[IC] Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

[Ryonara]

Getting food

"Seafood? Ah, sure." Yue went and took looked at the menu. Apparently they did sushi, only without the rice or seaweed. Yue was somewhat familiar with this style, though she's never been asked to make anything like this before. She wasn't even sure what to order. She guessed... A bit of everything? "Ah... Do you have a sampler platter of some sort? Perhaps a bit of everything?" Actually vocalizing it made Yue realize just how stupid that sound. A bit of everything, did she expect them to get every fish they had and just give her a few slices? Before the employees may try to lynch her, Yue quickly decided to make a better choice. "You know I think I'll have the tuna. With a diet soda? I'll just... Be waiting over here."

Yue then retreated from the front of the food stand and stood off to the side a bit. She fiddled with her uniform, feeling slightly embarrassed about how revealing it is. She was starting to get hot and bothered showing off this much skin in public. It wasn't that unpleasant actually. "Oh my... I just realized this is the first time I haven't work a dress or a skirt since I was a child...." Even though she didn't expose anything explicit, the fact she wasn't wearing her usual uniform made Yue feel like she was wearing nothing at all. Nothing at all. She could feel the stares piercing through her body, her breath panting heavily. "Ah... Ah... I'll be right back!" Suddenly Yue was gone. She turned the corner and went to find somewhere were no one could look at her, just so she could cool off from the excitement. She felt like a bad girl, and it felt so good.

@Crimmy@Sho Minazuki

[HereComesTheSnow]

@Crimmy@Write

Dawn Schwarz

At Galla's affirmative, the younger, more feminine member of the Two Biggest Pains in Lucas Schwarz's Ass smiled beatifically.

"Great!"

Raising a hand to beckon the other girl and her statuesque expression forward alongside her, she started off at a rather leisurely pace for a girl chasing someone who was looking to set a new land speed record on campus. One could argue it being due to her geta-clad feet not being able to put forth as much hustle compared to someone in running shoes, but that argument also fell apart fairly handily when you took into account her nonchalant pace being reflected in her entire demeanor.

If nothing else, this girl had faith in her brother's resilience.

"Last I checked, your big sister said that he's at the Armory, so that's probably where April's headed. If it isn't... Eh, she'll find her way there one way or another! As long as we get there ourselves, we'll catch her."

How admirably collected.

---

Luke and April

As the door closed behind us, I glanced (read: glared) over to the window, only to find that Tanner had walked off already.

That sleazy looking guy really could never stay in one spot, could he?

Well, if he was planning on coming in and talking to me directly, I'd be sure to give him a hard time for distracting me just long enough to get me kicked in the face. I knew he planned it playing out like that.

However sleazy and unkempt he looked, Tanner never did things without purpose. For as long as I'd known him, every bit of frivolity he had was towards some sort of point. Even when he got you wildly sidetracked in a conversation, he somehow always steered things into some kind of revelation about you, or tying it all back into whatever idea he was getting at.

It was part of why he annoyed me so much. It's one thing to see right through me, but another thing entirely to abuse that ability in ways I couldn't even keep up with.

Without meaning to, if only due to him not caring enough about doing so, he had an excellent way of making you feel small.

And speaking of feeling small, the colossal fifteen year old next to me spoke up.

"They seemed nice. How d'you know those two anyway, Nii-chan?"

Don't question me knowing nice people. I can talk to nice people just fine.

"Well, Bianca's a new teammate as well as one of the other people on that cruise that got foisted onto me, and Estelle is going to be one of the teachers here pretty soon." I explained it succinctly, sitting back down at the desk where my long-forgotten "project" sat, thankfully undisturbed by all the commotion.

"Oh, so they have to know you." she summarized.

I looked up.

"Ow..."

Bonking herself on the head and sticking her tongue out with a wink and a tee-hee!, she completely failed to realize that all the fights we'd gotten into over the years made it impossible for me to see her as cute. Even as a girl was a tough out.

"Sorry, I had to!"

"You really didn't."

"But is was right there!"

"Have you heard of the term 'low-hanging fruit'?"

"I don't want to hear about your guy problems unless you wanna hear about my girl problems."

"..."

Hello? Where can I get a new little sister? This one's defective. Not an ounce of shame!

"I mean, unless you also have girl problems to talk abou--"

I shut her up.

"Quit being a moron, April." I groused, shaking out my fist and sitting back down again.

"Ugh..." she grumbled, more out of annoyance than anything else, before leaning over the table from the other side in curiosity. "So whatcha workin' on with Mom's old Drillfists?"

