@Plank Sinatra@Write@Silvan Haven@HereComesTheSnow


"Martyring yourself for our 'sacrifices'?"

Remarkably selfless of her. Remarkably foolish too.

There was no benefit whatsoever to the path Nuit had chosen to embark on. She was only intensifying her own pain by forcing it all under a shitty little façade, and eventually one day that mask would shatter into a million little pieces. It would be made clear that she wasn't fine. Hadn't been fine.

And if she kept on pathetically trying to keep it intact, she never would be.

"Don't feed me that bullshit."

Gratia's gaze didn't waver from Nuit's face.

"Just because your wings are back doesn't mean your shit smells like roses," she said flatly. "You're not fine. You're a fucking mess, and don't even think of pretending otherwise. That isn't helping anyone."

It wouldn't fool them either.

"You don't fucking owe shit. 'Fail them'? Don't make me laugh."

They didn't need to see Bianca's fake happiness. Those reassured by such a gesture would have never cared in the first place.

What they really wanted to do was help.

"Do you think you'll really fix your problems if you keep running away?"

Good, he can play lifeguard.

Andromeda paused for a moment to get a reply back before looking up at the approaching Charon.

my hero

She glanced up just in time to see the effect of Charon, who had taken a seat across from her with a pretty bland looking excuse for breakfast, removing his hat. And subsequently revealing what was best described as really goddamn bad hairday. That, combined with the fact that he looked downright miserable, was a sight to behold. She smirked, somewhat satisfied that she wasn't the only one who had a time of it getting out of bed this morning.

"You look like you got electrocuted," Andromeda chirped, before adding helpfully, "and then someone stole your lunch money."

She stopped for a moment, mid-chew, to consider possibilities.

"...I mean, I'll go kick their ass for you, but it'll have to wait until number four here kicks in," She stirred said cup of coffee with her free hand.

"Say, any idea where the boss went too? Haven't seen him yet."

@SuperCustodiam@Crimson Raven

It was official; Apophis hated fashion.

The bartender had several rooms at the back of the bar, one of them being the guest rooms he specifically set up for Apophis. In the guest room was a wardrobe full of Mark's old clothes, many of them oversized for the bartender himself. Considering how Apophis had a body stronger than titanium, they technically fit the guy pretty well.

The only problem was that many of them made him look like, as Apophis called it, a "fuccboi."

Walking out of the guest room with a graceless stride, Apophis revealed himself in tight jeans and a red flower shirt. The bartender simply raised an eyebrow.

"You look like Bob Marley if he really got out of touch."

"Shut up."

---

Apophis dressed himself up again, this time in a business suit.

"You're like Agent 47 except even uglier."

"Shut up."

---

This time, the ex-manhunter got into some Native tribe outfit, fully including feathers, bonetooth necklaces, and undergarments made of leather.

"..."

"Shut up."

"I didn't even- Wait, why is that even in my wardrobe?!"

---

After thirty whole minutes of dressing the man up over and over again, the redhead eventually settled for a dull-blue set of a hoodie and sweatpants. Beneath the hoodie was a hazy red turtleneck shirt that nicely covered a nasty gash spread across the side of his neck.

"Congrats! You finally look like a decent human being." Mark exclaimed as he clapped for the red-haired man. "Sangue's gonna love this."

"UghhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH."

Smacking the Apophis' back, the bartender laughed. "Relax, she really won't mind whatever getup you put on. She's kinda like that."

"That's not what I'm being pissy and edgy about," Apophis muttered as he walked over to sit at the counter again. "It's just... Something about this doesn't feel right."

"What doesn't feel right?"

Rolling his eye, the ex-manhunter glanced at the Bacardi the bartender slid to his direction as he snatched it and downed half of the bottle instantly. Slamming the bottle against the counter lightly, the redhead took a deep breath.

"This wasn't what I tried to be, y'know?" Apophis said, almost laughing at the irony of his situation. "I wanted to be a goalless and helpless psychopath. Now I'm a helpful psychopath with the goal of watching some girl grow up.

"Dropping all of the shit I caused back then all of a sudden doesn't feel right."

Nodding, the bartender poured himself some Everclear as he took a sip from his glass. The redhead continued on as he glared at his reflection from the bottle.

"There're probably still things that I needed to annihilate which are still alive," he seethed under his own breath. "I just KNOW I missed something important. I can still go back if I wanted to. But..."

As Apophis sighed, Mark shrugged as he put down his glass on the counter. "Well, think of it this way," the blond man said with a small smile. "Rather than focusing on what should be dead or alive like a massive edgelord, how about you just focus on Sangue and yourself? I'm sure you yourself could have a dose of innocence from something other than Miss Naga. You'll also be half the edgelord you already are if you do that, so why not?"

The redhead's silence was enough to imply that he agreed with Mark.



Apophis decided that he'd hit the night at Mark's place until the next day. After all, things were going to get real hectic and annoying as balls for him at that time.

@Plank Sinatra @Kaithas @NarayanK

He’d always kinda wanted siblings. Living with his Dad had always been kinda cool in its own way, they’d been really close. Until things went south. But it was also a little lonesome. There’s a certain bond siblings have, a camaraderie impossible to explain. A familiarity and a trust, a sort of closeness and support you’d be hardpressed to find anywhere else. Family was forever in a way that only the closest friendships could match.

