up gradually on his own bed. "What do you want to know?" The question was perhaps the most down to earth, straight forward, thing Togami had in his lifetime.

[Faal Lot Himdah]

Ning Kohkahycumest

Ning looked towards Togami's bed and took a deep breath.

"Just want to know why you thought it was necessary to lie." Ning said, "That's all I want to know. I need to know that I can trust you... Seeing as we are teammates." He then took a deep breath, "But before you answer that, I will let you know why your lie hurt Sirina."

He took another breath, "It was the lie itself that hurt her. Sirina has strong feelings for you... She loves you."

[The Grey Wolf]

Shiroi walked into the library covered in a crude mixture of grime and sweat after hours of training in the woods. Her feet were sore from the rigorous practices she put them through, as were her hands, and she knew it was going to be painful getting up in the morning. But it would be worth it. She looked around to see whether Reina was in the room, remembering what she had told the teacher. If you stand in my way, I'll kill you. She meant every word of it. The day would come when she would strike, and if Reina stood in her way, well then she would see how the grim girl didn't mince her words.

The dark haired girl walked around the shelves, looking for a book on martial combat. She had a book, an old aged copy of a historic manuscript that she was using for the time being, but she would've preferred to find other titles and learn other styles. She didn't say anything as she bumped into another student, ignoring them as she continued to peruse the shelves.

[Sindrya]

Aka frowned. Why didn't he say anything? Has my ears gone deaf, too?

But that's not possible, right? You can't get deafness from anaemia.

He can't make out what's happening, with his blurry vision and all. He could only make out the silhouette of the nurse, and the vague shape that was constantly flailing around beside him.

But he suddenly lost his balance, and with that, is footing, and dropped to the floor like a bag of potatoes, unconscious and pale.

'Ah bollocks.' Artol went over to get Aka in a bed, while still holding every single ice cream, then as he looked at the bed, he saw the bed tablets on which doctors scribbled onto.

'Ahaaaaa!' He took a sheet of paper and wrote on it sloppily and in a rush, then held it to the nurse's face.

Friend is having anemia, plz help.
Over there, transfusion.
Plz.

The nurse gasped, and quickly, but carefully, picked up Aka from the ground. Within a few minutes later, Aka was already lying on the bed with a blood bag attached to his arm with a transfusion tube.

Aka had slowly regained consciousness. His vision is somewhat clearer than before. Looking at his side, he mouthed a 'thanks' to Artol.

[Aidannadia]

Ning Kohkahycumest

Ning looked towards Togami's bed and took a deep breath.

"Just want to know why you thought it was necessary to lie." Ning said, "That's all I want to know. I need to know that I can trust you... Seeing as we are teammates." He then took a deep breath, "But before you answer that, I will let you know why your lie hurt Sirina."

He took another breath, "It was the lie itself that hurt her. Sirina has strong feelings for you... She loves you."

Togami opened his mouth to tell him the truth, when he was interrupted by Ning.

"-But before you answer that, I will let you know why your lie hurt Sirina." Togami bit his tongue, keeping from snapping at his compan- friend for interrupting him. Fine, out with it then.

"It was the lie itself that hurt her. Sirina has strong feelings for you... She loves you."

Togami's head cocked to the side in confusion in response to Ning's spoken truth. "I'm not going to lie; I wasn't expecting that," Togami nodded, slightly dizzy from the weight of the words. "Wow. Okay. Yeah, I'm not-not-not really sure how I-I... feel about that..." The heir twitched with nervous frustration.

"You know, I'll deal with that later."

"I lied because I didn't want you to get involved with some... less than legal operations." He nodded finally, sighing with relief after presumably going through an immense amount of effort to actually say that.

[Kuhlfros]

Forests of Atlas, 11 years Ago
Autumn had turned the forests into a painting of oranges, yellows, and reds covering the trees and ground. Laying there on his leaf bed was little Lucas staring up at the blue sky with his father alongside him.

