"Thanks," Michelle said as she was reunited with Artemis. With her primary weapon returned, she felt as if she were capable of taking the dangers she was facing. She checked the clip to see how many bullets she had left, then loaded a fresh clip into her rifle. Michelle looked up in time to see the spider climbing up from the chasm and up a pillar. She aimed her rifle at it, ready to shoot, but stayed her hand when she saw someone trying to fight it. She hesitated, her finger resting on the trigger but not pulling it. She didn't want to be the cause of friendly fire again. She looked for a place to fire so she wouldn't injure the one on the spider, but she continued to hesitate as she watched it climb higher and higher, then it released itself from the pillar, attempting to squash the person on it with the force of gravity.

Michelle realized that its trajectory would not only cause the person on it to be crushed, but almost everyone else on the ground as well. She activated her Semblance to give herself time to think. She could always shoot the spider with wind bullets.... no, it wouldn't be enough to knock it off its trajectory. She tried to think of other ways to get the spider away from her comrades when she had an idea. It wasn't getting the spider away from them, it was getting them away from the spider. She then started aiming near those who were still on the ground, firing at the ground with her wind bullets, which would hopefully push them out of the path of the falling spider. She made sure to fire so that she would conserve as much ammo as she could while making sure that she would not push them into the chasm by mistake. After firing at the last of her targets, she pointed at the ground next to her and fired, pushing herself away from the spider's path as well. She stumbled a bit as she landed, but she managed to resume stability.

Eyes fluttering open, Kuhaku was slowly returning from unconsciousness. Eventually becoming fully awake and aware of his surroundings, he blinked upon realizing he was once again on the ground. Arms trembling as he pushed his body off of the ground he placed a hand on his pounding, aching head. Shaking his head, he immediately regretted doing so. Hit with a sudden bout of nausea, the world around him spun wildly and he nearly emptied his stomach on the ground in front of him. Dizzy, his vision eventually stabilized and he stared at the ground. What the hell had happened to him? It was then he noticed a few drops of blood spattering in the dirt. Blinking, he sat as he touched the back of his head. Wincing, he pulled his hand away and looked at it. It was covered in blood. Turning in his seat, he looked behind him and saw that a tree directly behind him had a blood stain on it. Closing his eyes tightly, he struggled to recollect his thoughts.

He remembered walking through the forest with his new human partner. He remembered coming out of the treeline and locating the other Beacon Students. He remembered that he and his human partner were the last ones to arrive. The human waved at them as he ran up and grabbed the last relic they were supposed to have retrieved. Then what? His head throbbed as he tried to drudge his memories back from the inky, black abyss. The Grimm. That's right. Three...was it three? Three Grimm appeared. A large spider-like Grimm had grabbed one of the students and dragged him over the edge. Two snake-like Grimm slithered from the forest next. No, it was four. They were two-headed King Taijitu. One of King Taijitu swept at them. He remembered that he was still too weary from his previous encounter with the Grimm, his reflexes were dulled. He was not fast enough to dodge the sweeping attack. The rest was murky and vague. He remembered images of the other students fighting against the large Grimm...

Opening his eyes, he looked again at the tree behind him and deduced what had happened. He was too slow and was took the King Taijitu's sweep attack, being thrown into a tree. He must've hit the back of his head against it hard enough to flick his 'Off' switch. Lights out for him. That explained why it was hard to breathe and his ribs hurt. He probably cracked a few or bruised some at the very least.

Absolutely wonderful, he had arrived only to completely miss out on an important battle. Who was he kidding though? He was in no shape to continue fighting and probably would've just hindered the other students. If he had a choice, he would've probably hid and took the time to rest and heal while the others fought. Neither situation would've earned him any favorable opinions. Not that he cared. He couldn't get over his pathetic feelings of helplessness and worthlessness, however. Whatever, this was a test. They were new students. They had plenty of time to make mistakes and to learn. The harsh lesson he learned would only be one of many. He would have to keep in mind to not be overzealous and so enthusiastic to play the 'hero' again in the future. What came over him when he ran into his human partner, anyways? He didn't know. His head hurt. He just knew to avoid coming into contact with large amounts of Grimm again.

Looking around, he saw the two King Taijitu had died and gone. Though the fight wasn't over yet, it seemed. It was then he noticed the large Arachnid Grimm had launched itself into the air, a student still on its back. His senses hadn't completely recuperated yet so he couldn't pinpoint who it was. It looked like the Grimm was on its last legs and wanted to take out as many of them as it could when it landed. Crushing them all.

Wait.
He would be in its path.
He would be one of the few crushed underneath.
"Damn it." he sighed underneath his mask.

It was then that he was hit with a sudden gust of focused wind. The concussive blast strong enough to lift his body off of the ground and send him flying away. Away from where the Arachnid Grimm would land, but dangerously close to the edge of the chasm. As his body slid and skidded along the dirt, he became disoriented from the blast as he neared the precarious edge of the chasm. Panicking, he dug his claws into the ground as his lower body swung off of the side. Eyes wide, he panted heavily. Looking over his shoulder, he saw how far from the ground he would land if he slipped. Big mistake. Shutting his eyes, he quickly turned away. He was terrified of extreme heights, especially ones that could kill him.

His eyes snapped open as he felt his body start to slide and give way. Struggling, he tried to muster his strength to pull himself up. But, as he tried to pull himself up, he only slid more over the edge. His energy was drained from having fought so many Grimm earlier, even more so after becoming close friends with the King Taijitu's sweeping head. It wasn't looking good for him. The first test of his abilities and he had been knocked unconscious twice today, now about to die from being too ignorant to conserve his energy and think things through. What the hell was he doing? What happened to him being calm, cool and collected? To carefully thinking and planning things through?

As beads of sweat rolled down his face, he frantically thought of how he could save himself. The only thing coming into mind was to free one of his hands and punch out with a Chained Spike and to let the winch pull him to safety. But, that required him to let one of his hands go. Trying it, he slackened his grip on one of his hands slightly and quickly tightened it as his body jerked further over the edge. Closing his eyes tightly, his chest tight and breathing difficult and painful, he couldn't do it.

"A-am I going to die...here? Like this?..."
He was scared.

The facade he put up in front of others quickly melted away. He wasn't as cold, harsh and indifferent as he seemed in this perilous moment. Rather, he was probably one of the most vulnerable one out of the other students. And he hated himself for it. Sliding still, his eyes remained shut. Refusing to accept the way things were happening. Refusing to acknowledge that his life could very well end right now just like this. What could he do? Maybe push himself off of the edge and fire his spikes into the cliff face? But, his spikes weren't strong enough to punch into sheer rock were they? He didn't know. He didn't want to try it. His body trembled from his strength draining and from his terror. His ears flattened against his head.

He was scared.