Blinking away sleep, eyelids knitted tight against the intruding light, Ben knew he’d found family. It was impossible to explain. Given a hundred years he still couldn’t do it. There was no rational reason this crew of misfits was family, but he knew in his heart of hearts that he was home. These chucklefucks were his family. The snake, the stripper, and his best friend. It was Lauren’s bed he woke up in, though for the life of him he couldn’t remember how he got there. Especially since Lauren herself was over in Amy’s. This jumble of thoughts went through his head in his first few waking moments, during the aimless Purgatory that lays between sleep and the dawn’s harsh light. And it was harsh. The first thing he realized was that he needed coffee. The second was that Lauren’s ton of blankets were way too warm, which probably accounted for his shirt discarded a few feet away.

Bastille’s leader rolled out of bed groggily, putting feet to floor quietly enough to avoid waking anyone. Sangue was already gone, probably getting an early start, but Amy and Lauren were still sleeping. Best to let them stay that way after the night he and Lauren had. What of it he could remember, at least. He did remember losing his bet. Lawnslot was tucked snugly against Lauren’s chest and he didn’t feel the slightest bit bad about it.

It was still in the family.

He muffled the yawn building up in his chest with a balled fist while he shuffled over to the coffee maker, listening with satisfaction as it whirred its way to the life-saving substance. The only pause, once he had coffee in hand, en route to his desk was by Amy’s bed. Sleep was the only way she was ever quiet, and though he wouldn’t say it to her face, she was damn cute like this. He ruffled her hair briefly, smiling a little at the sleepy, absent ’mrrr’ she uttered, and continued to his desk. The sleep was still heavy on his brain when he sat down, driven slowly off by a few blinks and the hot coffee in his cup, but his purpose was clear. The movements were still a little fumbling while he grabbed a notebook and opened it, but every action was more purposeful than the last.

Yesterday’s mission had stuck with him, maybe not the same way as it would’ve for someone else. He wasn’t upset, or scared, or angry, he just… Knew something he didn’t when he woke up yesterday. Bastille was his family, and he trusted them without fail. Artorius and Lawnslot were designed so he could handle everything by himself. They excelled at nothing, because they needed to do everything. Lauren’s education in their maintenance (while she made him a replacement for Lawnslot) was a golden opportunity to give them a revamp. Bastille was his family, and that meant he could trust them to have his back. It also meant no one got to lay a fucking finger on them. Anyone, anything, that wanted to would have to step over his battered, broken body for the goddamn chance. The woman who’d used her last breaths to signal for help was forefront in his mind, a measure of resolve he found he could understand for the first time. It didn’t matter, at a certain point, what happened to you. What mattered was what happened to your family.

So Ben found himself looking over a few sheets bearing, in a rough shorthand, the header on each page;



The pages themselves were messy and hard to follow, a mess of crossed out words and pictures, with a few phrases underlined or circled here and there. It was an idea he’d batted around a little on the way to Beacon, but he had revisited it last night; that much he could remember. It explained, too, why some of the later additions were even messier than the rest. But the drawing on the last occupied page was clear, something he had gone to great pains to make perfect even while drunk. It was exactly what he needed. If he was gonna give Lauren hell over needing an upgrade, he did too. The Manticore Refinery had been a wakeup call even though it was a success. The monsters out there were big, and it wasn’t hard to fall prey to one. A sobering realization, but an important one. He couldn’t keep skating by on the bare minimum needed to win.



Glancing at the diagram he had finished the night before, he knew that it’d do the trick. It had the potential to be his best work yet. It wouldn’t be cheap. Glancing at the materials list he had started before, a list almost illegible between the drinks and his fatigue, he knew it really wouldn’t be cheap. It was a damn good thing he’d gotten paid. The raw materials alone would cost a mint. He couldn’t cheap out on them. The right metals for durability, strong enough but flexible enough, metals that could stand up to the stresses it’d experience, didn’t come cheap. If he were back home he could have asked his father to request a little more on his bulk order, get it cheaper. Ben wouldn’t get the bulk sale discount. The parts for the sensors, too… He couldn’t just buy the sensors he needed, he had to make them from scratch.

He was pacing on bare feet now, paying no mind to the rising sun while he wrote in his notebook. It was a damn good thing he’d gotten paid, though the orders would still give his wallet a hit. He’d have to check the armory workshop, too. A whole afternoon would be needed just to get his tools. A craftsmen didn’t just buy his tools; every weaponsmith had the same core toolbox, sure, but that wasn’t what they made themselves. Whenever they had a specific need, they made the tool themselves. Ben would have to assemble a few years of custom tools all at once. And he’d have to make sure the workshop was equipped to handle the alloys he was using, too. It took some damn high end machines to work with metals like these. Ben casually munched on an apple from the room’s fruit bowl while he worked, refilling his coffee mug when it emptied and pausing when he needed to give one thought particular attention.

That was how he spent his waking hours, right up until the first “cap”. While Lauren woke and fought with her alarm (or attempted to, given that she’d somehow dropped her phone down Amy’s shirt) he grabbed a second mug and poured another cup of coffee.

“Morning babe,” He commented, setting the mug down on Amy’s nightstand and tossing his notebook onto his desk. “Drink up, you’re gonna need it.”

Remembering his other task, now that he was thinking about something other than his work, he picked up a plastic bag off of his bed and set it on Sangue’s. Exactly why he had ended up in a department store past midnight was another story, but he and Lauren had seen a whole “as seen on TV” aisle and the rest was history. He’d bought a blanket with sleeves because he and Lauren agreed that the quietest member of the team would love a blanket she could use without having to take her arm out from under it, and planned to tuck it away until the holidays. Kind of silly, but they were drunk. A little further thought with a sober mind changed the plan a bit. He figured now was as good a time as any to give it to her. There was enough time before then and enough lien in his wallet to do better than for the holidays.

