Yang Xiao Long
Sunny Little Dragon
- Getting Ready!
- Did I Forget Anything?!
- Chance Meeting?
- A Grim Beginning
- A Grim Beginning
- Rough Landing
- Their First Dance
An excited tremble ran through Aurora’s body as she milled about her locker, trying to make sure she had all her equipment at the ready. She was still trying to wrap her head around everything that had happened in the past few months. Then she was just some goon’s muscle at a nightclub, beat up anyone who caused trouble, rob a few stores. It wasn’t much of a life, but it was a free one. Truly anything was better than being trapped in that hole, being cut, injected with the essence of evil itself. Being isolated with no one but… It to keep her company.
Now is that anyway to treat your liberator young pup? A twisted, disembodied voice asked her. It felt as if it was coming from everywhere, yet nowhere. Just hearing it seemed to make the temperature around her drop, goosebumps raising on her arms while her scars began to burn. And the faint sound of screams seemed to echo in the distance. “Really, of all the days to bug me you choose this?” The arctic fox faunus hissed, her hair shifting between a myriad of shimmering colors.
Now, now young pup, isn’t that anyway to talk to you liberator? The Bad Ghost loved to call itself that. It knew it was the reason she was free, and it lorded it over her every time it could. But if it thought that one act would convince her it was anything but evil, it had another thing coming. Well, perhaps if you let me out more often, I’d be able to prove myself for you? And must I remind you again that I can hear your thoughts?
“For Essence sake Ghost, shut the hell up. I need to focus on Initiation, cause if I’m not ready I die. And guess what happens to you if that happens Mr. Meanie.” An agitated growl was the creatures only response before she felt it slink back into the recesses of her mind. Very well pup, but if things get out of hand, I’ll take control. Whether you wish it or not.
With that less than comforting statement, Aurora’s mind was left silent once more. Suppose I should just be thankful he didn’t start screaming. Letting out a shaky breath, Aurora went about gathering her Dust vials, strapping them onto her bandolier across her chest and her belt before slipping on her gloves. To think the Headmaster himself helped make them. What a guy! She really needed to get him something for that… Maybe a coffee mug? Essence knows the guy was never seen without one.
After putting on her earrings, Aurora turned about to head to the Cliffs before noticing the fluttering, ethereal bird before her. “Oh, hey Peck! Sorry buddy I forget you were there.”
Aurora, you’re the only girl I know that could forget a ghost bird is constantly following her around. Pecks chipper yet snide voice rang about in Aurora’s head, a pleasant change from the previous visitor, bringing a large smirk to her face.
“Well I got a lot on my mind ya know!? Between initiation, all these new people…”
Dealing with the Bad Ghost? At that Aurora fell silent, her smile fading somewhat before she felt the ghostly bird nudge against her face. Hey, screw that asshole. You don’t need him! Now let’s go kick some Grimm ass.
“Heh, hell yeah! Thanks Peck, you always know just what to say.” To anyone else looking on, it would seem that Aurora was just talking to a bird that did little more than tweet back at her, but her semblance created a type of psychic link between herself and her creations. So while others heard nothing, she could speak to her creations to her hearts content. Granted it made her look a bit nuts, but who’s to say she wasn’t?
Closing her locker, the faunus set off with her avian friend, eager to see what these cliffs had in store for her.
“Deep breaths… Deep Breaths… The Faunus girl tried to steady her breathing like she had been told to by almost every therapist she ever had met. It was all so amazing and terrifying at the same time, she would never of expected she of all people would be let into Beacon. After all who would think a faunus girl who’s likely to jump at her own shadow would ever be able to become a Huntress. Her breathing finally slowed just a bit more and she pulled the last item she’d need from the locker, a scarf.
Before she put the Scarf on she brought it to her face and nuzzled it, feeling it's warmth and softness against her cheek. Her heart beat slowed, and everything stopped for a moment. She felt so safe with that scarf, to most people it was just another sheet of fabric with a design. To her it was safety itself, a gift from the Huntress who saved her life, one of her most prized possessions. Her frown disappeared replaced with a small smile as she wrapped the safety net around her neck and shoulder. Taking her time putting on her scarf and remembering her breathing she tried to put her anxious thoughts aside. Remember what she said, anyone can be a Huntress if they have the conviction… I will do this!
With refound courage the Faunus closed the locker and turned toward the exit. She only had a few minutes before all the students would be called to the cliffs for initiation. From what she found out before coming to Beacon the students would be expected to fight through the emerald forest to recover an artifact and hopefully meet a partner along the way. Knots formed in her stomach at the thought. Despite attending Signal before enrolling the only situation the young woman ever had been in where she was in any real danger was that time… The room spinned around her as the memories flashed before her eyes like a twisted slideshow.
What the dust am I doing here… I should go home… Where’s a teacher? I shou- Her thoughts were luckily cut off by the scroll in her pocket vibrating.