It took some time and praying, but Schwarz finally managed to find an animal trail up one of the less steep parts of the cliff and made her way to the top unbothered by any other Grimm. They were probably too focused on the main battle, as some of the students were still engaging the smaller ones. Now above the forest, they should be quite safe. Adjusting Coral on her shoulder, she started shuffling towards towards the teachers' post.

It took a while to get there and by that time she was tired enough to hibernate through the winter. "Medic!" she shouted, unsure how badly injured her partner was, but not wanting to take any chances. When two of the school nurses appeared with a gurney, she set Coral down and proceeded to lay on the ground to catch a breather.

As everyone was scattered out of its path, the arachnid growled in anger as its remaining eyes showed that it wouldn't maim anyone today. It hit the ground, the fragile and fractured armor shattered, and Fransesca's enlodged blade drove itself further into the spider, and it faded away with the wind shortly after. The battle was over, and they had succeeded. "Ahh, that was pretty tricky!" A female voice said nonchalantly from the side. Zyramos, Aashaln, and Leona had arrived at the opening, covered in battle wounds and looking exhausted. Aashaln said nothing, although his breathing was more ragged than normal. Leona, however laughed at Zyramos's comment, agreeing. "I know, I honestly thought we wouldn't have had that at some parts!" "You might just grow into a fine warrior yourself, Leo!" The two continued laughing as Saurodrinn, the last one to come, studied the group.

They looked rather tired as well, understandable considering the circumstances. But someone was missing. Concerned, he searched until he found the hand of someone holding on for dear life. Saurodrinn rushed over to see Kuhaku, the tiger Faunus, looking desperate and fearful. Without any hesitation, Saurodrinn pushed out more of his aura into his semblance, focusing it into his feet and his hand, and immediately kneeled down and grabbed the Faunus's hand. Kuhaku discovered that he couldn't slip through, even if he wanted to, but his life was still in the hands of this human. The human, although straining, managed to pull him up, a great deal of help due to his Semblance. Saurodrinn helped Kuhaku to his feet, then left him without saying a word.

Almost out of the blue, the airship that initially carried them all to the academy had descended upon them, landing. Ozpin stepped out of the vessel, standing there with a faint smile. "Well done. You've completed your initiation, and the ceremony will begin shortly after you all get back. Those of you that require medical attention will be aided immediately." No sooner had he said this, Schwarz had shouted "Medic!", and the school nurses got Coral into the ship. Ozpin continued "For now, your mission is complete, and you should all get some rest. Enter the ship and we shall return to Beacon with haste." then sipped his coffee.

---

The Headmaster walked over to Schwarz after they had all gotten onto the airship. "Schwarz, there is something I must inform you of." He held out his hand, which was clenched, holding something. He dropped it into hers, and she saw it was the black queen piece, the Relic that Coral was holding onto. "Coral's wounds were serious, but her actions are inexcusable. With an already less than positive influence on other students, as well as a history of ignorance to rules, I'm afraid we will be forced to expel her when she recovers."

After a moment, he continued "There is, however, another student. Her partner was killed in action, unfortunately. Something that has never happened before. But, with both requiring a partner, the two of you will be united from this day forth." And with that, he called the new partner over. A young girl with only one arm and wielding a kind of staff. Ozpin apologized for the circumstances, as well as the girl's loss, and left the two as he returned to the cockpit.

Gerald watched as the reinforcements - or invigilators; he wasn't sure which - finally arrived. Watching as the airship arrived and Ozpin made his speech, Gerald kept one hand on Anwarter at all times - twice he had been caught off guard, and he resolved to make sure there would never be a third time. It was only as Ozpin beckoned for them to enter the airship and Gerald made the few metallic steps on board, becoming surrounded by at least a few inches of metal armour between himself and the Grimm infested forest that the finally relaxed his grip on Anwarter. His first encounter with the Grimm were over.

---

As Gerald overheard Ozpin talk to Schwarz about Coral's actions - and even worse yet, the fact that somebody's partner had died - he faced an immediate wave of guilt. Coral had ambushed Michelle and she nearly got dragged off by an Arachnid Grimm while Gerald was dozing off and picking up a weapon. What was this he was experiencing? Guilt? Guilt that he had let someone down? This was a strange concept to him; after all the only person he had ever held expectations for prior to this was himself.

Turning to Michelle, Gerald struggled to find the right wording. "Michelle, I..."

Breaking for a moment, the teen finally bowed his head.

"I'm sorry!' He apologized. "I was your partner and I should have had your back, but instead I let you get ambushed twice - granted, the first time I had no way of knowing Coral could turn invisible or that she would even attack you like that, but me letting the Arachnid nearly drag you away was inexcusable! I - I won't let it happen again, I promise!"

When the inevitable crash with the ground sounded out, Francesca peaked over the edge and the spider was dead. She breathed heavily as she looked around for a way to the others. Somehow she did find a way, and recovered her weapons. . . And her chess piece. Even after all the conflict and fighting it seems to have not been touched at all. She then went to find her partner, Kael. He seemed tired and maybe a little battered. . . And it looks like something might have swallowed him? Those things aside he looks fairly fine. "Kael Lordonos, I recovered our relic." She said with a bit of breathing. Francesca would definitely be glad to get somewhere she could rest, maybe take a bath.

He tried to move around, trying to rid himself of the feel of being swallowed. it was not a pleasant feeling, but at least the fight was over. The school had come and was now picking them up. However, it seemed that one of the students was being expelled from the school. Shrugging his shoulders, he leaned against a tree, waiting for all the commotion to end. As soon as it was time to leave, he would pack up. He looked up to see Francesca, though, where she informed him about their relic. At least that was good. He began to look around for a river, somewhere near by preferably. He split his zhen into two halves and hooked the onto his belt. He did not want to lose those. They took too long to make.

Just as he was about to lose his grip and fall over the edge of the chasm another human student had noticed him and ran over. Immediately activating whatever his Semblance's ability was to grab onto his arms and pulled him to safety. With his body laying safely on terra firma, he scrambled further away from the edge and remained a tired heap on the ground. Refusing to look up at his savior, he was somewhat relieved when the student said nothing and walked away. His shame from having been saved and by a human no less didn't dare allow him to look up at who it was that rescued him. He had to recover his wounded pride and confidence.

Forcing himself off of the ground, he stood as straight and as tall as he could. Head swimming slightly, his first few steps were careful but he still managed to stumble a bit. He wasn't sure if he had the energy to even walk at this point but he refused to be carried or assisted onboard the drop-ship that had arrived. Once sure of himself and completely ignoring the other students, he walked up to the dropship with his head and eyes straight and forward. As he walked by the Headmaster Ozpin, he heard mention of a student having died and another being expelled in passing. At least he wasn't in their position. Thinking about it, who exactly was it that had blasted him away from the Arachnid? Ultimately whoever did so saved his life from one predicament only to throw him into another. Though, he probably could've just fired a Chained Spike and launched himself out of its path to safety. Probably.