The man was smiling behind his short beard and his fur cloak was used as a blanket for the both of them. Frail Lucas was grinning as wide as ever, but he shivered a little when a cool breeze swept by, picking up a whirl of leaves alongside it.

"Daddy, how far away is Mistral?"
"A long ways away my boy."
"Then why do you go far away from Mom and me?"

At this Bernard Blitzen turned over and looked at his son, "Well it's my job not just to protect Atlas but all of the world, if I and other hunters like me don't who else will?"

Lucas jumped up at that looking confident "I will Dad!"

Bernard chuckled, "One day Lucas this will be your job I hope, if you find it as great as I do. Ah speaking of that."
He reached into his bag that was to the side a pulled out a hatchet. Not a metal hatchet used for cutting and hacking, but a carved wooden one, with in rough letters the name Lucas etched into the handle.

"Never mores and Beowolves watch out, Lucas Blixsen has his first weapon and he is gonna know how to use it." Bernard joked while Lucas looked from his axe to his father in wonder and joy, he couldn't even express how happy he was. Immediately he wrapped around his tall fathers leg and said, hiding his tears of joy, "Next time lets all go on an adventure, me, you, and mommy until it's night. We can have picnics and..."

That was all Lucas remember of that day, one of his favorite days of his youth with his long missing father and the first day he was certain he wanted to be a hunter.

[Faal Lot Himdah]

Ning Kohkahycumest

Ning nodded, "Understandable that you'd want to keep your friends safe... especially Sirina and I because, Sirina would have likely wanted to help, and I would have been pulled in. I can understand that. But I don't appreciate being lied to even for that reason." He said, then taking a breath, "As you could guess I don't like lies... mainly because of my upbringing. But I won't let this get in between us."

He then smiled, "But I want you to remember that if you are ever in trouble, we will be there for you." Ning then sighed, "Now... Very important.... don't tell Sirina I told you about her feelings toward you... she would literally carve my eyes out with a rusty spoon then throw me off the highest building she could find into a bunch of Beowolf...."

[Shyluz]

Olive dropped the apple, standing up and glancing at this 'Artol,' "Very nice to meet you." She said in a polite tone, deliberately covering up her slummer accent. "I'm Olive V. Sepia." She gave a slight bow out of habit, her strange eyes which seemed to be in a perpetual state of amusement scanned the corridor, eyeing up the two gentleman, one who carried a single cone of ice cream, and another who carried a dozen. "I've never had this... ice cream, before. What is it like?" She asked quirking her head quizzically.

Taking a moment of thought, "She's never had ice cream? That's gotta suck." "Well, have you ever had milk? It's sorta like that but frozen and given sweet flavoring and maybe some other bits too it." Scratching the side of his head he continued, his grin faltering to make way for deeper thought, "It's sweet tasting and really cold...If you never have had one, you should try it." He said offering his cone as Artol wandered off with his ice cream.

"Thinking on it, What just happened? Like one moment I was standing up with this dog I was gonna use to prank Chess and then I was on the floor and you were on sitting on top of me." He asked still thinking on the sudden jolt of what could only be assumed to be a foot before a much larger force sprawled him on the floor

Olive looked at Lucas, her eyes displaying a brief flash of interest. And people… enjoy this? She thought to herself, her face visibly deep in thought, as rare as it was for it to show any emotion, let alone interest. Generally, it looked like she was constantly amused by her surroundings and the people with her. Of course, this wasn’t true. I may as well try it… She finished, grabbing the cone from Lucas and taking an unwise action-- biting the frozen soft serve, rather than the traditional licking. First, the taste struck her. Sweet. Delicious.

Then the temperature kicked in.

It laced through every fiber in her being, from her toes to the tips of her antlers, electrifying her as she felt the cold lump of cream melt on her tongue. Frost spread over her mouth, and soon it was her entire being. She felt her off arm spasm, slamming into the wall next to her. She felt the wall crack, and bend under the immense pressure of her punches. She felt it shatter, her fist flying into the void that was the inside of a wall. She felt the cool breeze of released air. She felt memories swell up inside her-- the brief stint she had aboard of an Atlesian cruiser, and the cold cell they'd (tried) to keep her in. It reminded her of the slums, where even a Vale winter was a battle for survival. More importantly, she supposed, it reminded her of the fun times she shared with the other children of the old slums.