MomThemHey, hun! How are you feeling?meNot good…meHow’d you know?ThemBecause I'm your mother and I love you. That and you always have second thoughts.meI was wrong I I can't do this!themYes you can!themI believe in you! You did so well at signal, and you’ll do well at Beacon!themHun, talk to me…meI’m terrified, what if I freeze up? What if I can't find a partner? What if I get someone else hurt!themThat won't happen!meBut what if it does?!themRemember the tournament, your second year at signal?meYeah… I was terrified. I wanted to just drop out and go home…themAnd what did I tell you to do?themHun?meThat was different!themHow?methat was before… That was before what she did…themIf you want to come home, we’re not going to stop you. But you should try. Remember the tournament, you didn't think you were going to get past the first round and what happened?meI-I got to the semi finals…themYes, you got to the semi finals! You’ll be fine! I love you!meThanks Mom! I, I can do this!ThemGood, I want to hear all about it afterwards! Love you!meLove you too! TTYL
Putting her scroll away the shaking girl tried to smile. I can do this! For one last time she rubbed her face against her scarf for comfort, then she started moving towards the exit. Nothing was going to stop her.
Crimson moved briskly towards the exit of the locker room. Hoping to avoid getting caught up in a crowd of other students all also heading towards the awaiting cliffs. I wonder who I’ll get for teammates… Who ever they are I hope they are OK with Faunus, or even better another Faunus! Yeah, then we'd have something in common… I just hope I'm able to ke- The distracted Faunus’ thought process ended abruptly as she rounded a corner just to collide with another student and fall flat on her behind. ”I-im sorry!” The apology came quickly in a shaky voice as the scaredy cat brought her hands up in a defensive gesture.
Eager to get to the cliffs and finally ready, Aurora broke into a sprint towards the initiation area. She was curious why it was being held there, why not just toss them straight into the Emerald Forest or some other Grimm infested area and be done with it? The sooner she got to bash some monsters, the better. While Peck helped, she still felt on edge after the Bad Ghost spoke to her. Bashing Grimm was sure to make her feel a bit better. Aurora’s wandering mind was silenced as she felt something collide with her body, sending her straight onto her ass. Before she could even comprehend what happened she heard the other girls trembling voice offering an apology. Aurora wasn’t even upset though, rather she felt bad, the poor thing looking so terrified and apologetic.. “Hey, hey it’s alright! It’s my fault as much as yours, probably both just to excited to get to the cliffs and put the hurt on some Grimm!” Aurora exclaimed, smashing her fists together, the energy fields on her glove making a resounding boom! Shocking a few of the students around them. “Heh, whoops, sorry! Like I said, a tad bit excited.”
“R-really? It is? I'm really sorry I-I should of been watching where I was going!” The absolutely terrified faunus replied with a slightly less shaken tone. Before she could even react the other girl had jumped back onto her feet and with a swift but precise movement took hold of both of Crimson’s wrapped wrist. The sudden grasp of her wrists along with the unexpected power hidden behind the unimposing frame shocked Crimson for a moment. It was so unexpected in fact that she nearly fell again before she could regain her balance. Luckily she managed to regain her balance despite flailing arms and the sudden change in position. She took a moment in order to take a few deep breaths in an attempt to still her rioting heart and then took a good look at the girl who just smashed into her like a raging Boarbatusk in a dust shop.
Aurora couldn’t help but laugh as she helped up the girl, apparently putting a little too much strength in the effort and nearly tossing her onto her ass again. Dusting off the girls clothing, she gave her a quick look over to make sure she was no worse for wear. “No more apologizing, trust me I’ve had worse than being knocked onto my butt. Name’s Aurora by the way, Aurora Dusk! What’s your name?” While she waited to get her new friends name, Aurora took a moment to look over the girl.. She seemed nice enough, if a bit timid, with a beautiful yellow scarf that was quite fetching. What really captured her attention though were the girls eyes. Red and yellow. Much like her own, though she tried desperately to hide it. Could she be… No, there’s no way. The Bad Ghost would know. She’s not one of them.
Her cheeks matched her namesake as the other girl laughed. Of course she of all people would make the first person she met and actually talked to at Beacon laugh at her… Don’t say anything dumb, no wait you already did uh um yes. Your name tell her your name The way the other girl dusted her off made her feel like a kitten who got into more trouble than it should of, and she squirmed a little as it happened. ”Uh yes I'm s-sure you have no wait I mean, you look thick, no u-um you look like you’re a brick wall, no uh um… I’m Crimson what’s your name! No wait uh.” The words came out with the cohesion of a puddle of water as the Faunus girl tried desperately to sound not like she was exactly sounding like, whatever that was.
As the faunus before her stumbled through a greeting, Aurora had to hold in her laughter which threatened to burst at any moment. The poor girl was so flustered from their incident she could barely get her name out. None of it bothered her however, she actually reminded her of herself when she had first escaped from the hellhole that was her home, unsure, frightened even. Perhaps having a friend would help her? Essence knows she could have used one then, apart from Peck. “Phahaha, if I didn’t know any better I’d think you were trying to sweet talk me.” Aurora stated, giving a sly wink and nudge to Crimson, a playful smirk evident on her lips.