Whatever, that was for another day. He didn't have any interest in investigating any further right now. He took his seat in a corner on the drop-ship and huddled as comfortably and as tightly as he could against it. Closing his eyes, he decided that a little nap would be the best for now. He'll have the medical staff look him over at another time. All he wished for at this moment was just to be left alone to mope and sulk.

Michelle sighed in relief, knowing that she had managed to save at least somebody. Still, it cost her quite a bit of dust and ammo, and she needed to restock when she got the chance. She slung Artemis behind her shoulder, then thought about getting her spare cloak and glasses when she got back to Beacon. She then turned toward her partner Gerald when he spoke to her, and was surprised to see him bowing and apologizing to her. She really didn't know what to say at first, and instead just looked away. Embarrassed, she unconsciously blushed as she placed a hand behind her head and said, "Uh, well, it's not, um, entirely your fault. I-I should have, um, kept better watch of myself." She cleared her throat of an imaginary blockage, then continued, "You don't need to blame yourself." She started twirling a lock of hair around her finger, which was an old habit she did occasionally.

OOC: w/ Kiddo

IC:
The airship arrived soon enough and Schwarz dragged herself to an empty seat, glad to finally have some place to rest other than the cold, wet ground. Not that she wasn't already soaked in sweat and half covered in mud. She just wanted a shower and a bed.

But the school's staff was having none of it. When the headmaster himself approached her with something, she knew it wouldn't be a casual chat either. Listening to the message, she nodded in silence, twisting the black queen between her fingers.

True, she had no idea what 'actions' Ozpin spoke of or what Coral's history was. However, the fact was undeniable that she gave her simple instructions to follow. If the situation was bad, she was supposed to just run. She either couldn't do even that much, or just disregarded it and got herself knocked out before she could. Either way, Schwarz didn't exactly want to trust someone so unreliable with her life. And Coral's behavior earlier was only strengthening the argument.

Her eyes widened a bit when she heard that someone actually died during the initiation. Granted, they were told that they will receive no help, but she doubted the parents of the student would be so understanding. nodding slowly, she acknowledged.

What happened next made her think her luck was cursed. First her partner was a terrorist in the making, and now someone missing an arm? Was the headmaster trying to make this difficult for her? She was too tired to deal with this! Taking a deep breath to calm herself to handle this politely, she looked over to her new partner.

The girl looked like a sturdy build. She liked that. Herself, Schwarz was nimble and hit hard, but couldn’t take much punishment once her aura reserve - beastly as it was - was gone. Having someone able to take a punch on her side didn’t seem that bad. “Hi. Name’s Schwarz. I’d offer you a hand but-” she shrugged apologetically, showing her right palm still covered in a layer of mud. And walking to the bathroom seemed like too much effort right about now. “I’m sorry about your partner.”

Ravira followed the headmaster when he beckoned her to do so. Her spot had been nice and warm, but one didn't ignore Ozpin when he wanted something from you. He lead her to the medical wing where she'd been just half an hour earlier, and where the latest batch of wrecked rookies sat recuperating from their trials. This was the last group, and it seemed that they'd been especially unlucky; Ravira had watched their fight on the monitors in the waiting bay. Part of her wished that she could have been there for the excitement, but then again, she'd had far too much excitement on her own, so perhaps not. She probably would have been even later than they had the teachers not decided that her situation had gotten way out of hand and beyond the scope of the initiation.

She was quite unsure what was going to happen to her. Her partner had... died, and she hadn't technically completed initiation herself. Sure, she'd had... well, but still. She wasn't part of a team, and she didn't have a relic. Was Ozpin going to kick her out now?

It was with relief that she listened in on the headmaster's conversation with one of the last group. Given a new partner; thank God. She smiled as best as she could at the headmaster as he abruptly turned and left them, and then looked at her new partner. Another Faunus; she flinched internally for a moment, but quickly chided herself. No, that was unfair; just because her other partner had been Faunus and hadn't worked out, didn't mean that this person would not. And she was a strong warrior; Ravira had been awed by the damage swan girl had managed to deal almost single-handedly to the Kings.

She stood awkwardly for a moment, suddenly thankful that she had her staff to keep her hands occupied; her shoulder itched like crazy, and she doubted she'd have been able to follow the doctors' orders to leave it alone otherwise. She listened to Schwarz's introduction, and nodded encouragingly. "I'm Ravira. I'd shake your hand, but... I'm a bit shorthanded at the moment!"

Her lip trembled, but instead of busting down crying, she managed to twist out a weak grin that she reinforced with a giggle until it was genuine. No, breaking down in front of Schwarz would not make a good first impression. She felt faint for a moment, and took the chance to sit down in the chair next to her partner. Yes, blood loss had a tendency to make one faint. "I saw you fighting; you're quite good!" She avoided the topic of her ex-partner completely.

Schwarz stared blankly for a while at Ravira’s introduction before turning aside, trying to muffle the snorts. “Sorry. I didn’t quite expect that.” she apologized. If that was her missing an arm or a wing, she’d be pretty damn down about it for the rest of her life no doubt, definitely not making jokes about it.

Next thing she knew her abilities were being complimented. While it was nice to hear, she didn’t quite get why. It didn’t quite hit her until that moment that she actually had a hand of killing about one and a half of a pretty massive snake grimms. sighing, she shook her head: “We were lucky, but if you had audio, you’d know the whole thing was a disaster. Everyone but few just did their thing, no teamwork whatsoever. Kind of worrying if you ask me.” she confided.

Speaking of teamwork though, she couldn’t but wonder: “I didn’t see you fighting, I suppose you made it in and out earlier. Since we’re a team now, what is your style?” Then her eyes fell on the staff Ravira was holding, and her eyes widened with gleam: “No way. Another mage?” she asked. while dust usage was common now, most still preferred the easy way through ammunition. The mages weaving dust with more exotic applications were a bit rare, and she was eager to compare notes with any other she could find. At least her luck was kind to her in one aspect, and it appeared one of the professors, Mrs Goodwich, was an extraordinary one.

“Ah, no, we didn’t have audio.” Ravira caught herself as she poked at her shoulder, having placed her staff down across her lap at the first chance. She picked it back up as she awkwardly rotated her shoulder back and out of her line of sight. “But yes, it didn’t look like things were going smoothly on the teamwork front. I’m sure that we’ll work well together, though!”

“Yes way, another mage! I blast things with lasers!” Ravira held up her staff menacingly, but decided against attacking anything in an airloft skyship’s sick bay; probably a good idea. “And I can give people shields, so there’s that. But, lasers!”