---

The girl, her antlers barely any longer than an inch, ran across the cold, slick concrete of the slums. She had an mad grin on her lips, and a childish aura about her as her bare feet slapped against the rough ground. Behind her, she heard the sounds of the rest of the children. There was Pine Fir, Fritz Fitz, Frost Feng and the annoyed yelling of the man who they had stolen from. But it was worth it-- as the three children had cemented their bond this rainy, glum afternoon. In Olive's arms was one spark of color in the oppressive gray of the slums. In her hands was a red jewel. A garnet in the slums, and a worthy treasure for children everywhere. It was Olive's first time seeing one in person, let alone touch one.

In the small, scruffy child's hands was a red, shiny pearl of an apple.

---

She rested her back on the tree, her antlers now several inches in height. On her shoulder laid the brown mop of Frost, and to her other shoulder was Fritz, idly reading a book while he crunched on one of the many apples the tree they'd planted together produced. Above her on one of the many stronger branches was the lithe form of Pine, swinging his legs as he fiddled with one of his many cameras. The girl sighed. They were no longer the four devil children they had been, but they were still the kindred spirits by the patch of green and red in the gray. The patch that had become known to the Vale slums as "Apple Square." The Square they had built for themselves.

---

She watched as the last ferry left for the looming tower in the distance. The impossible place she dreamed of someday going-- Beacon Academy. A place where one could study to save the world. A place where dreams would literally come true. The place where Feng, Fitz, and Fir had all gone to, having scrounged enough money for a combat school. She watched as the ferry left, her antlers a bit longer as she wept out of a mix of emotions. On one hand, her friends had left for a better place, one of dreams. On the other, now she was truly alone. Just her, the apple tree, and the gray struggle of the slums.

She leaned against the tree, the color seemingly having left. It was almost as if the fond memories had taken the color with them as they faded into nothing. The girl shuddered, salty tears draining down her cheeks. For you see, she had always defended the color, the memories with her friends. She was alone.

The last watcher on the wall.

---

“D-delicious.” She said, her eyes tearing up as she pulled her numb hand from the wall, the bittersweet memories welling up inside her and pouring out of the frail vessel that had been supposedly tempered into apathy. That was supposed to defend the world from the forces of Grimm. She was the blade designed to slay, tempered to a point so sharp it would pierce the heavens themselves and thrust itself into legend. And the blade was crying.

[Stormwrath]

OOC: Collab of Stormwrath and Nachfolgia.

Team JACL, previous night

"Oof!" Leif fell over. She had gotten a tad heavier than last time. "O-okay," he acceded. He raised his right hand up and gasped for air. "Please get off me… I can't… breathe."

He got back on his feet and faced the others. "How about some sushi? There's still some tuna in the fridge."

"Yussss!" Carmina pumped her arm. There was going to be a feast tonight—courtesy of Leif Spruce, legendary cook of Team JACL. At least, that was what she thought of him.

Arriving at their dorm room, the members of the team went and did their own things. "Ow!" Jackson reacted when he touched his forehead. It was still tender from Professor Demeter's class, and it didn't seem like it'll go down anytime soon. So he went for the fridge and pulled out a cold pack, placing it on his head. Wait, was he going to keep holding up that pack to his head all night? That would be boring. So he reached his arm to somewhere under the bed and pulled out a random comic for him to read. What he pulled out was an issue of the popular comic series Élan, an adventure tale about a little girl named Elise and a sylph named Ingrid who went to all kinds of places to seek adventure.

Carmina stood in front of the closet and changed into a red tank top with a white varsity sports jacket worn over it, along with blue shorts that had Ursi heads printed on it. The jacket had the letters forming "Beacon" sewn at the back, just above the large number 19. She left her hair untied, letting it fall naturally in a wavy bob. She liked this combination of lightwear, as it was comfortable and looked good.