”N-no I'm really not, unless you want me to then I am, no wait um, I-im sorry, no wait I said I wouldn't apologize, gah. OK OK Crimson deep breaths… Following her own advice the panicky young woman closed her eyes and took a few deep and measured breaths. First for four seconds in, four seconds out, six in, six out, eight in, eight out. Opening her eyes slowly hoping the other girl wasn't judging her for her demeanor she finally got a good look that her new friend. What a stark contrast, the much more revealing outfit, the tattoos, and her vibrant hair. Wow, she’s really cute… Wait no, stop thinking that way! Best foot forward… Her cheeks which had just returned to a normal color brightened once again. ”Y-your tattoos are great!
And what if I did want you to? The words nearly escaped Aurora’s lips but she restrained herself. At the rate she was going she was going to make Crimson black out from embarrassment. As her new friend’s breathing slowed down and her eyes opened, Aurora gave her a warm smile, hoping to make her feel at least a bit more comfortable. The color her Crimson’s eyes still unsettled her somewhat, but there was a warmth and kindness in them that set her irrational fear at ease. She snapped her eyes away from Crimsons upon hearing her compliment her tattoos, the smile she had growing even wider. “Like what you see eh? Heh, I’m glad you do, these mean alot to me, it’s nice to hear someone else appreciate them.” Her fingers traced along the tattoos on her forearm, feeling the scar tissue hidden beneath them. A grimace came over her face the scars brought back vivid memories, but it was quickly replaced with her usual, relaxed smile. “So, are those cat ears and a monkey tail I see? That’s fucking awesome! I’ve never met someone with two traits from two species before. All’s I got are these.” Her arctic wolf ears wiggled slightly as if to clarify what she was talking about.
”Y-yeah i-it’s supposed to be really rare, something like a one in ten chance. I-I hope I don't seem weird to you!” The Faunus would say self-consciously as she put her hands over her ears in an attempt to cover them in embarrassment. It never occurred to her that it might of been unusual to have the combination of animal traits, after all most of her life she had been bullied for being a Faunus not for having a combination of traits. Then the strange Girl told her how awesome it was to be like that, and her nervousness diminished slightly. “Thanks! Uh, your ears are R-really cute, no uh I mean.”
“I think I know what you mean hun.” Aurora stated as she patted Crimson on the cheek, sure it would garner an amusing reaction. You do realize while your making friends initiation is starting. And for gods’ sake quit torturing the girl, she’s like to pass out before she even makes it to the cliff! Peck flew in front of Aurora, pecking her nose as if to rebuke the arctic wolf, before turning his attention to the cat/monkey faunus before him. Seems like a sweet thing, if a bit timid. How much you wanna bet she dies in the first fifteen minutes? “Peck, that’s not kind mister” That may be, but it doesn’t change the fact you’re going to be late. Aurora gave the ghastly bird an agitated glare before conceding to him. “Fiiiinnnee. Peck says we have to go to the Cliffs, wanna come with us? Oh, and this is my best friend Peck. He’s a jerk, but I love him!”
”Y-Y-you did, do, dust, gah words! I-m not very good with them, words that is. Uh” The words came out in a jumble, panic reigniting as the wild girl across from her put a hand on Crimson's cheek. Ever since coming to Beacon Crimson had known that it would be different, all the stories she was told by her teachers at Signal, and the stories told to her by her rescuer. It was just that she never believed that she of all people would make a friend this quickly, or end up flirting. Wait is it flirting? I-i didn't mean too, so does it count? Do I care if it counts? Then she’s another girl too, what would people say... Her face suddenly turned flush red at the thoughts running through her head. It was awkward and she just seemed to continue making it worse, she tried to hide her face with her scarf, to feel it's comfort, to relax. Then what appeared to be a little birdie flew into the other Faunus’ face and pecked her while tweeting fervently. Then the ghost bird turned towards her and began tweeting to which Aurora replied, this managed to get a chuckle from Crimson. “He seems cute! I love animals and maybe you’re right about getting to the cliffs we should go-” The reply turned quickly to a shout of surprise as the girl grabbed her wrist and took off dashing towards the cliffs.
Aurora didn’t even bother letting her new friend finish her sentence before she grabbed her wrist and began dragging her towards the cliffs, Peck following close behind them. She eventually decided to just toss the girl on her shoulder so as to not tear her arm out of her socket, and was surprised to find the girl weighed far more than she would have guessed. Damn, this girl must be pure muscle! As she ran she gave her passenger a toothy grin, “Welcome to the Aurora Express, we get you where you need to go on time, 67% time!” An exasperated sigh could be heard from Peck, but the faunus paid little heed to it, she was having too much fun! She’d met a lot of people since her escape, but hadn’t made a true friend. Surprisingly the criminal underworld wasn’t the best place to do that. Hmm, does she think of me as a friend? Probably. I mean, c’mon, who can resist my charm?