"That remains to be seen... first thing tomorrow." Schwarz said regarding how well they would work together. While it was cool to have another mage close by to train with, she was wondering if Ravira had any short range backup. "Lasers are hot. But what about close range? You do look to be able to soak more damage than I do, but can you also dish it out?" she asked, wanting to know whether she will be tasked with defending in the future. Then again unlike Swansong, Ravira's staff looked like it could very well reshape someone's face with a good clobber.

Schwarz couldn't say she was entirely happy the thought of being on defense. She could theoretically make do with her kind of aura reserve, but that could leave her without the ability to hit in a prolonged fight. "Oh, and I am a fire mage. The whole deal - from enchants to dragonbreath." she hinted, "I do best either on the front line or... I suppose using others as my weapons, supporting their efforts." she tried to explain, "I'd show you my weapon but I lent it to someone." Which makes me wonder, where is my baby? There better not be a dent, Stahl! the swan thought, looking around for the concerned person.

First thing tomorrow? Ravira didn’t know what Schwarz was talking about, but she just kept smiling through it. It probably wasn’t important.

And, sadly, Schwarz had to ask about close combat. That was not Ravira’s strong suit. She put on a frown and shrugged. “Eh, I… can handle myself in close combat, I guess.” She swung the staff around, carefully knocking her partner on the head with the end of it. “I can whack people with a stick! Fear me!”

“If you like being on the front line, that’s fine with me. You keep all the agro, and I’ll make sure that nothing scratches you. And I’ll fire lasers.” She hoped that it would be a workable arrangement, but the way that Schwarz looked at her when she didn’t say that she was great at close combat was a bit worrying; the look held some sort of resentment, and that wasn’t the sort of thing that she wanted sent her way.

Hoping for some way to talk about something else, she looked closer at her new friend. She was going to complement her pretty wings, but stopped with her mouth open a bit, and decided to ask a maybe more informative question. “Have I seen you somewhere before?”

It looked like defense wasn't particularly Ravira's favorite situation either. Oh well, the rumor mill said that the final teams will be made of four members. It was too early to worry about that when they only knew half of the variables.

Aaaaaand there it was. Great. Schwarz facepalmed. "Yes, you probably have. White dress, playing a piano most likely. I'd appreciate it if you didn't spread that around though." she looked at Ravira with pleading eyes, before chuckling, "Then again, the god damned ad was in yesterday's paper. With my luck half of Beacon already knows." she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, sure; it can be our little secret. And in exchange, you must never, ever tell anyone that I'm a leftie! Got it?" Ravira mimicked Schwarz's pleading eyes before laughing. "I'll make sure to grab every single edition of that paper and rip the ad right out! Your secret is safe with me!"

Ozpin smiled as he heard Schwarz and Ravira already becoming friendly. There was some worry among the other faculty and even Miss Goodwitch had her doubts about how smoothly this would go over, the trainees having lost their partners. The accident itself was a mystery, to be honest. But it appeared things were turning out to be... quite an interesting year indeed. The pairings themselves were all right, and although some didn't seem to get along, they would in time. His mind turned to Ruby and Weiss, the bickering pair. They couldn't seem to decide on anything, but now they seemed already to be greatly cooperative. Ruby definitely had the potential for leading her team to victory and success. But Ozpin wondered, with that same smile, whether the others would be as well. It was a pleasant thought, not knowing. But somehow, he still had faith in them all.

---

The ceremony, at last. Group after group ascended to the stage, to be given their team name and team leader. It was finally what they had all been working for. They were one step closer to being Hunters and Huntresses, but it seemed like they had passed the hardest hurdle. Although some of the groups were a little less than pleased with their matchmaking, they couldn't help but feel pride and joy from this event.

"Michelle Kine, Kael Lordonos, Gerald Tarius, Fransesca Stahl." Ozpin announced, and their images appeared on the screen above him. The four stepped up to the stage, and Ozpin continued. "The four of you picked up the White Bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as... Team Melanthios." The pictures rearranged and the letters MLTS flickered underneath their image. "Led by Michelle Kine." A round of applause roared out from the audience, and Ozpin said to Michelle "Congratulations, Miss Kine."

After those four stepped off the stage, the next four stepped up. "Ravira Tudios, Schwarz Nacht, Perry Symund, Kuhaku Kuroshi. The four of you retrieved the Black Queen pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team... Patroklus." The images reconfigured once again, with the letters PTKS. "Led by Perry Symund. Congratulations, all of you." Followed by more applause. The four of them stepped off the stage as the next team was being addressed, allowing the eight of them time to rejoice and converse before the end.

Schwarz felt like her mind was going to shatter. SERIOUSLY? You decide this n a complete coincidence?! she mentally yelled at Ozpin, giving him a deathly glare. From the Headmaster's expression, it seemed like he knew exactly what she was thinking. And he found it amusing, only making Schwarz's blood boil a bit more. Who the heck even WERE the two other guys? They were unseen in that fight they just now had. Schwarz vaguely remembered her leader from the day they arrived, but given how easily intimidated he was by Francesca's tone... Still, it wasn't like she wanted to be 'it'. Well, the dice were rolled. Nothing she could do but quit the school, and that wasn't happening.

Speaking of her... Schwarz thought, her back feeling way too light without Swansong there. Of course she lent her the weapon out of goodwill - it wasn't like she had any energy to fight left herself back there - but maybe she could cash in that favor. The initiation made her realize that using only fire dust won't do. Even if just as a backup or to add a bit of spice into her fire, she needed to be able to carry the other dust types as well. And it just wasn't her way to carry cartridges. Furthermore, she was frankly quite disturbed to how many different moves she had to resort. Every time she used an attack she didn't practice well, she had to use a focus phrase. And looking aside form how silly it must have looked, it would also broadcast her tactic to anyone who fought her more than once. She needed something less obvious, and Francesca actually inspired her current idea. There were two catches though: She didn't have the skill to forge what she envisioned and not enough cash to do so. However, there was one student who seemed to get passionate with weapons and technically owed her a favor. Schwarz smirked at the idea, forgetting where she was as she schemed loong enough for someone to give her a bump when it was time to leave the stage.

"Ravira Tudios, Schwarz Nacht, Perry Symund, Kuhaku Kuroshi. The four of you retrieved the Black Queen pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team... Patroklus." said Headmaster Ozpin, his voice amplified for all to hear.
Looking up at the screens above them, Kuhaku watched as images of their faces shifted around and the letters 'PTKS' appeared underneath their pictures.
"Led by Perry Symund. Congratulations, all of you." the Headmaster finished, the other students in the audience applauding.