I indicated a specific mechanism, located roughly at the first two knuckles.

"I'm trying to break down the drill bit and motor. Wanna reverse-engineer it."

"Oh, that shouldn't be too hard!"

Speak for yourself...

[Plank Sinatra]

Jericho Piper, never one to give a shit about Grat's happiness, had continued drifting around the room like a restless phantom while the rest of her team - all those assembled who had known her longer and better than he had - was standing transfixed at her show of affection. Something about Gratia's tone of voice had drawn him over to the object of her ire, and as Jericho stared down at it, he felt his disgust with the trinket in question beginning to roil, too.

It was stupid, on one level. An objectively pointless little thing to have a screw loose over - a little doll with straw-colored hair, wrapped in a beat-up looking caricature of a leather jacket and a faded patch of denim, with two black, soulless button eyes and a single fabric strand for a smile. It was practically featureless; yet, like all good voodoo dolls, he recognized who it was fashioned for immediately.

The damn family all looked alike.

You Fiordilattes disgust me, the message was written clearly on Jericho's grouchy snarl. Your puns suck dick and you breed like roaches.

The straw-haired doll seemed to smile back. Stupidly. Smugly.

Then I guess that makes our dad the cock-roach! the ornament replied with glee.

A low growl rumbled in Jericho's throat. He impatiently shoved the doll in one pocket of his leather jacket and resolved to mail it to Atlas for evidence later.

He wanted to toss the room over in a hunt for any more evidence of a vampire-harboring little brother, and normally this would have been the perfect time; Grat's damn giggles were sucking all the oxygen right out of the room. Unfortunately, there was an impending time bomb on his Scroll that he'd been putting off answering - and it looked like Beryl, at least, had noticed.

Sender: Bianca N. [GREENLIT (?)]
Recipient: Group - [s]Hunter in the streets, Grimm in the sheets[/s] Vale Asset Group [CLEARANCE LEVEL: N/A] (Gratia M., Lucas S., Beryl H., Jericho P.)
Message: Hey all!! Just popping in to see if anyone is free for some coffee in about an hour. Hope everyone is having a good family day ~~

Sender: Beryl H.
Recipient: Group - [s]Hunter in the streets, Grimm in the sheets[/s] Vale Asset Group [CLEARANCE LEVEL: N/A] (Bianca N. [GREENLIT(?)], Gratia M., Lucas S., Jericho P.)
Message: Sounds great. I need an excuse to get Lasai out of the dorm an

The thought of a coffee date - between Gratia, Bianca, and Luke "I'm Too Slow" Schwarz, of all people, made Jericho want to give the medicinal properties of hot tar a whirl. He pulled out his Scroll and read over the messages over again.

He supposed that, if Grat was going, her parents would be too. There was no way he was gonna be able to make a clean break that fast - especially not with Bianca keeping an eagle eye out for him.

The doll in his jacket pocket smirked. Jericho resisted the urge to crush it in his fist and began to type:

Sender: Jericho P.
Recipient: Group - [s]Hunter in the streets, Grimm in the sheets[/s] Vale Asset Group [CLEARANCE LEVEL: N/A] (Beryl H., Bianca N. [GREENLIT(?)], Gratia M., Lucas S.)
Message: Coffee. Fine. Delete my number.

At least now they wouldn't be able to call him standoffish.

Jericho, uncomfortably aware that everyone else in the room was gawking at the Mindaros, drifted back over to Grat's guitar and inspected it again, eyes inscrutable.

[Crimmy]

@HereComesTheSnow

Mindaro Mondays - Galla

"Before your brother isn't 'in one piece'?"

---

@Ryonara@Sho Minazuki

Shuai Taidan - Beacon Grounds

The young man tapped his chin thoughtfully, slender fingers slowing down to rest against his pale chin.

"Sample platter?" he mused, eyes darting towards the stand for a second. "Don't think we have that, but oh, we can definitely do tuna and diet soda! What kind do you like? We don't have a too biggie of a selection, is that okay?"

Taidan smiled brightly, the prettyboy's face radiating like the light from a fiery sun.

"Var, get some tuna done 'kay~?" he called back over to his teammate, before returning his attentions to Yue. "Just sit tight and w- eh? Where you going?"

[Sho Minazuki]

Varius Gilver

@Crimmy

"Hmph, even if our selection is small, it is the best of that small selection. Now then... Witness as I carve this tuna", in response to the order he began to cut away at a new tuna, the expert cuts left not a sliver of soft flesh against the fish's bones, the speed and finesse at which he did it was unnatural, but some may notice a slight silver tinge to his figure... Was he using his aura...? In any case, within moments it was done, a fresh batch of sashimi.