Charm isn’t necessarily the word I would use Aurora. Before the arctic wolf could yell at her avian friend, she suddenly realized that they were at the cliffs. Moreover, she was about to run straight off them. Throwing them to the ground, Aurora just barely stopped them from plummeting over the edge. Not like it would have been fatal, but she drag her new friend off a cliff. At least not on the first day. Hopping up as if nothing happened, she hefted up Crimson, adjusting her scarf and fixing up her outfit after their eventful entrance. “Well, time to go kick some Grimm ass. I’ll be keeping an eye out for you kitten, see you on the field.” Offering her a wink, Aurora rushed off to her platform eager to begin, leaving the Young Faunus standing there a bit frazzled.
After her eventful arrival the Headmaster began his speech to the students. It sounded great, but truth be told, Aurora didn’t hear a word of it. All her focus was on the forest below her, the distant roars of Grimm sending shivers of excitement down her spine. Her time as muscle for Junior had been interesting, even fun for a bit, but it got old quick. Hunting Grimm, now that would provide endless amounts of thrills!
Glad to see you so excited, truly I am, but I thought you should know something. The Bad Ghosts voice nearly caused Aurora to double over in pain, the sickening sound grating against her very Essence. I thought I told you to leave me alone and stay in your hole!
So you’d rather I didn’t tell you there are others? At hearing this the arctic wolf froze, eyes widening in shock. H-how many others are there? The Horror within her was silent for a moment, but she could feel his presence seep out of her, reaching towards the others in the group. More than one, that’s all I can gather. This complicates matters, simply allow me to take control, I can get us through th-
I WILL NOT GIVE YOU MY BODY YOU ABOMINATION! Summoning all the willpower she had, Aurora tried to suppress the Bad Ghost, much to the creatures aggravation. Thankfully he had strong survival instincts, knowing the more he distracted and drained her, the more likely she would be to weak to defend herself. Still, she was likely to pay for it later on.
Ah Dust, the Headmaster is still talking… Luckily it seemed like the more important bits were at the end, find a relic, something about dying. “Huh, sounds easy pea-SSSSYYY!” Was all she managed to get out as she was launched into the air, far above the Emerald Forest. “THIS IS AMAAAAZZIIIIING!” She screamed the entire way, laughing hysterically. Aurora hadn’t been sure what to expect when she joined Beacon, but it certainly wasn’t being launched a few hundred feet above a forest before plummeting down into said Grimm infested forest with no backup certainly wasn’t it. All in all, it was more than she could have ever hoped for.
Eventually she calmed down enough to realize she had reached the plummeting portion of her journey, and while no less exhilarating, it did have a rather fatal end. “Hmmm, think I could use a little lift.” With but a thought two large falcons appeared above her, allowing Aurora to grab both of their claws and fly her safely down. As she got closer she spotted a small group of Beowolfs, about three. Seemed like a good warm up. “Thanks for the ride gals, but it’s time for momma to have some fun!” Aurora don’t you think you should get a little closer to the ground before-
“WHEEEEEEEE!”
… I honestly don’t know why I bother.
As Aurora neared her mark, she activated the Dust vial selector on her gloves, inserting fire dust into her Magic Touch, her hands becoming engulfed in flames. Landing in between the pack, Aurora slammed her fists into the ground, causing an fiery explosion to emanate from her, sending the Grimm around her reeling back. “Well, now that’s what you call an explosive entrance! Huh, you guys get it?” The pun earned little more than furious snarls from the Beowolfs around her. “Eh, I understand, I’m not much of a pun girl myself.” With that, the battle was joined, all three Grimm charging simultaneously at the petite arctic wolf. The first to reach her made a swipe with its razor sharp claws, Aurora stepping just out of its range before catching the Beowolfs in an arm lock dropping to her back and tossing the beast into the Grimm behind her, sending the two flying into a tree, the trunk shuddering from the impact.
This barely gave her enough time to notice the third of the Grimm was upon her, its fanged maw inches from her face. Rolling back, Aurora narrowly managed to avoid being caught in the beasts mouth, but now she had the upper hand. Grabbing its head, Aurora flipped onto the Beowolfs back, keeping her grip on its face before using her force gloves to help her snap its neck, the sickening snap ringing in her ears. There was a small part of her that relished the noise.
Before she could take a moment to relish in her victory she felt a claw slam into her, sending her into the ground. Apparently one of the Grimm she sent flying into the tree didn’t do the polite thing and just die. “Huh, you got some fight in ya, I like that! Now I get to beat it out of you!” The two adversaries charged at each other, Aurora twisting out of the way of another swipe before sending her energized fist crashing into the beast's face, staggering it for a moment, long enough for Aurora to start pummeling it in a flurry of jabs before clasping her hands together and hammering the Beowolfs head into the ground. Backing away from her latest victim, Aurora took a moment to stretch, admiring her work. “Ah,no better way to start the day if you ask me.”
Well, no one did, but you keep talking to yourself. It’s not like we’re in the middle of a Grimm infested forest or anything like that. Peck tweeted at her as he surveyed the area, keeping an eye out for any potential threats. “Bah, nothing the two of us can’t handle ol’ pal of mine.”
Still, her tiny avian friend had a point, wasn’t much point sitting around waiting to be overwhelmed. It was time to move. With Peck keeping an eye on her flank, Aurora began moving silently through the Emerald Forest. As she moved through her nose caught the scent of something that sent caused her to stop dead in her tracks. Blood. Too much to be anything less than fatal. Aurora, you know trying to find that won’t lead to anything good.