Scowling, he grew irritated and annoyed with all the noise, attention, and with the ceremony in general. He just wanted to get everything over with and move on. Once their team had been formed and announced, they were motioned off of the stage. Taking the cue, he swiftly made his way past his teammates saying nothing to them as he prepared to leave the hall. He wasn't pleased with the situation as a whole. Perry, his human partner, had been selected to be the team's leader. Having glanced over his other teammates, he wasn't sure either of them would've been suitable leaders either. One was the frail looking Swan Faunus whose weapon he admired when he first arrived at Beacon. The other was yet another human, though this one was missing a few fingers to say the least. There were rumors of her having lost her partner, with her partner ultimately ending up dead. Not to mention that a student had been expelled from Beacon. He sure as hell didn't want that leadership position. Still, for some reason he was unhappy. He couldn't get over his feeling of having basically cheated in the initiation, having piggy-backed off of the other students' success.

Whatever. Not caring if the ceremony was completely over with or not, he had other plans in mind. For now, he intended on finding their room and designating his spot. Though, with two males and two females he wondered how that would work exactly. Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought. As soon as he could, he would get his uniform and wash up. Afterwards, he needed to get ahold of some Dust, steel cables, leather and a new winch. He had some weapon alterations in mind that he wanted to implement as soon as possible. A few upgrades to change 'Jack' after having tested it in the field. As he left the Grand Hall, he found himself scanning the crowd for Michelle. Before he and his new team had gotten on the stage to be displayed in front of the other students, he heard she was chosen to be her team's leader...What was their team name again? Never mind, it didn't matter. He didn't quite understand why he was looking for her in the first place...

Bah. The idea of the teams still bugged him. He despised working with others, especially humans...
At least Perry would already know not to try and socialize with him. He hoped him storming off immediately after the ceremony sent a clear message to his other teammates that he wasn't interested in being their 'friend'. The idea cozying up and becoming all buddy-buddy with them sent a sick shudder down his spine. The fur on his tail and ears raising on end as he exited the hall, adjusting his gauntlets and mask as he walked.

Unable to do much, Perry watched from the ground as the other students fought against the Grimm. With the Taijitu’s attention elsewhere as it fought or died, he finally managed to pick himself up. Wincing as each breath stung, he still managed to refold Blast Bicell into its storage form and clip it behind him. Hands free of the massive weapon now, Perry took another survey of the situation. It was faint, but the other four students seemed to be dealing with the Grimm in the forest just fine. One of the Taijitu was dead, and the other one was being dealt with at the very moment. He didn’t see his partner anywhere on the battlefield oddly enough, though the chaotic nature might have obscured the other student’s prone form if he was unconscious.

Limping away, sore but not broken from the large Grimm’s blow, he reached and leaned against a tree just in time to see the last Taijitu die in a particularly messy manner. He sighed as he slumped to the ground, but before he could actually relax a shrill hiss filled the air. Head snapping to find the source, he saw the spider-like Grimm leap into the air with a student on its back before it began its descent. Towards where most of the others were gathered, apparently in a suicidal action. While he was not in any immediate danger thanks to his distance from the others, there wasn’t much he could do but watch and bite his lip in frustration.

In the end, it seemed that everyone managed to escape without too much injury, albeit some were unceremoniously thrown out of the way via bursts of wind. His eyes narrowed before widening as he finally figured out where his “partner” was. “Fuck.” He wasn’t certain if he’d make it given how standing up took far longer than it should have, but he wasn’t going to just sit on his ass and watch someone dangle from a cliff’s edge.

Fortunately, it seemed that he was not the only person who’d noticed the student’s plight. Shoulders slumping as he sighed, he watched for a moment after his partner’s savior left just to make sure the Faunus didn’t collapse. When it seemed that everything was alright as it could be, Perry turned and trudged over to the waiting airship.

Getting onboard, he wasn’t too surprised that he was one of the students taken aside by the medical staff. Guessing that they had been monitoring the student’s Aura levels, Perry let the staff run their tests, drank a few disgusting liquids, before finally being released from their care. Despite being sore and wanting nothing more than to take a nap, there were a few things he needed to attend to first.
___________________________________
There was only so much that could be done for his appearance on the airship, but at the very least Perry had managed to clean himself up somewhat. His clothes were still destined for the trash or burner, but at least he there wasn’t a filthy mix of blood, dirt, and ash on him anymore. A slight bump signalled the airship’s arrival at Beacon, and with a sigh Perry left to go join his fellow students.
___________________________________
Blinking slowly at the announcement, Perry resisted the urge to slap his hand to his face. Why he had been made leader when he’d almost gotten himself, and his partner by extension, killed was beyond him. Nonetheless, he smiled at the applause and took it with a nod before making it off the stage for the teams still yet to be formed. Thankfully nobody seemed to make a big deal about his appearance, probably understanding that stuff tended to get torn or ripped when fighting with the Grimm.

To his unsurprise, his “partner” stormed off from the group almost immediately once they were off the stage. While he hadn’t exactly hoped, Perry had thought that he might have at least tried to interact with Schwarz at the least. Apparently not though, and now that he wasn’t in front of everyone he finally let out a resigned sigh before turning to the others. And blinking when he realized that Schwarz had already left to follow after Kuhaku. “Well shit…” he murmured uneasily as he watched one Faunus trailed after the other. Running a hand through his hair, he shook his head and decided the two could figure things out on their own; they were old and mature enough to do so. . If it turned out for the worse, then he'd deal with it afterwards. Turning back to his remaining team member, one Ravira Tudious, he said, “Well, Ravira, it’ll be nice to work with you. Just to let you know though, Kuhaku seems to dislike humans with a passion, even if he can work with them. I doubt he'll want to be friends. Shall we find our dorm room for now?"

Michelle had retrieved her spare cloak and glasses, and was glad for them. However, they did help her prepare for the news of her becoming the leader of her team. She was startled, and looked at her new teammates. She then looked at the audience, then at Professor Ozpin and bowed to him, saying, "Thank you." Michelle hoped to be the best leader she could be, and lead her team to victory no matter where they went or what they did. Perhaps if there were someone on her team who was more capable and willing than her, she could allow them to take the reins, but for now she would have to do what she could.

OOC: w/ Harin

IC:
As they got off of the stage, Schwarz noticed one of her ‘teammates’ trying to storm off. Wonderfull. We aren’t together longer than five minutes and it’s already breaking up. she thought, blinking so no one would catch her rolling her eyes. “No need to look so excited, Mr. Kuhaku.” Way to kill the mood, tiger boy. “We’ve made it to the school!” Alive. she thought, sparing a quick glance at Ravira. “Shouldn’t we be celebrating, we’ve been working hard and long for this, at least some of us.”

---

”No need to look so excited, Mr. Kuhaku.”
His walk slowed as a voice came from behind.
”We’ve made it to the school! We should be celebrating, we’ve been working hard and long for this, at least some of us.”
What did she mean by “...at least some of us.”?