Avena on the other hand didn't need a closet to store her clothes—all she did was climb onto her bed and pick her clothes from the pile. She picked up a pair of black shorts and smelled them. Scrunching in disgust, Avena threw the shorts back in the pile and picked up another pair of shorts. This one was grey in color with pink vertical stripes and a rip down one leg. After deducing that they were clean enough to wear, she quickly put them on. She then picked up a wrinkly pick hoodie with various stains on it and put that on. Avena then laid down on the pile of clothes and began to read a comic book.

Noticing that Jackson was reading something, Carmina drew closer to him and just stared blankly at the page. Currently he was at the part where the child and the sylph were playing with a group of fairies. "Got another chapter of that for me?" she asked.

"I thought you were already finished with Élan," Jackson turned to the next page.

"So?" she smirked. "You know how much I love reading adventure comics, especially that one."

"How come you love comics so much?" Leif chimed in as he was cooking rice. "I mean, isn't there anime these days?"

"Well yeah," Carmina turned her head to face Leif. "But anime wouldn't be a thing without these babies."

"Anime is like living comic books, but I like to imagine what happens between panels. It's much more fun that way," Avena laughed.

"Plus, adventure stories," Jackson handed another comic book to Carmina. "They're pretty classic—besides the superhero and detective comics out there."

"I guess so," Leif reverted his focus back on the kitchen utensils. A few minutes into preparing and the aroma of tuna and rice filled the room and the vacant spaces of nostrils. Carmina's stomach growled again. "Who-ho-hoa," she placed her hands on her belly. She looked up at Leif and said, "Is that sushi thing done already?"

"Almost," he called out.

Carmina was beginning to lose her focus as her stomach growled again. She was starting to imagine the fairies in the comic as flying pieces of baked shrimp dancing on a swamp of soup. The cattails turned into tunas on spits, and the foliage of the drooping willow trees turned into spaghetti strands. Her stomach growled louder and louder, and the comic strip was deformed by the giant mouth that began to chew on the frames, cornering Elise and Ingrid to the spine of the book. It seemed that their adventures may be cut short by their impending doom.

"Done!" Leif approached the rest of the team, presenting a tray with plates full of sushi. Steam was coming off of the rice, not minding the garnish and continuing to ascend into the air. Each plate also had some tuna and a dash of wasabi on the side. Avena, upon smelling the delicacy, perked up in her bed and had a crazed look on her face—like that of a maniacal serial killer.

Leif was a bit weirded out at Avena's facial expression. "O… kay," he began to pass the plates to the rest of his team. "One for Jackson, one of Carmina, and one for Avena."

"Happy" wouldn't even begin to describe the expression on Avena's face. Not even "deeply pleased" would make the cut either. She devoured her dinner like a starving dog, as if she hadn't eaten food for days. Carmina, while also a fast eater, preferred to use her hands instead of chopsticks. She could feel the warmth and the moistness of the rice sitting in her hand, and smell the aroma that emanated. Finally! Her stomach was going to be silenced. She tossed one into her mouth and began to chew rapidly. It was soft and partly chewy, and the seasoned flavors danced around her tongue. This must be probably Leif's best recipe yet. "Holy thit, dood!" the food in her mouth muffled her voice a bit. "Thith thuthi is futhing awethome!!!"

Jackson also took some sushi as well. "Yeah," he swallowed. "No kidding. This is great!"

"Dinner is on house tonight!!!" Carmina raised her hand in the air. The rest of JACL's dinnertime was marked by an ambience of enjoyment and fun. Were they finally bonding together as a team? Who knows.


Present day

Another day, another series of things happening at Beacon all at once. Such is life.

A loud yawn slipped out of Carmina's breath, and she covered her mouth with her right hand. It seemed that she woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. Guess that was what she got for staying up too long reading through Jackson's comics. But then, they were so entertaining! Whatever the reason, she had less energy than usual. Thank goodness Professor Silver didn't have a sparring session that day, or the redhead would be completely exhausted.