"I'm sure this shall be to your liking", he seems to have chosen to ignore that their customer had begun walking away, such was his confidence in his skill.

[HereComesTheSnow]

@Crimmy

Schwarz Cutie Number One

For someone seemingly discussing a violent sibling rivalry, Dawn smiled in a wholly unconcerned manner as she nodded in response, cowlick seeming to almost bob in time with it as if in a dance of approval as Galla caught on.

But of course, hair didn't move on its own, right? That'd be silly, regular old humans couldn't make that happen without a particularly wacky semblance.

"Yep! After a fashion, anyway. Onii-chan's tougher than he looks, and even though he doesn't look like much, I'm sure he'll be fine. Those two have been roughing eachother up since we were all kids, so as long as we get there, we can put a stop to whatever violence may or may not be going on."

To most people, these would be statements worthy of a double-take or at least a wry admission of the absurdity, but a Schwarz was not most people, and Dawn Schwarz was not most Schwarzes. Being the youngest of three siblings whom all at various points in their lives decided to both become Huntsmen like their mother and establish themselves as top dogs of the household, a hearty tussle between two or more of them was simply natural to her.

It was just part of life.

"And besides, even if she did break him a little, now that his semblance is active and his Aura's being developed, he'll bounce back in, like, an hour tops. So no need to really worry, it's more just ensuring things don't get too outta hand, you know?"

She smiled warmly with the question, not in the least concerned that Galla's expression hadn't once yet changed.

---

Schwarz Cuties Number Two and Three

"So..."

"So."

April fidgeted, her mindfulness of the myriad of important stuff in the room keeping her from her usual method of burning off her manic energy— walking around on her hands. At least, that was my guess at it. Don't ask me how she still had any left to burn after sprinting here from the edge of the campus grounds near the docks.

"How's having a weapon and all that treating you?"

"It's good." I replied shortly.

I wasn't mad at her at this point, it was hard for any of us to stay that way for long after whatever conflict we had was resolved— I was, however, really trying to concentrate here.

The little motorized mechanism was beginning to make sense...

"Oh. I should really look at one, then."

...What?

I looked up from the work I had just been absorbed in, affixing a quizzical frown on the colossal fifteen year old. There were so many things about that statement that raised so many questions, I scarcely knew where to even begin...

"April, that's not a normal thing to say from someone well entrenched into their Signal career."

"Yeah, well, Hunting is all about not being normal!" she folded her arms with a huff. Okay, I get it, this is a sore subject, but at least let me know a few things.

"Okay... You actually need one?"

"I've managed just fine with my Overdriving my punches and kicks in combat, but I can't keep that up forever. As fights get longer the drain on my stamina's gonna catch up with me."

Woah, it's like they taught her how to think ahead in that school! Is this really April I'm talking to here?

"Whatever you're thinking, don't make me hit you."

Okay yeah it was

"Well, I mean... I'm just surprised, is all. After Dawn came up with the bowblade stuff I'd have figured you to have done the same-- You've really been at it for this long without a weapon to your name?"

"Yeah, and let me tell you, it makes Armory assignments a huge pain in the butt. I gotta use surplus stuff that's always all old and wonky... I was honestly considering just grabbing a Kanabo from home, but I feel like I'd get laughed outta the room..."

What.

"April, anybody who laughs at the prospect of you wielding a heavy club doesn't know you. That's a scary proposition!"

She snorted, glaring down her nose at me. "Aren't you the master of backhanded compliments?"

I wasn't... Ugh.

I don't need this. I'm just trying to get this damn part encoded in my head so I know what I need for the replacement... weapon...

I could kill so many birds with one stone here.

"Hey, tell you what."

"What?"

"You're still managing to do well in those classes, right? You're good with the mechanics of most weaponry?"

She frowned earnestly now, not sure of my meaning.

"Yeah, of course. I can't be Mom's rightful successor if I don't know how things work."

"Rightful Successor"...

I'm sorry but I don't think you do know how things work.

Anyways.

"I said I was looking to examine the working parts of the drillbit for a replacement weapon, right?"

"Yeah?" she replied, urging me to continue with a roll of the wrist as her eyes widened.

"I'm obviously gonna be using that from then on."

"..."

"So if you give me a hand with this, you can feel free to take these--" I held up the gauntlets in each hand with a smirk. "--off of mine. Sound good to you?"

"..."

She grew deathly still and pale, like a deer caught in headlights, and for a moment I thought I'd screwed up.