Was that some sort of prod for him having been knocked unconscious during the important Grimm battle? He halted in his tracks and looked over his shoulder to see who it was. His ears twitching curiously. Ah, it was his new teammate, the Swan Faunus. What was her name...Schwarz? Or something odd like that. Clenching his fists, he turned to face her. Celebrating? For what reason should they celebrate? He and Perry were down for the count when it was most important. When others needed them and counted on them. They were useless. He missed a chance to prove himself. Standing still, he just quietly looked at her. His ears swiveling from side to side, tail restlessly flicking back and forth.

Right, she was his teammate. A fellow Faunus at that. No need to be overly aggressive and rude. Sighing softly, he reached up and clutched the side of his metal mask. With a few mechanical clicks, it released from his face and he pocketed it. Doing the same to his gauntlets, he completely disarmed. His gauntlets hung at his side on his belt. He was in a school environment now, now need to constantly have his weapons out. He’d have to find the armory to properly store them after he finished his upgrades.

Wiping at his face, he locked and made eye contact with Schwarz to hear if she had anything else to say. If nothing else worthwhile like an explanation, he would remask and simply walk away.

---

It didn’t look like the tiger faunus was a very chatty fellow. In fact something in his look was downright dangerous. Maybe it was the mask. She seen some intriguing apparel before, but this was a first. Schwarz wondered if it didn’t get in the way more often than not. But that was not what she had in mind to talk about. “I’ll be the first to admit that assigning the teams randomly is not my favorite thing about today, but i’ve been studying for years to get here, and now it happened. Having to learn to know just three people seems like small price to pay, so why so gloomy?” she said, her tone neutral to friendly. alternatively, feel free to continue giving me the creepy silent glare. That would make for fun four years here. she added for herself.

---

Right. She would be his teammate for the next four years here. He didn’t really have much else of a choice but to interact with the others if only just a little. He absolutely hated talking to other people, though. Breaking eye contact, he looked at the ground and searched his thoughts. Mustering up as much courage as he could to try and talk normally without his strange invented language. He swallowed dryly, feeling his tongue sticking to the roof of his palate. Sighing, he looked extremely uncomfortable. But, suddenly getting angry with himself he shook his head and resumed eye contact with Schwarz. An odd fierceness in his eyes. ”She’s just a fellow concerned Faunus and teammate. No need to be uncomfortable with her. Be nice.” He told himself.

Slowly, the words came.
”I-...”
He cleared his throat.
”A-...At the initiation. I...messed up. That fight with the large Grimm…”
He looked away momentarily before resuming eye contact.
”I was...I was useless. I made a stupid mistake. I don’t feel like I deserve to be here.
Looking at the ground, he clenched his fists tightly.
”It’s...just hard for me to let go and get over it.”
His shoulders slumped and he absently rubbed at the tattoo on his left arm.
”That’s...that’s why I stormed off. I’m still unhappy about it all. I just wanted to get away and have some time to myself. Th-...that’s all.”
His ears drooped, his tail slowly sweeping at the ground behind him.
Whatever cold and harsh demeanor he had quickly crumbled and melted away in having to speak to Schwarz. Why didn’t he just ignore her and move on? For goodness’ sake, just from having spoken he was trembling as if he were cold. Truth be told, talking to other people drained him of his will and energy.

---

Oh, that’s what is going on. She made a step closer, smiling: “Is that all? You now, while a prestigious one - Beacon is still a school, and we’re students, not yet hunters. We’re bound to make mistakes. I might have done more to the big grimms, but I was left completely drained. Then I went and lent my only weapon to someone who was still fighting and left myself wide open. Not just myself, I also happened to be dragging my former partner to safety. If a grimm attacked us then? I don’t know what i would have done. Most likely there would have been three casualties instead of one.”

Seeing how miserable Kuhaku felt about it, she had to fight the urge to give him a pat on the back. ”But none did. Perhaps because you took care of them earlier.” she tried to cheer him up. Some people just expected too much of themselves. It wasn’t healthy for the mind. “And if a team is worth a broken Lien, they are people you can confide to, not ones you need to hide from.” she hinted.

Fishing her watch out of her pocket, she checked the time. “Now, should we go grab our stuff and find our room?” she asked, her body putting an emphasis on it as a yawn made it’s way out of her mouth.

---

As she took a step towards him, he put his guard up and quickly stepped back. Wary of her smile, he slowly eased up as she continued to talk. Her words held some truth to them, they were all bound to make mistakes at some point or another. Her sharing her own predicament did help to ease his own concerns, if only a little.

At least she was kind. But, he was still on guard. Unwilling to fully confide and trust in her. The last time he trusted someone…Well, that wasn’t important. Regardless, he didn’t believe he could ever fully confide anyone. No matter who they were. He would continue to keep to himself and be as quiet and inconspicuous as possible.

Falling silent, he slipped his mask out of his pocket and pressed it to his face. With a few mechanical clicks, it clung to his face and he simply nodded in response to her question. As she yawned, he turned away from her and continued his brisk walk to get his things. Well, his uniform at least. Maybe some supplies if he could help it.

Lowering his head as he walked away, his face was oddly hot. His cheeks red.
Why did he waste his time and energy to talk with her? Ugh…
Whatever.

---

That went better than Schwarz expected. At least she did get him to talk, perhaps even help. Although if it would took this much chiseling on the ice Kuhaku put around him, she better not push her luck. Sighing as he vanished behind a corner, she set to get her own bags and find their room, desperate for a shower and a change of clean clothes. At least she managed not to lose any feathers. She looked pathetic enough with all the bruises. Finding her scroll, she checked the map for where their room was and got walking.

He got on the airship, ready to be gone from this corrupted forest. Kael wanted to see the more friendlier creatures that he knew and would be able to enjoy their presence. He hopped on the airship, positioning himself near the exit, allowing him to fall into a deep trance. As soon as they hit ground once more, Kael felt slightly more awake and aware of his surroundings, having been able to regain some of his energy. He picked up his zhen and followed the remaining group of twelve students into the assembly hall where Ozpin was in attendance.

"Michelle Kine, Kael Lordonos, Gerald Tarius, Fransesca Stahl." Ozpin announced, and their images appeared on the screen above him. The four stepped up to the stage, and Ozpin continued. "The four of you picked up the White Bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as... Team Melanthios." The pictures rearranged and the letters MLTS flickered underneath their image. "Led by Michelle Kine." A round of applause roared out from the audience, and Ozpin said to Michelle "Congratulations, Miss Kine."

He got off the stage to allow the other groups to get on. This was his team. They would train together and complete missions and do whatever else was required. They would also like to be in the same room.

Stifling a yawn before it came out, Kael said, "So I suggest we go find our room or go get food. Either is good."

Stopping by to pick up her luggage from the storage room, Schwarz made her way to her new nest. A bit surprised that she arrived first, she punched the digits into the lock and the door clicked open.