It was better as a fun little victory gift, anyway.

“Rise and shine. Sangue beat us all to getting up.”

"No clue, he was up and at em' before any of us, but let me check my scroll..." His right hand dug into his pocket, only to find that it was devoid of said scroll, which made him quickly dig into his left pocket, and with not much luck. He gave up leaned back in his chair and let out a big sigh of frustration.

"That is, IF I had my Scroll!" Charon ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to tame the monster, but it simply bounced back, much to his annoyance. He put his purple hat back on with another sigh, and finished his bowl of cereal, slurping down the rest of the milk and placing the bowl back on the tray.

"Just another drop in the bucket of things that went wrong this morning," He hung his head in misery, hoping that maybe this crap-full morning will turn out for the better. Charon glanced over at Andromeda, sipping her cup of coffee when he noticed that there were 3 other empty mugs off to the side.

"Did you get yourself enough caffeine? Heck, you drink anymore and I don't think you'll be able to sleep a day if you keep it up at this rate!" He shoved another spoonful of cereal into his mouth while she finished her coffee off.

"Oh? You look like you need caffeine yourself, considering how you got up last, AND late for breakfast! So I can drink as many as I please thank you very much!" She retorted, setting down her 4th mug with the rest.

Charon snorted, "Hmph, touché" while crossing his arms and glancing away from her. "I don't know what came over me to sleep through this morning," he put his right index finger to his lip, "Maybe I'm still worn through from Friday's sparring session in class?" He looked back to Andromeda, who simply shrugged.

Charon sighed once more, "Ah to hell with it, I shouldn't dwell so much on feeling like crap." He popped his neck and leaned forward in his seat, "So tell me, what's on your schedule today?"

He moved the tray aside and rested his elbow on the table, supporting his head while half-listening to Andromeda, but his mind quickly wandered, and started looking around at the other students, taking note on the extensive variety of both human and faunus around him. He felt the current of auras flowing around him, some more intense than others, and he couldn't really stand staying around much longer. He needed some solitude, as he was starting to crack under the pressure of so many auras that it was getting to the point were his head was starting to ache a little bit.

He sighed and rubbed his knuckles against his forehead, trying to regain his own senses and to keep them focused on himself, all in the while he forgot that Andromeda was probably talking to her. Then again, he already ignored her before she even began, so asking what she was talking about probably wouldn't be a great way to portray that he was tuned in.

Then a hand appeared in his face an snapped him into attention, "Are you even listening to me?"

So much for pretending to listen to what she's talking about...

Charon sat up straight with a guilty look on his face, faking a small laugh "Heh, uh yeah? I was listening the whole time I swear!"

She sat back and crossed her arms, and raised an unconvinced eyebrow. He smiled nervously, and decided it was time to get the hell out of Dodge, "Well this has been a nice chat!" He stood up, swiped up his tray, "I'm going back to the dorm to get my scroll, probably to take a shower and get a set of clothes that is not wrinkled through,"

He began to walk away before he paused to tell her one more thing: "Do me a favor and see if you can find the boss and let me know what he's up to?"

Andromeda's dual colored eyes gave him a look that could zap him where he stood, "Alright, I'll let you know when I find him."

"Sounds good, uh, see you later!" And without another word, he ran off to the dish-rack area to unload his dishes and exited the mess hall.

@Caasicam @Crimson Raven

Cooking with white coal would make sure that the kebabs were grilled evenly and tasty. Only downside was that it’d take a while for them to cook. Still Gren had no issues taking his time, enjoying the sight of the oil dripping off the meat and popping onto the charcoal below. The smell of pork and beef slow roasting over the low fire. The fragrant scent of the mushrooms swelting in the heat, their sweet aroma wafting through the air. And the gentle breeze due to being near the cliff’s side just made sure that this scent wafted not only near the grill, but the entire air docks. With any luck Shiro would catch a whiff of this and make a beeline straight to Gren and Sangue.

Gren didn’t miss Sangue’s rapted attention to his cooking. If her eagerness with the Suikan’s were any indication, she was probably hungry. Now that he thought about it, didn’t he and Shiro catch her while at the cafeteria? They must have grabbed her before she could eat breakfast… Now Gren was feeling kinda guilty. Not the sort of guilty that he’d bother thinking about the whole day, but guilty enough that once one of the kebabs were ready, she handed the skewer towards Sangue. He had a cloth napkin wrapped around the handle, to absorb oil and protect one’s fingers from the hot metal skewers.

”First one of the day! Careful, they’re hot. The bell peppers have some spicy chicken in it too, so if you don’t like those you can just save them for me.” Gren took out two more bottles of water for him and Sangue, as well as a large bottle of cider and some disposable cups. These cups were recyclable to ensure that they can be left in Forever Fall and they’ll degrade harmlessly into nature. He poured himself, Sangue, and a third cup for Shiro will more apple cider. ”I was going to save this once we were in Forever Falls, but I’m getting some munchies. Plus I still have plenty of food and charcoal left, so we can have a little snack for now.” Taking out a booklet, it was a list of sorts of the various things one could eat in Forever Falls, which Gren hoped to try while they were there. The red sap of course was one of the better known edibles of the forest, but Gren also had a list containing a variety of mushrooms, fungi, and and root vegetables. He’d do a bit of hunting too, but he typically catches his game with traps as opposed to using his weapon. The God Eater doesn’t exactly leave much left after successfully hitting a target after all.