A beat.

"...Ap?"

Two beats.

"I'm serious, you can probably use them better than me--WHOARGHGK!"

I think my sternum collapsed.

[LokiLeo789]

@Plank Sinatra @Crimmy @Ayazi @Silvan Haven

Table tops layered with trays of the most delicious food and drinks lined the walls, delicacies capable of making one's mouth water: a whole roast deer with sprigs of rosemary threaded through its antlers and stuffed with bacon and rye bread, marinated Glenloth chicken, grilled trout with lemon, smoked sausages and a pineapple glazed ham, mounds of fragrant wild rice, potatoes and diced pumpkin smeared with butter and spices baked on hot stones, countless cheeses that went with baskets of crackers and bread rolls shaped as seashells, and all sorts of varieties of salads and side dishes. Huge platters of fowl stuffed with savoury fruit and nuts. Ocean creatures drizzled in sauces or begging to be dipped in spicy concoctions. Countless vegetables, sweets, waterfalls of juice, and streams of milk that called to early morning onlookers.

To Geni, it was all a fairy tale, a wonder so beyond comprehension that left him awestruck. Before he knew it, he dug into the rich food with ravenous hunger, indulging himself to the point of busting, eating more than he'd thought possible. He shoved toast, eggs, pancakes, sausage, bacon, and fried potatoes into his gaping mouth, cramming it in thick and fast, consuming a meal that had taken hours to prepare and cook in a matter of minutes like some kind of vacuum cleaner. Then, showing no signs of embarrassment he wiped his mouth on his sleeve and belched - much to the dismay of those seated nearby.

Reveling in the afterglows of his morning feast, Geni slumped comfortably in his plush armchair. Back home, food in such abundance wasn't a commodity, but a jewel to be horded and enjoyed. As was such, anytime an occasion presented him with food such as today, he wasted no time horking down as much as he could from morning till evening. A bad habit no less, but he just couldn't help himself, that coupled with the distraction it provided him on such a day as today, made for a perfect scapegoat to vent on.

Even under the din of stainless steel on porcelain, he could still hear the joyous squeals of reunion and the judgmental 'humph' and 'growls' of overprotective fathers in the distance. A referendum of conjugation that Geni took no part off. Not by choice at least.

Father and elder brother were still off playing revolutionary while docile mother waited on the porch for them to return, forbidden from seeing her traitorous son. So Geni had no one to greet with open arms on Family Day. Not that it mattered.

I am a strong man who don't need no family!" Geni mused indignantly. Family Day didn't require that he invite family to participate. His teammates could easily substitute as such.

The same teammates you have yet to spend more than an hour with? a small voice whispered in the back of his head.

A minor inconvenience. Geni retorted.

Inconvenience. You and I both see no inconvenience in this situation. Only lies and jaded rationale. the voice fired back.

Jaded rationale?! I know what I'm doing! Geni growled.

Oh really now? Your teammates are you family? The teammates you've yet to truly meet? They are your family?! You're an outcast. An outlier. You know this! And for this reason, one can easily discern that your decision aren't founded on reality! the voice mused on.

Enough! Geni finally snapped. We're here.

Finally the ivory haired lion-faunas snapped out of his trance like state to stare down the entrance of his dorm room. He hardly remembered leaving the buffet area, yet here he was, luggage in hand. He could hear the muffled cries of reunion coming from within. Someone had brought with them family. Great, it only meant he had more people to meet.

Best not leave the welcoming party waiting. Geni mused as he opened the dorm room door.

Inside, he was first greeted by the white as chalk face of a tall, jet black haired, female faunas who remained fixated on a cluster of three humans, one of which clamped onto the other two - who he assumed were here parent - also sported long jet black hair and an expression of happiness. The faunas' eyes and mouth were frozen wide open in an expression of stunned surprise, and although she was staring straight at him she appeared not to notice him at all. Behind the the cluster of surprise and maternal love, an untidy female with spectacles watched on, benched on a bed, and a rather imposing male brooded at the back wall.

Quite the team. the voice chortled.

Quite the family, indeed. Geni growled back.

The voice refused to reply, and Geni reveled in the small victory.

"Mind if I interrupt?" Geni called from the threshold, withholding his entry for now.

[Sho Minazuki]

Jack Orpheus

@Suku

So there were no particular plans to go anywhere to eat, just go wherever. Hmmmm...

"Well, if that's the case I hear some of the students are doing food stalls today, should we check those out? We won't have to go into town that way", he suggested. He saw them setting up on the way here, some of them were run by the students with their families, others were just run by the students, it was almost lunch time so if they went now it should only be beginning to get busy.