“I’m trying to be a Huntress Peck. Huntress don’t let people die without trying to do at least something.” Not waiting to hear further protests, she began making her way towards the scent. The closer she got, the more uneasy she felt, and the more the Bad Ghost within her began to stir.
It took some time maneuvering through the Grimm infested forest to reach her destination, the scent of fresh blood growing stronger by the moment. Maybe Peck was right, just from scent alone she could tell whoever was there was likely dead, and she was walking into a kill zone. But Aurora wasn’t one to back down from a challenge, especially when another's life could depend on her, no matter how slim the odds.
As she came into a small clearing, it quickly became obvious that her suspicions were correct, seeing before her nothing but the mangled bodies of two girls, one wrapped in a torn and bloodied red cloak, the other in an ornate, beautiful gown now shredded and matted with gore. If she hadn’t grown accustomed to such horror during her years in captivity she may have retched, but instead a fierce snarl formed on her face. “What Grimm could have done this?” She asked in a hissing tone, fury dripping from each word. Who’s to say it was simply Grimm? Her inner demon chimed in, the rage from the young Faunus stirring him again. You know as well as I there are more terrible monsters roaming Remnant than Grimm. Monsters like us.
The realization caused the markings on her skin to begin glowing a soft crimson as her anger built. Not only had initiates died, but they may have been killed by one her kind? It could have been one of the other students. They were right there, and I said nothing! Her body trembled in rage, at both those responsible and herself for not doing something the minute she realized other monstrosities were here.
Aurora, calm yourself. There’s nothing you can do about it now. Just find this damned relic, and get out of here. The ghostly bird chirped at her, trying to calm the increasingly angry arctic wolf. After a minute after regulating her breathing, the marks on her skin began to fade, once more blending in with her tattoos.
“It’s a good plan Peck, but you forgot one important piece of it. Killing the Aura-Grimm responsible for this.” Turning from the grisly scene, Aurora continued her journey to the ruins, eager to secure her relic and rend apart anything responsible for the atrocities she stumbled across.
Crimson watched as the strange girl ran off to another starting position and couldn't help but smile. Wow this is it… The beginning of m-my time at Beacon… Her muscles tensed with a nervous anticipative energy, what muscles she had left that was… I I can't believe it… It’s all so surreal… Beacon? Me? How… I'll probably wake up and be back home. No! Stop thinking that way. It's like mom said. You earned your way here Missy, now it's time to earn your stay! Taking yet another of so many deep breaths that came before it she calmed herself. After all it wouldn't do to have a heart attack in the forest. Oh! This would be a good time for pictures! The thought flashed across her mind and before she realized it she had retrieved her camera from its place at the small of her back. Pivoting around on her launch pad she managed to take several photos of various students and even some of the teachers. She enjoyed Photography a lot, and this was helping her take her mind off of all that was going on, and what was going to happen. She tried to passively listen to the Headmaster's speech as she swiped through the photos she took using the touchscreen on the back of her camera and chose which ones she would keep and which ones she would discard. T-thats really well built… I-I have to ask her about it afterwards, I wonder what it’s called… Well she’s red a-and it’s a scythe… Scarlet Harvest? Nah, hmmm. Ooh what's this, alright that is going to be useful for landing… What’s next? Overkill… W-what the heck is that…. An Assault rifle? N-no the size of it’s rounds… I would call it a slug gun… What can it do? She played with the controls on the screen and the model of the weapon that it was displaying split apart. That girl must be compensating for something, that's a real aggressive weapon… Better not make her mad… Continuing to swipe through all of the pictures she took she pouted a little. Bleh, sword-sword, sword-revolver, sword-whip, sword-scythe, oh that’s a… Modified Atlesian rifle, kinda cool but any joker could make that in their shed… I-I don't even understand how this one’s supposed to work? Probably a synergy type like mine, useless to me… Wow and I thought the sword sword was laughable… No I shouldn't be mean, probably from a small family… All they can af- wait a second… She took another snapshot of the Faunus in question… Sneaky, their weapon is hidden under their clothes… Wonder what it is? It's probably really cool! I-i s-should try t-to talk to them later… Or maybe not… W-what else is here ummm oh? Hammer Bow? That is actually kinda unique… I wouldn't think the kind of person who would use a crossbow would use a hammer… Eh why not… Collapsing her camera she took one last look at the people gathered around her. It was sooo, inspiring! Then she froze at the headmaster’s statement.
“Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path...or you WILL die.”
N-no don't panic, he’s just testing everyone's r-resolve… Right? R- Her quiet introspection turned into an absolutely girly scream as she felt the plate beneath her feet rocket forwards and upwards, straight towards the forest that was packed with Grimm. She knew what was coming but her distraction at the comment by the headmaster, and her preoccupation with dissecting all the weapons around her left her unawares of simple things like timing, or what was going on around her. The feeling of flying through the air was like nothing else she experienced, even at Signal when they had practiced landing strategies, it had be from relatively low heights and onto cushioned landing Matt's. Not now though, oh not now. Now she was flying towards a forest of death, a forest which may end her, and for one of the first times in her life, it wasn't fear dominating her. It was… Excitement? Then she hit the canopy of the forest.