Putting his book away Gren handed Sangue another ready skewer, while taking one for himself. ”I love grilling. Reminds me of home. I’d remember me and my brothers and sisters going out to a little river a long walk away from the house. We’d start a little campfire, set up the grill, catch some fish, cook them right then and there. Roast them too, but that’s just semantics I guess. I used to be smaller back then if you could believe that. Small enough to actually swim in a river, as oppose to just sinking into it like I do now.” Gren’s mind wandered back to better, more innocent times before this whole “White Fang” nonsense that shaped him to what he was now. Back when Gren still had older siblings.

”What about you Sangue, what do you like to eat?”

@NarayanK

Sangue hadn't paid attention to anything else aside from the grill in front of her, so when Gren handed her the skewer, she jumped a little. The realization that she could have unintentionally ignored him for a bit made her think that she needed to not fall to the temptations food brought to her. Still, it was strange to notice that mushrooms smelled nice when they were being cooked- she had eaten cooked mushrooms before after living in the cities for a bit, but never did she eat grilled ones.

Either way, she had a good history with them. The poisonous mushrooms in the mountains didn't hurt her, so she did not hate them for giving her something to eat... but mushrooms without poison generally had better taste for her.

Without a second thought, Sangue quickly took the skewer as she bowed quietly to him before staring at the thing for a bit. She remembered Apep just eating really hot foods without much hesitance, but Sangue had once burned her tongue while eating from a bowl of black bean noodles. It was an unpleasant feeling, even though the noodles tasted good.

So she waited a bit, softly blowing air at the kebab skewer she held with both of her hands before taking a bite.

One bite was enough for the grilled food to exceed her expectations.

If one were to peak into Sangue's mind, they would be greeted with a universe exploding with an intensity that could only be rivaled by dozens of supernovas.

...It's good... she thought, glancing at Gren before the skewer. When she glanced at him again, she bowed slightly again before she hungrily devoured the rest of the food stuck on the skewer. She chewed slowly as if she were a snake trying to digest its food, yet her eyes shone as if she were standing by a warm fireplace.

Eating almost made Gren's question fly by unanswered. Snapping back to reality, Sangue turned to Gren before staring at the now bare skewer in her hands.

Her favorite food...?

It would technically be the very first things she ate with Apep when they went to the cities of Vale. Bread, and some coffee. Both in a chilly winter day left a taste that she could not forget after having eaten things without any cooking knowledge at her old home.

"Bread," she whispered. "Warm bread... on... a cold day. And... coffee... with it...

"But... I like to... eat anything... As long as... it lets me... live..."

_{@Lucius Cypher}

@Lucius Cypher@Suku

"Gren and Abel and... Huh. I didn't know they had a pet", in fact were they even allowed pets? He wanted an owl or something. Regardless what was probably most amazing was how a small creature such as this ferret was able to consume one of these chicken sandwiches in record time, and these sandwiches weren't exactly small either. Jack was eating his share at his own pace.

"So it's Scoot then? How're you able to... Uhh, communicate with us...?", he wondered. No matter what, the most interesting detail here was that it was able to communicate with them, telepathically no less.

Skyra had turned her head right towards Diamond when the psychic head-flick hit her. Her head jerked backwards and she let out an adorable "Ow!"

A second later her head snapped back and she rubbed her forehead. "Was that really necessary...?" Skyra's voice trailed off as she started to smell something. "Huh?"

Sniff. Sniff sniff. Sniff sniff sniff sniff...
It seemed to come from outside... It smelled good... Real good. Sniff.

Skyra slowly moved towards the exit of the infirmary poking her head out into the corridor. The smell was still there.
Keeping both of her hands on the wall, Skyra stalked forwards, always following her nose.
Soon enough, she arrived at the entrance of the Academy and opened the doors, just to be assaulted with an even stronger strain of said smell.
She didn't even notice that she was still moving ahead until she arrived at the air docks where she found the most wonderful sight of the day.

Something wet tickled her chin and she wiped it off, only to be replaced by even more wetness around her chin and her mouth.
It seemed she was, in fact, drooling. Yep...
And there was meat frying on a barbecue.
Drip. Drip. Drip... more drool... Staaaaaaaaare.
She glared at the hulking figure at the head of meat-making. She definitely wanted some and she was going to get it, even with the fiercest of opposition!

With the decisions made, Ozpin turned his attention to another student and left the three to talk amongst themselves. Though she had been quiet before, Sand was the first to comment on her joining their team officially. A soft smirk grew on Trad’s face when she remarked about running past them in the forest.

”Can’t say I saw that coming either. Nevertheless, it’s good to have to you on board. Let me be the first to welcome you to team...team…” Trad trailed off as he tried to come up with a name. They weren’t Redingot anymore, and with Robert’s leadership suspended it wasn’t clear whose name would take the front, so they were left with T, G, S, and maybe R in any order. ”Well, I guess the name’s pending. No matter, I’ll show you to the dorms. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to kick back a bit without having to check the walls for creeps every few minutes.” With that Trad signaled for the others to follow him out of the air docks.

Walking the familiar halls of Beacon was an excellent change of scenery. The solid walls, the intact doors, everything was secure and comforting to the hunter who for the last few days had only seen ruin and desolation. He didn’t have long to dwell on it, however, as his thoughts were disrupted by the frantic buzzing of his scroll. Now that they were in cell range all the messages sent to him were just now coming in. There were only a few worth noting, one from the school itself talking about some sort of parents day, and one from his pal Diamond:

From: Bad Habit Partner
Yo. Are you guys back yet? Are you in one piece?

Using the rest of the time walking Trad quickly replied to Diamond while making sure not to run into anyone or anything.

To: Bad Habit Partner
Just got back. Most of us are but, things didn’t go well for us. I’ll tell you more later. How’s everyone on your end?