[Crimmy]

@LokiLeo789@Plank Sinatra@Silvan Haven@Ayazi

Gratia Mindaro - VGGB Dorm

Her phone vibrated as she reluctantly pulled away from the embrace of her parents, but Gratia ignored it; whatever the contents of the message she had received, they were as unimportant to her as the pathetic wastes of data that were rotting away in her trash folder. Her attentions were solely aimed towards her parents; the sight of them after so long continued to manifest bubbles of joy inside, and her fair features were accentuated by the constant presence of her bright smile.

"When did you arrive?" she asked, glancing between them. She hoped that they had not been wandering lost for too long, even if they had the map she had annotated.

"Only a few hours back," said her father. "We got to explorin' the city a bit. Jericho here-" He pointed back at the young man with his thumb. "-was très sympa and helped us around."

"We could obtain quite a number of souvenirs with his help!" added her mother cheerfully, lifting up one of the plastic bags that had been filled with sweets. The radiant grin on the woman's own face was, to observers, especially similar to her daughter's smile. "You have such polite friends, Gratia."

Friend was a descriptor she never would have considered to apply to the Atlesian operative; he was essentially a stranger, as well as a possible threat that needed to be removed. However, he had managed to worm his way into her parents' graces, so ultimately the young huntress decided against correcting her mother. Not now, anyway. He had made them happy, and that was something that was ... acceptable.

"Sorry I couldn't be here when you came," said Gratia, changing the topic. It was irksome, knowing that she had failed to greet her parents the very moment they landed. There was so much she wanted to talk about with them, so much she wanted to catch up on. "Ah, do you want me to make anything or-"

"Mind if I interrupt?"

The answer the unfamiliar voice received was a pair of steely onyx eyes gazing in his direction. Gratia had turned her attention away from her parents in one smooth motion, entire body shifting around so that she had full sight of the door. Another Faunus. Appearance suggested a feline type. Coupled with a muscular body, and the dossier she had inspected earlier in the morning, the identity of the intruder was immediately evident.

"Geni Hung," she said almost clinically as she studied him. "You're the new team member."

His interruption was irksome, but it was her responsibility to keep on top of the state of the team. Especially when Venetia was barely awake.

Said girl, of course, had disappeared into a wardrobe at some point.

[Plank Sinatra]

@Crimmy @Write @Silvan Haven @LokiLeo789

Well, no putting the bullet back in the chamber. The Mindaros had name-dropped him, as he had known they would, and Grat's inscrutable black eyes met the surly amber of Jericho's in a brief moment of searching; cool disdain met only with roiling aggravation. She turned her attention away from him after a second to look upon her parents with the doting eyes of an older daughter, but Jericho's had already drifted away from her to watch the new guy standing in the doorway, sizing each of them up. This time, it was their eyes that met, and he felt none of the spark of interest that he had felt with other Beacon students.

Geni Hung. The new team member.

The Fiordilatte was gone? Another solid lead destined for the process of sublimation, turning to wisps of air in his hand?

God damn it.

This was getting ridiculous.

"It's getting a little crowded in here," he said aloud, more casually. "I'll clear out for the team meeting. I'm going back on the docks to claim my bike, God only knows what tin disease-addled shack the crew here shoved it into..."

He trailed off slightly, grouchily, pushing himself off the wall with one foot. He put a cap on his irritation for the moment he actually saw his bike being molested and patted Valentinian and Severa on the back each softly with one hand.

"I'll see you all at -" Jericho raised his Scroll and waved it with a faintly dismissive eye roll "- coffee."

Maybe by the time they got there the polonium-210 he was going to put in Bianca's coffee would have done the trick. It wouldn't be very effective if you were judging the coffee on taste or presentation, but at least he wouldn't need to deal with a caffeinated Bird. What a sweet thought.

Jericho walked out of the room with a fluid, if hurried, grace, stepping aside for Geni Hung with a curt "'Scuse me, man" on his way out of the dorm and back towards the docks.

---

"Piper. Jericho." It was the third time he had repeated himself to the dockworker. "I don't know my team, I'm a transfer student. Atlas should have sent my paperwork."

"This shouldn't be that hard..." mused the dockworker, flipping through the Beacon roster on his clipboard after finally getting a sense of how badly Jericho just wanted to storm the collection area of the Beacon docks, find his bike and steal it. "Jack Orpheus, Jasmine Banks, Jayden Xiang-Delacroix, Jorie Ngo..."