She moved her arms from the front of her to her sides and activated her weapon… Taking a deep breath and focusing as the weapon formed in her hands, she decided it would be best to form it separated. Pistol in one hand, sheath in the other. Alright, you played around with grappling hooks at Signal… Find the right target… There it is! Throwing the headlight duplicate of the monochrome girl’s weapon she was surprised by how light it seemed yet how durable the ribbon wrapped around her arm was. The bladed pistol spun and she watched as it sunk it’s blade into the tree she was aiming for and her heart leapt. Yes! Now for the- “Uh Oh! D-dust!” She flailed mid air, the tree was approaching way to rapidly and she was on a collision course that could of very well been the end of her time at Beacon. N-no a little m-more to the right and then- Shifting her weight to the right she was just barely able to avoid the tree and then sink the second blade into the trunk allowing her to slow down as she barreled forward and did a neat little roll to the forest floor.
She rolled twice and then pushed herself up using her feet to finally come up in her fighting stance. Scanning the environment around her the shy little Faunus kept her stance relatively tight in order to protect herself against any unexpected attacks by Grimm. Whew, nothing around… T-that was kinda fun actually… I wonder how graceful that weapon’s user is? I bet she’s amazing… Something snapped nearby and her ears shot up immediately in response to it. ”H-hello? I-is there someone there?! The challenge came out in a less than confident voice and her mood immediately went back to nervousness. Please… Please be another student… Reluctantly moving toward where the sound came from she scanned the area around her, hoping for tell tale signs of another student. Then she got her sign, as an Ursa burst violently from the bushes immediately in front of her in a dead charge. Her training immediately took over as she dropped to all fours and used all of her strength to push herself to the right in a barrel roll. Realigning itself the huge Grimm turned to face her again, right as she pushed herself back to her feet. Again it charged at her. This time rather than a hastily made roll Crimson jumped and did a spin sailing over the Grimm’s head. Landing with a cart roll and a hop she swung her arms outwards. Daring the Ursa to attack her, to try to kill her, and it did… It was strange, it always was the feeling of her Aura rushing from her body into her implants. It was the only time she could feel anything from them. Her arms crackled with energy as two orbs of pure energy pure aura formed in her hands. Just a little longer… Now! She made another roll, this time directly at the charging Beast. Releasing the energy from one of her hands as she passed directly beneath the confused demon, it rocketed into the air from the blast. ”Take this!” She braced herself and launched the second orb of energy at the beast while it was midair. The explosion of crimson red aura and black smoke was brilliant, causing the tree around to bend from the force of the air rushing away from the epicenter of the nova that the small unimposing Faunus girl who most would say was likely to jump at her own shadow had just brought into existence.
For a moment all she could hear was the beating of her own heart and the ragged sound of her breath as she stood there exhausted. ”I need to be more careful… I used way too much aura on that one… The second blast was overkill… I’ll move slow and try not to use my aura to move towards the ruins. With that thought she dusted herself off, fixed her scarf, and began moving towards her objective. Now knowing for certain that she would take the headmaster’s advice to heart and not hesitate to destroy anything that was in her path.
It was hard to tell just how long she had been wandering through the forest for. It felt like at least twenty minutes, maybe more. A very uneventful twenty minutes at that given how she hadn't come across another living thing since her encounter with the Ursa. Not that there was anything wrong with it of course, anything that kept her out of trouble was good in her opinion. Or was it? Afterall she came to Beacon to become a Huntress and wasn't part of being a Huntress excitement? Fighting Grimm, adventuring? Stop fretting, of course there is going to be down time! I just wish I could find someone else… W-what if I'm the last one in the forest?! As soon as the thought crossed her mind she was clutching her scarf. Most students would of used their Aura to get through the forest as quickly as possible right? What if she really was the last one, what if all of the other students got through the forest before her and she was alone?! I-I can't be alone? Right? Before she could even take another step the answer to her question quite literally slammed into her in the form of a familiar Faunus girl.
Said answer was in fact Aurora. After tracking down the bloodbath further back the wolf had to contain her fury and disgust. Peck followed along closely, singing a peaceful song that nearly always helped to calm the Faunus, though she still dearly wished to find something to bludgeon with her fists. Preferably one of the Aura-Grimm that was responsible, but a standard abomination would suffice for now. Yet there seemed to be nothing. More than that, no other students. Of course she hadn’t expected to run into a bunch of people, but to not see a single other soul in all this time,nor hear anything. Dust, what if the Aura Grimm found them first? How many lives have they stolen!? Before she could work herself up to much she noticed two things. The first brought a surprised smile to her face as her sapphire eyes caught the sight of the Faunus girl Crimson she had run into. What were the odds that of all the people she’d find, it would be the first girl she met at Beacon? The next thing she noticed didn’t bring nearly as much joy. A Grimm seemed to have set its eye upon Crimson as well, a Boarbatusk, and it was moments away from ramming the girl into the dirt. Without thinking, Aurora dashed towards them, tossing her body in front of the oncoming beast, its rough, boney spines smashing into her at extreme velocity, her Aura flashing in a myriad of shining colors, sending her spiraling into Crimson who she was now atop. Shaking her head trying to recover quickly from the hit, she gave Crimson a dazed smile. “Hehe, well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes! You think everytime we meet will end with us on the ground?” Hopping up and pulling the her new partner with her, Aurora fell into a relaxed fighting stance as the Boarbatusk began circling the two girls. “So partner, you ready to pulverize this piggy?”