The room looked, tidy, but also quite boring. Dull wallpaper on the wall, four nigh identical parts, each with a bed, table and a few shelves. Schwarz sighed whens he saw all of the beds were stuck near a wall with no room for wings. What irked her the most was the absence of a bathroom. Apparently those were shared with a few other rooms. Good grief, why me. she shuddered. Tossing her luggage on the bed left and to the window, she fished out a towel, feather grease and a toothbrush and headed back out.

It appeared she made it before any queue gathered. sighing in relief, she locked the door behind herself and let the water run as hot as it got. The sting of the hot liquid was quite pleasant as it washed the dried mud from her hair, along with a big portion of the tiredness. She needed this… well, maybe without the part of her wings getting soaked in the tiny space.

Feeling civilized again, Schwarz put on a bathrobe and a pair of pink bunny slippers and made her way to their room, intending to sleep through the winter.

When he arrived at the supply issue, he was apparently one of the first few students to do so. There was no one standing outside. No line, much to his relief. The other students were probably preoccupied with other things. To Kuhaku, the maintenance of his weapon was priority. His body and wellbeing came as an afterthought. Weapon, body, mind, that was the order of priorities. Looking up at the sign above the office-like space, his ears drooped as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. He looked down at his Scroll to check if this was the correct place. It was. Looking back up at the marquee, he couldn't believe how unnecessarily long its name was.

"Uniform Issue, Supply Warehouse and Requisitions Office..." he read to himself.
Seriously, what IS that?

Shrugging and shaking his head, he walked into the building and immediately recoiled at the stench he was assaulted with. Eyes watering and nostrils burning, the strong smell of bleach and ammonia permeated the sterile white office. Well, at least there was no one inside waiting around. He was alone, for now. Good. Wiping at his eyes, he quickly regained his composure as he stood in front of the receptionist's desk. Seeing a cup of pens and sticky notes, Kuhaku quickly wrote down what he needed and looked up at the receptionist to hand him the slip of paper.

The crusty old man at the desk gave him a once over and shot off on a tirade regarding Kuhaku's odd mask and silence. Kuhaku stood there with the slip between his fingers a bit awkwardly, his ears slowly drooping again. The old man either didn't see it or refused to take it until he was finished with his tangent. Kuhaku wished he would just shut up and take the paper slip from him. It appeared that the old man working at the desk had been there for some time. Going on about something regarding how strange today's youth was and their fashion choices. How back in his day the Hunter's forged weapons were simple things, not the complex and transformative weapons of today. Once done, the wizened man finally took the slip of paper from him and read it much to Kuhaku's relief. Peering at what Kuhaku had written down, he turned away and walked away towards the back grumbling to himself. Kuhaku wondered if most of the receptionist's grump came from the awful smell of the place.

Returning, the old man set a pack on the counter and shoved an electronic tablet in front of Kuhaku's face.
"Print your team name, print your full name, sign, date and time." the old man grumbled.
Blinking, Kuhaku took the stylus and filled out the logged information as requested.
The old man took the tablet away and returned to his chair, still muttering underneath his breath.
It could've been possible he was unhappy about his career choices. Whatever. He didn't care.
Kuhaku grabbed the pack and walked out of the building, glad to have that over and done with.

Sighing, he pulled out his Scroll to locate his room's number along with directions. After a little time, he found his room and stood outside its door staring at it. He didn't quite enjoy the fact that he would be sharing this room with 3 other students for the next few years. Two of them human. Two of them females. He wondered if there was a curfew. If not, he could just sleep in one of the school's many gardens. Shaking his head he grabbed the door knob, turned and opened it. Walking in, he closed the door shut behind him. He quickly picked a bed and dropped his pack on the ground next to it. Plopping his bottom next to the bag and bed, he pulled out its contents and set some of the items on the mattress. Mostly his school uniforms, neatly folded. The rest were a set of tools and materials which he left in the pack.

He unhooked his gauntlets from his belt and removed his winch from his back, beginning to work on them. Unspooling the metal chains on his winch, he replaced it with braided steel cables. The chains left in pile next to him. Using a random assortment of tools, he disassembled his gauntlets and laid its parts spread out in an organized fashion. Quietly examining its parts, he rapidly reassembled it but left out some of its unnecessary armor and its metal spike. Rummaging through his pack, he pulled out some leather and began to cut and fashion a crude leather bracer. Punching holes and sewing it up, he slipped the bracer onto his arms and flexed his fingers to check the general fit and feel. Good enough for now. Grabbing the skeleton of his gauntlets, he laid it over the leather bracer and locked it onto his arms. Examining his crude alterations to his weapon, he was happy with the general look and feel of the weapon.

Picking up the metal spike, he wondered if he should machine a new one. Perhaps a spike more like an arrow or harpoon with serrations. Removing his gauntlets, he put away the unused materials and tools and set his equipment in front of him. Creating a mental checklist of what final work needed to be done. He needed to have eyelets/hooks on the ends of his winch's cables, fashion a higher quality leather bracer, and potentially machine a different spike. Nodding to himself, he picked up the skeleton of his gauntlets and removed the Dust Crystals embedded within them with a tool. Replacing them with new ones from his pack. Satisfied with his alterations, he set his equipment on his chosen bed and tossed the pack given to him at its foot after pulling a towel from it.

He swiftly stripped off all of his clothes and tied the towel around his waist tightly. Next on his agenda was to shower, launder his clothes, eat dinner, and go to sleep. Scanning his space, he made sure everything was neatly put away. Satisfied, he left the room wearing only his towel and searched for the shared showers..

OOC: w/ Pyromania

When she got back to the room, Schwarz was a bit surprised she was still the only one there. Apparently the others didn’t mind taking their time. Was she the only one this worn out? The thought that she might be the ‘frail weak one’ in the team made her shudder, and the fact that each and every of her teammates looked more sturdy than herself didn’t help. Then again, she DID fight off two giant snakes today. That entitled her to some rest in her mind.

Making full use of the advantage of being the first to pick, she claimed the left windowside bed. Unzipping her bags, she fished out her PJs composed of black shorts and sports bra. As long as her wings could be free, modesty could go stuff itself. Hopping on the bed, she began to sort out and shelve the rest of her stuff. It looked like she had everything, except…

Her weapon. What ever it’s name was again, Francesca had put returning Schwarz Nacht’s weapon in the back of her mind. Beyond assisting in killing the giant spider with it, Francesca had kept it on her person in case she met Schwarz. On a related note, she was surprised that she had not been picked for captain. Sure, she had not been extremely social with the rest of her team aside from Kael. Still, she had still jumped at giving her teammate a chance to escape his bonds from the giant enemy spider. That aside, she wasn’t very fond of her team’s leader. With free time now, she needed to return Schwarz’s weapon... Now where was she?

When she was done sorting out her stuff, Schwarz lied down on the bed and fished the headphones out of her drawer. Putting on some of her boring lullaby tunes, she started drifting off into sleep when someone rang the doorbell. Some of her teammates probably got fed up with the ceremony and decided to get out of there.