"You skipped Je-."

"Ahh, here we go!" the dockworker said. "You're buried down here at the bottom in some footnote. Okay, Jericho Piper, Team Flapjack, special request approved by Professor Ozpin." Jericho's head had shot up in alarm. "Your gear's in Bay A4, just walk in and--"

"Walk that back for me. You said my team name?"

"Flap. Jack."

I'm jumping.

The docks are right there. God forgive me, I'm going to jump.

The end of his hair had gone a shade of mortified pale red.

"At Atlas, I was Team HJNS. It's a royal name. Special operations. I didn't come here to be a ğ͐ͬ̔ͣ̈́̍o͊͊ͤ̐͏d̽ͤ͐ͩ҉d͂̉ͫ̽͘͠a̋̈́ͪ̍ͦ̾͞͝҉m̑̒ͮ̾̄̐͘n̵ͤ͛̈́̀̐ pancake mascot."

It was clear that he was less intimidating to the dockworker now with a gang name like Flapjack.

"Kid, do you want to reminisce, or do you want to grab your bike?"

The knuckles on his gloved hand popped, echoing like the crack of a revolver in the morning air.

"Fine. 4A."

"4A."

Jericho began walking past the dockworker brusquely on the way to grab his motorcycle, trying to control his breathing and focus on the impending joy that would come with being on the bike ag--

"Hey, by the way, kid. Welcome to Beacon. It's no cakewalk, but an Atlesian tough guy like you shouldn't be too battered up, huh?"

A wolfish growl built up in Jericho's throat, and he whirled on one foot with his hand already reaching for one of the pistol holsters on his chest. Too late he realized that both of his guns had been stored on his bike to get it through Atlesian customs and into Beacon. This guy would be keeping both halves of his head today.

The hand that had flown so suddenly looking for a firearm curled up into a fist, one finger jutting out to point at the man accusingly.

He said nothing else, and even when he boarded his bike and began easing it towards the Beacon vehicle storage unit, the feeling of the vehicle underneath him didn't even make him crack a smile.

---

Bianca Nuit put down her phone and took a long, healthy sip of her cappuccino when the door flew open, shoved one-handed by a tall, dark-featured young man wearing a frustrated scowl and a girlishly long head of hair that glowed an angry scarlet on one side. He ordered a cappuccino for himself wordlessly before his eyes scanned the coffeehouse's inside. He found Bianca in no time - after all, when there was only one person staring at you with eyes like full moons and a jaw that hung open wide enough to fit a cannon in her maw, you didn't exactly need a goddamn lineup to pick her out of.

Jericho slung one leg over the pulled-out chair Estelle had occupied minutes before and sat down in it with a huff, putting up both legs along the two chairs to his side. He found Bianca out of the corner of his eyes.

"Don't you even look at me."

[Write]

Bianca Nuit Heiress Extrodinaire

@Plank Sinatra

I sat alone in the café for a little while before fully depleting my cappuccino. I considered waiting a little longer before getting another one, however in Estelle’s immortal words. “Fuck that drink up.”

No clue what the context on that one was.

Regardless, I floated my way back to the counter once more to place my second order.

“Hello, I’d like to or-“

“You’re back again?” The unkempt and seemingly barbaric Barista said in a flat, dry tone. I felt my right eye begin to twitch as a smile glided to my lips. It had been so long since I had a proper target.

“No that’s quite alright, never mind.” I said almost adding a curtsy for good measure. After all…

“Ugh, whatever, move aside so I can take the next order.” A proper kill included an unaware target. I quickly made my way back to my seat and sat down cross-legged. I snatched my scroll out of my hand bag and before I knew it my fingers flared wildly across the screen. First, my father.

“Bianca why are you calling me?” He snapped over the phone. But I had no time for petty resistance.

“I need 6,000,000 lien.” I said as if it were a threat on his life.

“I’ve just transferred it, what are we buying?” He asked, before being answered by the beeping of a canceled call.

Papa was threatening to most. But his daughters had ways to deal with him. Estelle drank, and I fought him on his own terms.

Next up was head office.

“Hello, this is the head office for the Vale Coffee Company, how may I help you today?”

I glanced over at the Barista and managed to glean his eye contact. I smiled twirling a stray lock of hair around my index finger.

“Oh, good afternoon! My name is Bianca Nuit, Heiress of Nuit incorporated and majority shareholder of Du Acier Steel. May I speak with Mrs. Rouge please?”

I decidedly spoke up. I wanted him to hear who I was speaking to, even if the name didn’t make sense to him yet. He would understand fairly soon.