Just as he hit send they arrived at their destination. ”Well, here we are.” Trad said as he opened the door and held it open for Sand. ”Not sure if it compares to the dorm you had at Atlas but I’m sure you’ll agree it’s better than bedrolls in a ruined fort.”

Trad continued the mock tour pointing everything out for the new member, ”Bathroom is over there by mine and Grane’s beds, if you need to study we have a few desks right here by Robert and Delta’s…” Trad stopped mid sentence as he heard what just came out of his mouth.

Up until now, Trad had simply looked upon Delta’s death as a casualty of combat. A loss that while great was all part of the job. But at this moment it finally hit him. The boy was gone. He hadn’t been close, they had only really known each other for a week, but Delta’s family, his friends, they had lost him forever.

”Well, I guess it’s your bed now…” Trad finally forced out after his somber moment of realization. It was then he knew he couldn’t relax without knowing they wouldn’t lose another. ”If you don’t mind, I think I’m going to go check on Robert, see if they know the extent of his injuries.”

After dropping his equipment off on his bed Trad hastily left the dorm heading straight to the infirmary.

@Lazo@Nytem4re@Forsythe@Guess Who

When Trad arrived at Robert's room in the infirmary, he would find the redhead sitting up in his bed and staring out the window. When the shield-bearer approached and tried to see what it was that had captured his attention so much, he would discover that the former team leader didn't appear to be looking at anything in particular at all, and even if he walked in front of the boy's vision, he would receive no reaction. Just constant staring at something thousands of yards away. Or maybe he wasn't looking through the young Oak at all. Maybe the young hunter really was looking at nothing.

However, if Trad was truly determined to snap his teammate out of his strange daze, the shouting of his name or the feeling of a hand on his shoulder would most likely do the trick. "Huh? Oh, hey Trad. Was just doing a bit of daydreaming," Robert said, acting like he hadn't been doing anything strange just moments ago. "What's up?"

The boy certainly looked like he'd seen better days. A quarter of his face was covered in gauze to keep the cut on his head from continuing to bleed, band-aids ran up and along his arms and legs to cover the wounds left by the shrapnel of a missile, and he looked even paler than usual, which was saying quite a lot. However, that still wasn't the worst of it as his hospital gown covered the old childhood injuries on his back and the new one on his chest.

@Awesomoman64

@PyroDash888@Kaithas@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN@Forsythe@floodtalon

"Wait come back!" Emerald called as she noticed Skyra exiting the infirmary, but it was already too late. Skyra had been ensnared by the delicious aroma of barbecue. It did smell really good, even though Emerald had already had cookies, milk, and fish...she was still kind of hungry. She glanced at her teammates and pouted, she really didn't want to have to listen to this team meeting stuff, she wasn't in best state of mind for that kind of thing. She didn't want to talk about the mission, it just reminded her how badly it had gone.

Emerald had a certain look in her eyes, the sort of look she usually had when she was up to something. Her teammates weren't really paying close attention to her at the moment, and after eating she wasn't feeling quite so dizzy as she was before. She carefully pulled out the IV in her arm before slipping out of bed as quietly she could and slipping out of the door after Skyra.

Perfect! I'll just come back before they notice I left! They'll never notice~ They would totally notice, but Emerald wanted to pretend otherwise. She followed the scent of barbecue, figuring that Skyra must of followed it as well. She didn't follow particularly fast, she was still in a hospital gown and not fully recovered. But at least she wasn't stumbling around with a dizzy spell, and the pain meds were doing their job of keeping the pain to a minimum...they didn't help with her attention span though...

She wandered around for what seemed like forever, but was probably only a few minutes, till she saw her target. "Skyraaaaaaaa...." She walked up to the other cat faunus and started poking her arm incessantly. "You abandoned me for barbecue...I can't really blame you for that but...it's sooooooooo boring in the infirmary."

”Bread and coffee eh? Nothing wrong with that! Sometimes a simple meal is all you need.” Gren smiled as a few more kebabs were about ready for consumption. He wasn’t much of a baker so he couldn’t really think how to make bread. He’s made a cake with his mother before, though all he did was stir the ingredients together and watched the oven. Coffee he could do though. In face, some coffee right now would be nice. ”Ya know if you want, you could always come find me and I’ll try to cook you something up. I do it for my team all the time. Of course, bring the rest of your crew too! The more the merrier.”

And just as he said that, Skyra appeared. She wasn’t the cat that Gren had hoped to attract with his cooking, but he supposed that it’d only be inevitable that someone came to investigate. Soon after Skyra was Emerald, the other feline faunas. ”I’m getting all this pussy, but stil no sign of Shiro.” Gren mused to himself. Sighing, Gren reached into his cooler to take out more kebabs. Originally he made enough for him and Sangue, but now with more guests, Gren was going to need to grill up more food.

”Cats are outta the bag. Wussup Skyra? And how are you doing Emerald? Want some kebabs?” Gren raised up two kebabs into the air, ready to eat. The smell of their sweet, cooked meat wafted through the air, lightly glazed in Gren’s BBQ sauce. While holding up the two skewers, Gren also took out more cups for Emerald and Skyra to drink from as well.

@Abillioncats@PyroDash888@NarayanK

OTHERS

Scoot tilted his head to the side as if he was thinking. He didn’t think for long. ”Dunno!” Said chipperly as he proceeded to skamper back to Cian, crawling up her body and onto her shoulder. He shivered a little and nuzzled closer to her neck. The only reason he didn’t try to dive into Cian’s bosom was because she lacked… Warmth. ”Scoot always talk. Jack talk, Scoot talk!” It would seem that while Scoot certainly had a heighten body and mind, he was still a rather foolish animal. Fortunately, the little furry creature was hyperactive enough to start rambling on about his own life, which may be something that Jack and Cian might be interested in.