Last night was long for Avena as well. She stayed up all night trying to finish her new smut graphic novels. Oh Jackson and his Vale connections.

The team was on their way to the library in order to brush up more on their studies. Avena and Carmina weren't very enthusiastic about it. " Ugh... Why do we have to study? The library is soooooo boring." Avena complained as she dragged herself along.

As they were walking through the main corridors, Carmina caught sight of a certain student that appeared to have been tossed to the wall forcibly. His uniform was soked from top to bottom, as if he was splashed on by a water monster or by a fire hose. "Frost!" she helped the guy get back on his feet. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Well, the library might not be so boring after all," Avena followed Carmina. "Yo water boy," she flippantly chuckled. "You decided to take a shower with your clothes on?"

[Serah]

Theriam was intrigued when she said the word 'snapped'.

"What do you mean 'snapped'?
Did he get more ominous?
I vaguely remember him shaking Jugo after asking if he broke his jaw by punching himself, but apart from that...
I don't really remember much of anything." He inquired, honestly quite curious about the elusive man.

"Something doesn't sit right about that guy.
He's too... Pure.
Like it's all just an act.
Of course, I'm not doubting the fact that he likes ice cream, almost everyone does.
But it just seems like a convenient facade."

"Well, I said I doubted we were going to get along well, so he got all upset and asked 'You're my friend, right? Right? We're going to go and eat ice cream together, right?' And basically acted like if I said no, he would flay me alive. I said 'no'. And then he just snapped back to that happy, creepy personality and gave me ice cream anyway. To be perfectly honest, the guy creeps me out. Because yes. He is too pure. Far too pure." Purity isn't even a real thing.

Theriam sighed.

"Well, he wouldn't be here, nor would he carry around such a blade if he wasn't at least somewhat aggressive.
No one carries weapons for no reason." He then stood up and looked at the night sky.

"Are you going to sleep here?
I wouldn't mind too much, but I think it'd be better if we went back to our dorm rooms.
Unless you want to sleep with me, which is unlikely.
Don't forget I'm around if you need anything.
I'll probably lurk around the place a little more.
Then again, I seriously need to start shaving this off."

'Ah bollocks.' Artol went over to get Aka in a bed, while still holding every single ice cream, then as he looked at the bed, he saw the bed tablets on which doctors scribbled onto.

'Ahaaaaa!' He took a sheet of paper and wrote on it sloppily and in a rush, then held it to the nurse's face.

The nurse gasped, and quickly, but carefully, picked up Aka from the ground. Within a few minutes later, Aka was already lying on the bed with a blood bag attached to his arm with a transfusion tube.

Aka had slowly regained consciousness. His vision is somewhat clearer than before. Looking at his side, he mouthed a 'thanks' to Artol.

Artol simply smiled and left the room.

Now he had to get back to his original objective, he had strayed for far too long away from it.
His objective was an odd one, as he didn't really know all the details, quite a shock to him at first since it never had happened before.
He needed to protect someone from serious harm, both physical and mental.
And most of all, he needed to keep the objective an absolute secret to both the person protected and their allies.
Of course, even if he was found out, there was a high likeliness that they wouldn't even believe it was him in the first place.

[Charlia]

"Well, I said I doubted we were going to get along well, so he got all upset and asked 'You're my friend, right? Right? We're going to go and eat ice cream together, right?' And basically acted like if I said no, he would flay me alive. I said 'no'. And then he just snapped back to that happy, creepy personality and gave me ice cream anyway. To be perfectly honest, the guy creeps me out. Because yes. He is too pure. Far too pure." Purity isn't even a real thing.

Theriam sighed.

"Well, he wouldn't be here, nor would he carry around such a blade if he wasn't at least somewhat aggressive.
No one carries weapons for no reason." He then stood up and looked at the night sky.

"Are you going to sleep here?
I wouldn't mind too much, but I think it'd be better if we went back to our dorm rooms.
Unless you want to sleep with me, which is unlikely.
Don't forget I'm around if you need anything.
I'll probably lurk around the place a little more.
Then again, I seriously need to start shaving this off."