“Oh! Mrs. Nuit, right away ma’am.”

“Hello, this is Marion Rouge, Ms. Nuit I heard you were calling today, may I ask what about?”

Marion Rouge. An old family friend. She owned more than a few commercial food chains, which of course, included her first company – The Vale Coffee Company.

“Of course, Marion I’m so sorry I couldn’t make the gala this past week. I’ve been so busy.”

“That is completely understandable, I hear from your father you’re in training to become a huntress. Thank you for your service.”

The barista seemed confused, but he also seemed interested in my conversation. Good. You should be… Matthew? Even his nametag was difficult to discern with his sloppy handwriting.

“It’s my pleasure. Now Marion, are you aware of your location café near Beacon academy?"

I asked, making sure to annunciate for old Matthew. Or… Was it Maxwell? His handwriting was making my vengeance slightly more complicated.

]“Of course, it’s a prime location. Great business hour traffic.”

“Indeed, I love what you’ve done with it.”

“Thank you Mrs. Nuit, but if that’s all while I do appreciate the compliment I have a very busy schedule.”

“Of course, Marion. Allow me to jump to the point. I’d like to make an offer on this location. I understand this is a high traffic area, and thusly you aren’t willing to give it up completely. It’s a big part of your earnings, but I’d like to buy 51% of this café. I would reserve hiring and firing rights, though I promise not to intervene too often. That also means, of course, that 51% of the profit would go to a bank account I have set up.”

While giving Marion my terms I was quickly tapping away on a secondary scroll. Setting up the required lien and bank account.

“Your offer would have to be steep Mrs. Nuit. Bringing someone in at 51%, even for one location can cause investors to fear.”

“That’s no worry at all. My offer is six million lien. On the table transferrable right now.”

“I look forward to our business together, Mrs. Nuit. I’ll have my assistant forward you the pertinent documents and account information.”

The Barista still didn’t seem to understand why he was in trouble or in what form that trouble would take. But he would.

“Marion, you’ve been as pleasing to the ear as ever. Please give your family my best- oh, I’m sorry there’s just one more thing. I’d like to let one of our employees go at this branch. His lack of enthusiasm, family-minded mentality and kindness is setting a poor example for such a staple of our company.”

I said looking directly into Maxwell… Or maybe Marshall’s soul. His handwriting really was atrocious.

“That could be an issue-“

“Oh don’t worry I’ll give him his severance out of my own pocket. Two weeks of minimum wage is not too small a cost to better our branch.” I responded with a poisonous and content smile.

“That’s good to hear Mrs. Nuit. I look forward to doing business with you.” Marion said as she hung up the phone.

Once more I glided up to the counter looking at… Oh, okay it looks like Montgomery. Monty stared back at me with a dull, lacking fire in his eyes.

“Monty, you’ve been let go. You’ll receive severance pay accordingly. Thank you for your time.” I said motioning to the girl standing behind him.

“Yes Ma’am?” She asked, quite politely.

“One Café Mocha please.” I said swiftly moving back to my chair as I watched Monty pack up his things. He left, my grin grew wider and my new favourite barista dropped off my Café Mocha. I took a hearty sip of the drink as my eyes light up.

My favourite super spy walked in. 007 pretty much defined the look he got from other women. But there he went slinging himself over a few chairs and giving me the most glorious side eye on this side of the country.

“Don’t you even look at me.” He said as I graciously abided.

I looked to the side with a grin the size of an underclassmen’s scythe.

“Hey Jeeeeeeer.” I cooed happily. “How’s family day going for you?”

[LokiLeo789]

@Plank Sinatra @Crimmy @Ayazi @Silvan Haven

"That I am."

Geni plastered a sloppy grin on his face and sauntered jauntily into the room. If he had noticed Gratia's seeming shift in personality when she addresse Gainsboro d him, he didn't reveal it. In fact, he took measurable steps to hide it. Just by her tone he could tell that his unannounced visit was some what irksome to her. His eyes raked over the similar countenance of the two adults she had embraced upon his entrance.

Her parents. the little voice whispered.

Indeed, her parents came for family day." Geni retorted.

Sidestepping the imposing male who made his way for the exit, Geni held out a tanned hand for Gratia and her parents to shake individually.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all and I look forward to working with you,…" Geni trailed off, looking for a word that he it seemed he couldn't put his finger on.

[Crimmy]

@LokiLeo789

Gratia Mindaro - VGGB Dorm

"Gratia Mindaro," she replied, taking the proffered hand with her own pale one. Her grip was firm, and if Geni were to meet her onyx gaze, he would be able to see an impassive, unbending steel present within her eyes. "Has all your paperwork been cleared for joining this team?"