”Scoot live on island! People found Scoot, give Scoot food, give Scoot home, and poked Scoot. Poking hurt, but Scoot okay now. Big flashy lights and click-clack noises when people poke Scoot. Scoot dunno what click-clacky noise is or what people do. So Scoot ask, but people don’t listen. One day Scoot ask again, and people say is, um, re-cord-keep. Stud-dee. People say they wanna know me. So Scoot tell people all about me! I eat and sleep and play and hunt. Mostly eat and play. Scoot don’t like sleeping, because sleeping means no playing. But now Scoot play all the time! No more sleepy unless Scoot cold or tired. One day big boom noise on island, but Scoot wasn’t scared. Scoot strong hunter, so Scoot find big boomy noise. Then Scoot find Abel and Shiro and Gren! Shiro is nice, so Scoot stay with Shiro. Then more boomy and bada-bada and Scoot live here now! Scoot likes here. Island only had small bugs and boring chicken. Here have lots of things to hunt, and fried chicken! Scoot have Abel and Gren and Shiro too. And Jack and Cian!”

@Sho Minazuki@Suku

After dealing with Gren, Yue returned to tidying up the room. She had finished the dishes and cleaned up things like crumbs and debris. Any clothes left on the floor she put into a basket to go clean later, though she had no idea who’s clothes was who. Yue would also need to head back to the motel and pick up the rest of her things. And maybe actually socialize. The whole reason her family even let her come to Beacon was to make connections with others! Honestly, the education she could have been taught at home. It was meeting people and developing trust and bonds with them was why they sent Yue here. True, Yue’s loyalty is to the Schnee family first and foremost, but if yue ever wished to become the head maid (And she does), she’d need to be able to do more than just the basics.

Taking the laundry down to the washers, which Yue found thanks to a map of the dorm posted on the wall, Yue started the wash the clothes. It’d be some time before the washer was done so in the meantime Yue was certain that she could grab her things and get back before long. As Yue was about to leave she was wondering if she should bring her blade. The Moonlight Greatsword wasn’t exactly compact, and Yue almost never carried it with her back at home. But here at beacon she was suppose to be a hunter, and she wouldn’t be much of a hunter without a weapon. Even if she never intends to use it a weapon is more than just a hunter’s tool, but a symbol of who they are and what they represent. There was a reason why everyone wasn’t simply issued generic spears and rifles, as practical as they were. Wars were fought for the ability to express one’s unique and individual characteristics, and Yue wasn’t going to squander that opportunity. At least, she wanted to take the chance to finally do it.

So Yue returned to Team KSS’s dorm and grabbed her sword. It lacked a proper sheath, but she could at least keep it inside the case and hang it across her back. So maybe she wasn’t really showing off her weapon just yet, but at least this way she could say that she didn’t leave home without it. Adjusting her stance accordingly Yue left the dorms to the air docks, passing Team STRG’s dorm along the way. She bowed her head as she passed and continued on her way.

She was really starting to regret getting out of bed. Sepia had already nearly smacked another student in the head with a grappling hook when she closed her eyes to yawn, and it was getting harder to resist going back inside and collapsing in her room. Of course, now that she thought about it, Yue had probably already made her bed. Her overly soft, covered in throws and pillows, bed. "So cozy and-" Her knees shook as she lost her train of thought. Beacon's lawn was not a good place to pass out, so she started walking in a random direction, determined to get out of her drowsy state. Curse that infirmiry! The nurse had spent so long lecturing her that she hadn't gotten to sleep until late last night. "Don't be like that. They just worry about you students." sighing with a small amount of shame, she could practically hear her dad's voice reminding her not to be a snip. She was really starting to miss him and her mom, so she supposed it was a good thing that parent's day was coming up. Still, it was hard to shake the butterflies over how they were going to handle coming.

Lost in thought, the brunette didn't realize where she was going until she noticed that the air smelled like cooking meat. "Did I somehow end up near the cafeteria?" she wondered, looking around. No sign of anything indicating that she was in the still-somewhat unfamiliar place (thanks again, Yue), it came to her attention that she was actually near the airship docks and the smell was coming from a grill surrounded by students. As she approached them, she slipped her hand into her purse and pulled out a notebook and pen. "Hey, this may seem like a strange question, but can I know your birthdays? If you're comfortable with sharing, that is." She added, looking in particular at Skyra. At least the atmosphere seemed pretty friendly.

-and like that, the calm and peace were gone.

"It's in a motorboat," Amy deadpanned in response, sighing as she reached down her sleeping shirt and pulled it out. She glanced at the screen, smirked, then handed it to Lauren.

...

Just take the compliment.

"Thanks, I guess," she said, the smirk only intensifiying as she glanced up at Ben as he entered. "I'm less ashamed of that than of you beating me to being up, especially on a weekend-"

Oh.

Dammit.

It was parent's weekend. Right. Her slight smile didn't falter, except to maybe the most astute of observers. One less thing she had to worry about, she supposed--wasn't like Wisteria would have heard, much less show up, and her father could and she would never know it--but still, all the families being around was probably going to bother the hell out of her. Not much of the rest of the team seemed to talk about their parents, so at least she'd have them to rely on for company, even if the remainder of the few friends she'd made at Beacon would likely be busy with their relatives. She had a lot to do anyway, but...

Quina and Arin's relationship had always made her jealous.