"'Unlikely' is officially the understatement of the year," she said sarcastically. "See you around, then..." She kissed him on the cheek, pulled away, and then ran back to her room, blushing furiously.

I can't believe I just did that! Believe it. You sure he wasn't just lying to make you feel better earlier? ...Stop trying to break me, you don't own me. Yes, I do. NO! ...Yessss... YOU DO NOT OWN ME. Your vehement denial reveals that you know the truth. I hate you... I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. Once was enough.

[Kuhlfros]

Taking a moment of thought, "She's never had ice cream? That's gotta suck." "Well, have you ever had milk? It's sorta like that but frozen and given sweet flavoring and maybe some other bits too it." Scratching the side of his head he continued, his grin faltering to make way for deeper thought, "It's sweet tasting and really cold...If you never have had one, you should try it." He said offering his cone as Artol wandered off with his ice cream.

"Thinking on it, What just happened? Like one moment I was standing up with this dog I was gonna use to prank Chess and then I was on the floor and you were on sitting on top of me." He asked still thinking on the sudden jolt of what could only be assumed to be a foot before a much larger force sprawled him on the floor

Olive looked at Lucas, her eyes displaying a brief flash of interest. And people… enjoy this? She thought to herself, her face visibly deep in thought, as rare as it was for it to show any emotion, let alone interest. Generally, it looked like she was constantly amused by her surroundings and the people with her. Of course, this wasn’t true. I may as well try it… She finished, grabbing the cone from Lucas and taking an unwise action-- biting the frozen soft serve, rather than the traditional licking. First, the taste struck her. Sweet. Delicious.

Then the temperature kicked in.

It laced through every fiber in her being, from her toes to the tips of her antlers, electrifying her as she felt the cold lump of cream melt on her tongue. Frost spread over her mouth, and soon it was her entire being. She felt her off arm spasm, slamming into the wall next to her. She felt the wall crack, and bend under the immense pressure of her punches. She felt it shatter, her fist flying into the void that was the inside of a wall. She felt the cool breeze of released air. She felt memories swell up inside her-- the brief stint she had aboard of an Atlesian cruiser, and the cold cell they'd (tried) to keep her in. It reminded her of the slums, where even a Vale winter was a battle for survival. More importantly, she supposed, it reminded her of the fun times she shared with the other children of the old slums.

---

The girl, her antlers barely any longer than an inch, ran across the cold, slick concrete of the slums. She had an mad grin on her lips, and a childish aura about her as her bare feet slapped against the rough ground. Behind her, she heard the sounds of the rest of the children. There was Pine Fir, Fritz Fitz, Frost Feng and the annoyed yelling of the man who they had stolen from. But it was worth it-- as the three children had cemented their bond this rainy, glum afternoon. In Olive's arms was one spark of color in the oppressive gray of the slums. In her hands was a red jewel. A garnet in the slums, and a worthy treasure for children everywhere. It was Olive's first time seeing one in person, let alone touch one.

In the small, scruffy child's hands was a red, shiny pearl of an apple.

---

She rested her back on the tree, her antlers now several inches in height. On her shoulder laid the brown mop of Frost, and to her other shoulder was Fritz, idly reading a book while he crunched on one of the many apples the tree they'd planted together produced. Above her on one of the many stronger branches was the lithe form of Pine, swinging his legs as he fiddled with one of his many cameras. The girl sighed. They were no longer the four devil children they had been, but they were still the kindred spirits by the patch of green and red in the gray. The patch that had become known to the Vale slums as "Apple Square." The Square they had built for themselves.

---

She watched as the last ferry left for the looming tower in the distance. The impossible place she dreamed of someday going-- Beacon Academy. A place where one could study to save the world. A place where dreams would literally come true. The place where Feng, Fitz, and Fir had all gone to, having scrounged enough money for a combat school. She watched as the ferry left, her antlers a bit longer as she wept out of a mix of emotions. On one hand, her friends had left for a better place, one of dreams. On the other, now she was truly alone. Just her, the apple tree, and the gray struggle of the slums.