"It's open!" Schwarz shouted to be heard through the door.

“Is it now?” Francesca mentioned when she heard. Somehow she found herself at the right door. Funny. “Then I shall let myself in.” Sucking in her disdain, she opened the door and entered with the Faunus’ weapon in hand. “Greetings.”

Hearing the door creak, one red eye lazily opened and looked in the general direction. Oh, it’syou. Schwarz thought bitterly when she saw Francesca in the room. “Oh, hi.” she said, trying to use neutral tone. She got up and swung her head to throw her bangs out of her eyes. She reached out with an open hand: “I believe you have something of mine?”

“Here.” Francesca said as she tossed the weapon at Schwarz. “I believe I’m finished here then.” She then started to head out the door then...

"You're welcome." Schwarz muttered under her breath. The other girl turned to leave, but Schwarz wasn't done with her yet. The Swansong whizzed past Francesca's ear before embedding itself in the door and slamming it shut. She briefly wondered what to say, but decided to take the easy way. Sighing, she fished in the drawer and pulled out a sketch. "Hey... Could I get an opinion on something?" she asked, handing the paper over.

It was a drawing of the weapon she intended to build. It was a dagger with perforated blade that would hold three spherical dust capsules. The weird thing was a set of unmarked buttons on the grip. "Is it possible to make that blade without it shattering on first impact?" she asked. While she didn't intend to use the weapon for melee, it would still be nice to have the option. But she didn't have the skill to guess if it wouldn't be too thin around the perforations.

“It doesn’t appear I have a choice.” Francesca said aloud. It seemed to be true anyhow. She wasn’t sure how to act around this girl. That aside, she needed to at least see what Schwarz wanted. After grabbing the weapon and returning it to its owner. . . Again. . . She took a look at the plans. “Make that blade without it shattering on first impact?” The song in her ear was some instrumental piece, “Depends on how you plan on the method you plan on making it with.” After a moment of silence and staring at the plans she spoke again, “How exactly did you plan on making it?”

“Well...” Schwarz looked aside. She never did like admitting to weaknesses. “I’m a fire wizard, not a blacksmith. I was thinking I’d just make the whole blade and then melt and burn my way through?” she said sheepishly, scratching the back of her head.

“Are you an idiot that thinks that you can literally fight fire with fire?” It was an almost completely serious question. Who actually thought they could sear right through metalworking? “If you try to make a blade like that then you might really break it upon making it instead of the first hit.” Francesca stared into Schwarz’s eyes, “I use the word ‘break’ lightly.” Implying that there should be a stronger word here that she cannot be bothered to think of at the moment.

Schwarz was about to argue back, but was stopped by the stunning set of beautiful amber eyes gazing at her. She could just look back, barely registering what Francesca was saying, until she realized she dragged her gaze way too far into an awkward silence after Francesca finished her rant. “Eh!” she yelped, breaking the eye contact.

“Hey! Do you think I would suggest something I knew I couldn’t do?” she sighed, “Sheesh, after today I thought I could earn some respect at least as far as my skill goes. Man some people are hard to please.” she said, reaching for pencil and setting it in front of her eyes while her other hand brushed against her wand. “I’ll have you know, when I have peace to focus, I have pencil point precise aim.” she said, her eyes narrowing and glowing a faint crimson. In a split second, the pencil split in half, slight char marks across the otherwise smooth surface where the two parts used to be one.

“Congratulations. You can split a pencil in half.” Francesca said slightly aggrivated by this girl’s opinion on making weapons. “Now, putting that into bladecrafting, it would make a still useless weapon for what we are suppose to be fighting. Caring for the metal and blade makes a better weapon than just cutting out the shape. There are many things you need to do to make a great weapon.” She couldn’t help but sigh. She disliked people that were in the business and didn’t really know about weapon making.

“Well, it is a dust carrier first and foremost.” Schwarz defended, fighting the urge to deck this woman one in the jaw. “I just like for them to have a practical use as well, although that’s already taken care of quite well by the hilt part.” she said. The mage wasn’t sure how long it would take her to adapt from words to melodies, but she was certain it was a step in the correct direction. “But hey, that’s why i’m asking. Feel free to just leave if my being alive insults you so.” she retorted, thinking of a way to try and play on Francesca’s nerves, “I’ll just ask the Rose girl. She seems to have more vivid imagination for intricate designs.” she said, trying to see what would happen if the other girl’s skill was doubted.

Francesca scoffed, “As if intricate dictates practical.” There was a difference after all. Sure that small girl’s scythe was an intricate design, but it didn’t mean it was the most practical weapon in the world. “If that’s what you think. . .” She just went silent with a look of pity. She rarely ever got this boisterous. Not that her tone was really boisterous.

"Then would you just give me a workable idea already instead of finding every excuse to knock me down a peg?" Schwarz exclaimed. She did catch the subtle hint of wounded pride from the other girl, but it did her no joy. She was just that kind of sucker that would feel like a scumbag herself every time she tried to get back at the others.

“You act like I and those like me are pimples on society’s ass, so why stick around?” Schwarz inquired, “I saw the record of the fight, I know the closed door is hardly an obstacle to you. So why are you still here? Does it make you happy to make me hurt with every word you say?”

She wasn't even angry though. "It's sad. Do you ever smile? Is there still a heart that feels somewhere in there?" the swan asked, "I've had life put me through the ringer, but I can still find some joy in it. I can't imagine what you've had to go through that left you this sorry, abrasive husk of a woman. Do you have anything worth living for?" she put out there, not really expecting an answer other than maybe being punched to the gut, but she had to say it.

“What I’m doing now. This.” With a point of her finger toward the ground “Being a hunter.” Francesca muttered loud enough for Schwarz to hear. “This is what I’m living for. When my father died. . . This is what he wanted for me. To be a hunter.” There was a bit of sincerity in her voice. “Does that answer your question?”

Schwar sighed: "In part. But I understand how that feels. More than you know." she said, barely above the whisper. It was obvious on her face that she was fighting tears. She never got over that day. Mom, dad, brother, Ashley... Everyone gone in just a few minutes. She pulled her knees to herself and choked down a sob, looking away. It took her a few seconds to compose herself. She wasn't in mood for this anymore though. Or in a mood for living really. "Well, sorry to delay you."

“ . . .” Francesca stood silent for a second before turning and heading to the door. She had originally thought she would just leave without a word but she decided to open her mouth again. “If you plan on making a decent blade, you should probably have someone like me, someone who knows how to work a blade, to help.”

Schwarz perked up a little at that. Despite everything her plan somehow came to fruition. Nodding, she flipped out her scroll and sent over her contact details:

Name: K. Schwarz Nacht
Number: 742 563 541
Message:
I’ll hold U 2 it! - XOXO