Allowing herself to be pulled back to her feet, she looked into the eyes of the girl who now would be her partner for the next four years. What stared back at her was what she could only describe as sheer pure blooded determination. A chill ran through her body caused by the other girl’s force of will. ”Y-yes, Let’s do it!” With a curt nod the shy Faunus girl acknowledged the Aura Grimm’s statement ”How do you want to handle this… Partner?” The question came out with surprising confidence as the girl took up a much more defensive stance.
Partner? Huh, that sounds nice. I can get used to that. It wasn’t something she was used to, having someone she could rely on. Aside from Peck of course, she had always worked alone. It worked for her, after all she had her ghosts to help her out. But perhaps having an actual person to depend on would be a good change. “Well new buddy of mine, plans pretty simple. We pummel this thing until it’s six feet under.” As the Boarbatusk came about for another hit, Aurora rushed out to meet it, her gloves being inserted with earth dust. Nearing her opponent, Aurora tumbled to her left, twisting about and thrusting her arm forward, her fist connecting with the beast and sending it tumbling into the ground, the dust greatly strengthening her usual strikes. They had to end this quickly.
W-woah I better keep up! She’s depending on me! While her new founded partner charged to meet the threat head on, Crimson used it as an opportunity to widen the gap. Mustering as much strength as she could out of her prosthetics she backpedaled away from the raging Grimm firing bolts of energy from both hands rapidly in order to hopefully overwhelm the Grimm and stop it from simply charging either of the two girls. It was different, it felt different, from training, from fighting alone. Aurora’s life was in her hands, and her life was in Aurora’s hands, it was both terrifying and humbling at the same time. More importantly she couldn’t afford to slip up, not just because what it would cost her. No not just her, but the both of them.
Even after all the punishment the girls tossed at the beast, the Boarbatusk simply wouldn’t die, much to Aurora’s annoyance. While it was no Alpha, it was definitely larger than its usual kin, and likely a bit more powerful as well. Thankfully it still seemed to be dazed from her strike, and Crimson’s energy bolts seemed to be keeping it off its feet. This allowed the wolf the chance she needed to close the distance before the Boarbatusk could charge again. Rushing up, Aurora unleashed a vicious roundhouse kick on the Grimm, the energy fields in her shoes adding a good deal of strength to the blow before she started showering it in jabs while avoiding its attempts at gutting her. “Sorry piggy, would love to play longer but we have things to do. Crimson, let’s put this thing down.” Grabbing the Grimms tusks, Aurora grappled with the beast for a few moments before tearing off one of the tusks, driving it into its chest before tossing it near Crimson to polish it off. “Bit of target practice coming your way!”
Seeing the other girl closing in the deliver the final blow Crimson let up her barrage in order to avoid hitting her friend. Those though not necessarily the most accurate had packed a punch peppering the area around her target with small craters, throwing up dust and debris. Unfortunately (or fortunately given the way the Boarbatusk had its fate sealed by Aurora) this limited Crimson’s visibility enough that her first indication that something might of been coming her way was the crippled Boarbatusk sailing out of the dust cloud at her and her partner’s ill timed warning. Despite the surprise, Crimson quickly reacted by rolling out of harm's way and then absolutely drowning the Boarbatusk at close range with rapid aura blasts. She took a moment to steady her heavy breathing and then turned to her partner and smiled. ”G-good work…” she continued to breath heavily, obviously exhausted.
As her partner caught her breath, Aurora let out a loud whoop of joy, taking a moment to celebrate in their victory. For the first time they ever fought together, it seemed to have gone quite smoothly! Of course she had nothing to compare this to, so she could be entirely wrong. Eh, I’m still chalking it up as a win. Walking up to her new companion Aurora tossed an arm around her shoulder, shaking her excitedly. “That was quite the fireworks display there Crimson! I think you and I are gonna kick some serious ass together.”
Despite her exhaustion Crimson couldn't help but smile as her partner celebrated their victory over the deadly beast. [/I]Doesn't she ever run out of energy?[/i] The girl couldn't help but wonder as she tried to regain some of her own energy, it wasn't unusual for her aura to be drained completely after a fight. It was something she was trying to deal with, regularly doing training to increase her aura reserves. But no matter how much training she did to gain bigger reserves of aura nothing seemed to help. Despite all of the thoughts going around in her head about aura and training it was obvious to Crimson that Aurora was probably on the other side of the spectrum, most likely almost never running out of the spirit juice. ”I-I’m glad you feel t-that way… C-can you give me a moment to regain some of my a-aura. Feeling her companion's arm go around her was definitely a relief for the exhausted little cat-monkey as she stopped putting so much effort into keeping on her feet, almost collapsing into the little pup’s arms as her body relaxed.