She leaned against the tree, the color seemingly having left. It was almost as if the fond memories had taken the color with them as they faded into nothing. The girl shuddered, salty tears draining down her cheeks. For you see, she had always defended the color, the memories with her friends. She was alone.

The last watcher on the wall.

---

“D-delicious.” She said, her eyes tearing up as she pulled her numb hand from the wall, the bittersweet memories welling up inside her and pouring out of the frail vessel that had been supposedly tempered into apathy. That was supposed to defend the world from the forces of Grimm. She was the blade designed to slay, tempered to a point so sharp it would pierce the heavens themselves and thrust itself into legend. And the blade was crying.

To say Lucas was startled would be an understatement, first he tried to warn her against taking a bite of the ice cream but he was too late, barely opening his mouth before she has taken a bite of the frozen dessert. The next events were admittedly startling too, first she punched the wall and was quickly followed by tears running down her cheeks, unable to tell the difference of tears of joy and plain tears Lucas asked worriedly.

"Was the ice cream that bad?" Glancing at the cone, thinking perhaps the ice cream was a different flavor than he thought.

[Neo ORB]

Yuki had been quiet, held a stillness like a unused doll, though only real sound from her was the light flipping of a page from the encyclopedia as she read through it oblivious to the surroundings or at least she would have liked to have been if it wasn't for the occasional point were she would grab another book to quickly read whilst with difficulty to gain knowledge on something she didn't understand. In paging through various books she worked to keep out of the way however like this morning it seemed her luck was going to be bad as another student passed by ruffly causing her to lose hold on the book which cause it to topple to the floor.
Yuki bent down and retrieved the book with her hand and then after making sure there was minimal damage to the pages placed the book once more back onto the shelves and then silently stared at the back of the one. A dark haired girl who had bumped her for a moment she wondered it if was worth getting a small piece of silent pay back and without remorse she lightly held out a singular finger from her left hand towards the girls back and then lightly released her semblance manipulating the molecular structure of the air above her to gather and solidify the bonds and watched.

Watched as a small piece of ice no bigger then the width of a index finger made from the gathered moisture aimed with cruel accuracy to fall into the girls shirt collar and melt down her neck. and with her evil dead done as she watched the ice fall towards earth, Yuki turned around to witness yet another odd scene.

As she saw what she though was someone being hurled out of the library's entrance.

[Aidannadia]

Togami gave a light-hearted smile in response before looking up to the ceiling, trying to piece together the next few days meticulously so that everything could be brought to a single point of resolution; each problem, each conflict, could be seen tangibly in the teen's thoughts. Small wispy constructs occasionally floated around his head, a result of deep planning and higher brain function.

"What do you want to do? I have a f-few hours to kill before I can do anything," Togami replied, his expression changing to one of sharp attention and readiness.

[Shyluz]

As Purnama's eyes grew heavy, Mentari gently pulled her back as she took over once more. The girl didn't expect to feel the wave of weariness as her eyes flicked wider, her senses filled with things she was unfamiliar with. There was sweat all over her body, some parts stickier than they've ever been. She tasted something in her mouth she'd never savored before.

Through heavy breaths she looked to her side, finding a peaceful and rather happy looking Chess. Looking down, her sleeveless shirt and uniform were cast aside, only leaving her pulled up undergarments revealing her...

Her nose twitched, and she pulled the fake glasses off her face, oddly not having come off after all that. She was confused, unable to make any logic from it all.

But, as she listened to the faint snoring and mumbles of the person in the back of her mind, she came to a single conclusion, which she decided was for the best as she too fell asleep.

"I enjoyed that..."

"Yeah, that was..." Chess said, her ears twitching as she rolled over to face her partner, her jet black feline additions twitching playfully. "...definitely fun. I'll have to remember to do it again sometime." She continued, wrapping her arms around Mentari. "I know this is odd, but do you want to get something to eat? I should probably explain some stuff to you." Chess' stomach growled. "Besides, I'm starved." She finished, a sweet grin playing on her lips.