She mentally shook her head, then looked between the others. "So. What did you two get up to last night?"

***



In all honesty, she didn't know what she was hoping for. The six year old with the bloody scalp, fledging feathers trying their best to come in, running into her arms rather than staying in her room as long as she could? The trembling hand trying to grab hers? Not happening, Wis, no way. Not after 16 years. Get over it.

Best that could happen was not getting her face smashed in--and frankly, there were days she thought she deserved it. Maybe she should just let the girl go, live her own life now that she'd finally resurfaced and Wis knew she was at least somewhat alright? But no, something kept pulling her back. The woman set her delicate jaw and shrugged slim shoulders, doing her best to seem determined with a body that was distinctly not physically intimidating.

Here goes nothing.

Immediately, Abel discovered that he'd presumed too much. The ordinarily-cheery ray of sunshine known as Krysanthe had turned downcast; evidently the guardian's estimation of her team's cohesion lay way off the mark. No amount of wanting would make it possible to stuff those errant words back in, though, so crafted a resolution to say the right thing the next time. A moment later, Abel's companion brightened herself up again anyway, and the guardian felt relieved that his thoughtless comment hadn't provoked something more dire. He nodded in affirmation, sure that such a charismatic person would be able to smooth things over for her team. A pang of jealousy prodded him when he realized that he wouldn't be able to do the same. Would Swansong be a house divided for all the years to come, or could there be some sort of reconciliation to unify the four individuals into the team they were supposed to be? That would take someone who knew how people felt and thought, who could inspire and empathize. Abel wanted to, but he could not.

The pair resumed their trek through the forest. All sorts of obstacles barred their way, from fallen trees and babbling streams to more skirmishes with Grimm, though none so atypical as the Redcap. Time slipped by; Abel ruminated repeatedly on how enjoyable the semi-combative hike was, and how the minutes never seemed to drag on. After a little while, he asked Krysanthe. “So...where are you from?”



The minute mannerisms of Ferris did not escape Ozpin's notice, but neither did they present cause for Ozpin's stately expression to change. Instead, Beacon's Headmaster returned the slight inclination of head to the new student in acknowledgment, then in the span of a few moments gave a short glance to each person present as if taking a final stock. “I'll leave you to your rest,” he intoned in a soft voice. “Farewell.” Ozpin then took his leave, returning the way he came to the tune of his cane's steady click against cobblestone.



A rhythmic and perhaps now-familiar tap-tap-tap echoed down the corridor of the infirmary. At this time of day, the main lights all throughout the facility had been dimmed so that the natural light could pour in through its plentiful windows. This also meant that the extraordinarily tall shadow of the incoming person could be easily seen through the door left open by Trad. Seconds later, headmaster Ozpin himself appeared in the aperture. A shadow veiled his face, but he wasted no time in stepping into the window's light. Its radiance revealed a look of concern on his face, though one without excessive sympathy—perhaps his concern wasn't directed, as might a nurse's or a mother's, to Robert's health.

“Good morning,” he told the two boys, though he kept his nut-brown eyes on the bedridden redhead. “I am told that you have recovered enough to converse normally. Are you available for a few words...Mr. Fallson?” Placing his cane in front of him, Ozpin clasped both hands over its top, his demeanor plaintive.

Kuhaku Shiro

Lost.

Utterly.
Horribly.
Terribly.

Lost.

At some point in his wandering, Shiro randomly decided to look up from his Scroll, having kept his attention glued to it for the better part of his time ever since accidentally leaving the Armory. Realizing that he somehow managed to get himself mixed up in Beacon's 'labyrinthine' hallways, he started to panic. Honestly, if he had remained level-headed and calm, he could've easily found his way back. But when he checked the time on his Scroll, he realized just how long he had been wandering lost in his inventive and creative flow. And Shiro wasn't one to 'remain calm, cool, and collected'.

"FFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUU-----!!!!"
How long had he kept Gren and Sangue waiting?
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH------------!!!!"
Collapsing his Scroll and pocketing it, Shiro did what he did best whenever thrown into a frenzy.
Scream.
And run around a lot.
A mortified look on his face, he wasted a few more minutes running this way and that in the hallways.
Trying to get his bearings to make his way back but only worsening his condition.
In his clumsiness, he as per usual, ran into countless other students unfortunate enough to be caught in his warpath.
Many papers and books were dropped and tossed about.
A random student who by now was more than used to Shiro's antics stepped directly into his path with arms outstretched as if ready to catch a ball in some sport.
Shiro skidded to a halt in front of the random and blinked as the student grabbed his shoulders.
"Where!"
It dawned on Shiro that the random was trying to help him.
"Armory!"
He responded just as simply as he was questioned.
The random then turned Shiro in the right direction and pointed with a sharp finger.
Shiro smiled and waved as he ducked down and started running on all fours, bolting back towards the armory to get his equipment.
"Thank you!"
And with that, Shiro tore off.

The random sighed, shaking their head and face-palming.

--

After frantically checking out his weapons from the Armory, Shiro made for the shortest path possible to the air docks. Probably breaking quite a few rules of Beacon's as he jumped out of windows, up and over objects and students, through and around various obstacles and structures with his acrobatics. The air docks in sight, a delicious smell wafted through the air and caught his nose's attention.

Sniff, sniff.
Shiro blinked, breaking his concentration mid stride as he ran on all fours.
"What's...cooking?"

Then came his defeat.
His worst enemy.
Loose rock.
Just as Shiro had his friends in the distance in sight on the air docks, one of his feet landed wrongly on a devilish and mischievous rock. It desiring nothing more than to bring ruin to Shiro and to cause him undue pain and embarrassment. Basically, it caused him to slip and lose his balance.