As Aurora was still reveling in her victory, she didn’t notice how exhausted her partner was until the girl all but collapsed into her arms. “Woah! Don’t worry kitten I got ya. Geez, how much of your Aura did you toss into that poor piggy?” She remarked as she carefully guided the wears cat/monkey Faunus to the ground so she could better recover. It was a surprise to see her so drained after a single fight, Aurora herself thrived in combat, could fight all day and not tire of it. Crimson seemed to burn out quickly, though she hit hard. Hopefully she would get a second wind, cause they weren’t out of the woods yet. Heh, woods, get it Peck, cause we’re in-
Aurora, your partner. The bird tweeted at her, not in the mood for a shitty pun, especially in their current circumstance.
“Oh, shit right. Ugh, so you alright buddy? Looks like you’re gonna faint. If you do don’t worry, I’ll just carry you around! After all what are friends for?”
”N-no, I… My aura reserve i-is really small. Using it like that… really drains me… I-I think I'll be fine.” The tired girl pushed off of her friend and tried to steady herself. It was surprisingly difficult, and her head was spinning. [/i] I need to train m-more… More aura endurance… H-how does she do it?[/i]
She walked out in front of Aurora and started to move towards the ruins, that would hopefully be their final destination without too many more interruptions. ”Y-your weapon is pretty cool! What’s she called?”
Aurora stayed close to Crimson as she began to walk away, still concerned that at any moment he could pass out. She counted herself lucky that she didn’t have rely on her Aura so heavily. Sure she needed it for her semblance and protection, but in general combat Aurora relied purely on her own combat ability and her gloves. It allowed her to stay in the fight for pretty long periods of time.
As they began making their way to the ruins Crimson seemed to become well enough to ask about her weapons, something she was happy to talk about. “You wanna know about these lovely ladies eh? I call em my Magic Touch. The Hea- Ugh, my mentor helped me make them. I always fought with my hands, so we made something around that. They have an energy field around them that add some extra force to my blows, did the same to my shoes to.” To show this off she held out her hands so Crimson could take a closer glimpse at the energy crackling around her gloves. “If I want to really show off, I can insert them with some dust.” Pointing to her wrist, she showed her where her vials were kept, in a small circlet around her forearm allowing her to select between a myriad of effects.
As Aurora showed off her precious weapons, Crimson stopped to take a closer look at them. Their design was surprisingly simple but elegant at the same time. A surprisingly accurate analogy for their user. The cat monkey ran her bandaged hands up and down the length of her partner’s weapon, probing every inch of the close combat weapons. Amazement touching her face as she played around with the dust vials.
After Aurora was done showing off, her sapphire eyes looked back up to her scarf wearing companion. “Now how about you? Those fireworks you made were pretty spectacular! Is that how you normally fight?”
Crimson was almost in her own world when the tattooed Faunus spoke up snapping her back to reality. ”U-uh y-yeah it's nothing special… Y-your weapons are so cool! H-hey can you strike a pose? I-I want to get a picture!” Crimson hoped the question would divert the topic away from her abilities. It's not that she wanted to keep them a secret necessarily, it was just that she didn't like showing off her prosthetics.
Hearing Crimson’s deflective response caused the wolf to regard her with a cocked eyebrow for a moment. Her fighting style was hardly nothing special, it seemed quite the opposite, using her very Aura as an offensive weapon. But she wouldn’t press it, especially when she was given the opportunity to flaunt herself. “I think you’re just trying to distract me kitten… Lucky for you it’s working!” Hopping onto a fallen tree, Auror struck a heroic pose outstretching her right hand before her with her left held in front of her chest. “What do you think? Am I dazzling, or am I dazzling?”
Delighted by Aurora’s response, Crimson quickly fished her camera out from.its place at the small of her back. While moving around a bit to find the best lighting Crimson laughed at her Partner’s cheeky statement. “You’re dazzling! Now just hold… still… Click, flash. The flash from Crimson’s camera was a bit different from a normal camera, having a more reddish tint. But she hopped Aurora hadn't noticed. ”Alright, perfect!” The amature photographer exclaimed as she focused on the Camera’s screen as she inspected the 3d model of Magic Touch which was now displayed on it. Satisfied with her work, the girl quickly returned the camera to its carrying position and smiled. . ”A-alright I think I rested enough! Let's go!”
Aurora’s smile only grew as Crimson complimented her. The tattooed faunus truly loved being the center of attention. She wasn’t sure why, perhaps it was because she spent so many years isolated she craved it. After her photoshoot was finished Aurora hopped down from her ‘stage’, giving a regal bow. “After you Shutterbug. And feel free to use me as your muse whenever you like.” She stated as she sauntered past her partner, patting her on the cheek as they continued their journey, eager to claim their prize and earn their place in Beacon.
Thanks to @kei