"GAH! SHI-!"
At the speed he was going at, he couldn't stop.
And so, crashing and tumbling along the ground in his usual destructive 'Shiro ball'
Shiro was sent somehow flying through the air at the group.
"Watch out!!"
If only he had wings or something to control his aerial trajectory, or whatever.
Flying straight at Gren's large frame, Shiro might as well have flown straight into a concrete barrier.
With a sickening SMACK! Shiro's body crumpled against Gren's armored one.
The wind completely blown out of his lungs as Shiro comically slid off of Gren to collapse on the ground.

Shiro was seeing stars, hearing illusory birds twittering as he raised a shaky arm up.
"I...I'm here! I m-..made it!"
Letting his arm drop, Shiro decided it was best to just lay there for the moment.
Let his brain and body pull itself back together after all of that self-inflicted insanity.

Gren offered to make her more food, and when he mentioned that he did not mind the presence of her team, Sangue blinked to herself. Eating food from a cook who did not disappoint with the tastes of his meals sounded nice, considering that the Faunus was nice to top it off. She felt like she should give him something for the food he let her eat.

...Should I... pay him...? Sangue wondered suddenly, glancing between the alluring kebab skewers and Gren.

The light tone behind his words let her conclude that she did not need to. She only had a few Lien on her at the moment, almost all of it being placed under the pillow of her bed.

Soon, she and Gren were not the only ones by the grill. The first incoming figure did not resemble Shiro, but rather, a dark-haired and sneaky feline failing to resist the presence of a grill. Sangue stared at the Faunus who managed to catch her attention with her straightforward, yet captivating entrance.

And soon, another cat Faunus joined in! This time, she remembered the twin-tailed girl who seemed to know the person known as "Skyra."

Her name was... Emerald.

She was a gem both figuratively and in terms of nomenclature.

Sangue watched the girls and Gren interact, noticing how they seemed to know each other well. And as she did so, her expression softened. Another Faunus, who had a very warm, coffee-like color to her, wandered to the grill and asked if they could tell her their birthdays.

Her birthday... Now that she thought about it, from what she gathered in her home, she was born in a winter night. Apep eventually clarified to her that after reading through some journals left in the house, she was born very closely to a holiday.

She never celebrated her birthday with others before. She only ever celebrated Christmas, and never mentioned that her birthday was somewhere around the month after.

Just when the word "January" quietly left her mouth, however, the loud sound of a... stoppable object crashing against an unmoving object erupted at the grill.

She tensed up when Shiro literally crashed into the Faunus in charge of the BBQ. Surprised and also concerned as to how hard Shiro crashed against the armor, Sangue wondered if she should approach him and ask if he was alright.

After waiting a moment, Sangue found Shiro to still be lying down on the ground.

...

Quietly walking over to his direction, the redhead leaned forward as she lowered her body. Looming over the bottom of his vision, she lent a helping hand- her only one- to him without a word. It was clear through her movements that she was unsure if Shiro, who literally crashed and slid off of Gren's armor, would feel okay enough to get up on his own.

_{@harinezumikouken@Pyrodash888@Abillioncats@Lucius Cypher@SevenStormStyle}

Diamond had to bite down the inside of her cheek not to laugh as Oswald shared the story of his mishap, although she was mentally cringing - that could not feel good, but she would still pay good money to see it happen. "Oh you have to tell that story some day. As amusing as that is though, not what I meant. No unyielding desires for vengeance? No want to go out there, find them and return the favor? You know, the general self-destructive, creepy tentacle aura inducing things?" she explained, worried about what the team's state of mind was. She knew she would love to grab a hammer and bash in the skulls of some of those things and it took effort and monumental distractions not to let it bother her.

She was about to ask Cobalt something along the same lines, but that was when Emerald decided to up and go chase after the recently departed Skyra, the fact that her skin was all slashed up and her system full of pain medication slipping her mind. Because, of course it did. Diamond thought. "Oh for the love of..." she said as she got up and chased after the faunus intending to knock her out if that was what it took for her to stay still and heal up properly.

As she went through the hallways searching for the infirmary escapee, Diamond heard her scroll beep and checked the message. Damn. Another team that looks like they got tenderized. Not a good day.

To: Cancerstick buddy
Sounds serious... If you want to take a breather just let me know, could use one myself. We've been hit pretty bad,
would have all kicked the bucket over there if not for some unexpected help. Meat grinder is an apt description of
that mission. I'm free until 18:00 today, tomorrow... No family to speak of, so all day I guess.

While she was at it, she also sent another message to Cobalt.

To: Take aim first ask later
You look like you'll be the first one out, assuming Emerald doesn't sneak off again. Come find me when you do,
I want to talk about something. Alone.

She caught up with the cats only to see that the attraction of the day seemed to be barbecue. So much for cookies and milk. she thought, feeling a tinge of betrayal. "Emerald Felicia, get back into the sickbay this instant or I am calling your mother!" she said in a stern tone wile pointing an accusatory finger at the faunus. If she intended to behave like a nasty child, well, that was the treatment Emerald would get.

It reminded her once more though of that damned family day. She would not let it show, but it stung. Despite the evidence of her thus far pretty much nonexistent friendships, Diamond liked to think of herself as the family type. The mob, 'touch my kin and die' family type, but hey. Well, at least it would be a day off. She recalled walking past an orphanage in the morning. Perhaps I should do something nice for the kids. It's been a long time.

@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN, @floodtalon, @Abillioncats, @Awesomoman64