Her tone was flat, lacking in any real emotion. Her manner was far more direct and professional than the one she had used with her parents, but even so, there was still a relaxed cadence to her words. Gratia Mindaro was clearly somebody who was very comfortable around family, and that persisted even when talking to somebody who was essentially a stranger to her.

Yet her gaze also seemed to be assessing him.

Assessing his appearance. His abilities. A first impression.

---
@HereComesTheSnow

Mindaro Mondays - Galla

"I understand."

The Schwarz family appeared to be one where physical altercations were particularly common, which was a logical explanation for the carefree nature to which Dawn approached the topic of her sister's assault on her brother. Injuries that would be crippling to the unawakened were likely to minor when one possessed the ability to regenerate. Galla nodded in acknowledgement of the situation.

Yet it meant nothing to her.

[SevenStormStyle]

Sepia Russet - Corridor, Approaching Gym

Datura

Soot

"Wait, so why did you want to visit the gym?" As Sepia and her "parents" got closer to the location in question, her curiosity over Datura's request to go to such a hotspot for student activity increased. So far, the young woman had wanted absolutely nothing more than necessary to do with Beacon as a whole, much less any particular locations. The only response Sepia got was a flash of purple eyes and a sullen sigh. Well, it wasn't like she expected any different from her ever-testy...what, exactly? She'd told the student earlier that Datura was her adoptive mother, which was the simplest and most technically accurate answer. However, the true nature of their relationship had never been clear to begin with and was even more so currently. Sepia had always held a sort of distant admiration - and admittedly a tiny bit of a girl crush - for her older companion, but the other girl seemed to flip between viciously protective and deeply bitter at a moment's notice. Really, the only thing consistent about her behavior was the way she was practically glued to Soot every time they were together.

To his credit, Soot never seemed to favor either of "his girls" over the other. Not that Sepia could feel the jealousy practically rolling off of Datura whenever Soot spoiled the coydog faunus or anything. Oh well, the ex-"free-fighter" probably deserved to be a little bit defensive over sources of genuine affection at this point. "I can live with it. It's my fault she's like this."

A strange sensation made Sepia stop walking suddenly, and it was only Soot's hand on Datura's shoulder that kept her from running into her daughter's back.

"Do you feel something unusual?" Soot questioned, picking up on her reason for abruptly halting.

It was difficult to put into exact words, but everything seemed to...echo, somehow. Whereas the general feelings and vague thoughts of those nearby had previously simply settled into a constant hum in the corners of her mind, they now seemed to split, one half behaving like normal while the other pulled to a single point in the distance. That point was bouncing them back at her occasionally, and the slight de-synch combined with the increased "volume" was threating to trigger a migraine. "Ugh...I'm getting some kind of interference, if that makes any sense." She rubbed the slightly raised edge of what had to be her least favorite scar (not that she had many to choose from), one that while long, was hidden entirely under her hair most of the time due to its location on her scalp.

"Head acting up?" His tone was so guilty, jeez it was just going to make things worse.

"Not yet. I hope whatever is causing this is temporary, though."

[HereComesTheSnow]

@Crimmy

75% GLAD

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I knew you were still a good guy deep down, Nii-chan!"

"AAAAARGH WHAT THE HELL GET OFF GET OFF GET OFF!"

Picture this scenario, if you would.

A young man of a slight build is trapped in the position of leaning against the edge of a table, where there sits a very intricate piece of partially disassembled machinery. He is trapped for reasons twofold: one being that the necessary force to free himself could send something, like a small and difficult to notice gear or widget for instance, flying.

The second is what he is trying to escape: In this instance a little sister. However, she is no normal little sister. Struggle and squirm though he might, with all of his available might, he is at a distinct disadvantage in three areas.

Firstly, and most simply, size. Despite being her elder by 3 years and male, the young man is actually shorter and only mildly stockier than his sister. Her longer limbs give increased leverage on her squeeze, making his advantage in mass nearly useless.

Secondly, positioning. He is leaned, practically seated upon, the edge of the workbench, which thereby leaves his body in a suboptimal position for force generation in relation to it's base and center of gravity. She is fully clinging to him, and squeezing tight leaves her no need for such stability in the base.

Finally, skill. She is a girl who regularly trains her jiujitsu with black belts, and is herself at the upper end of a brown belt level. He is the result of some slapdash cross-training in many arts for a mere six months, with an emphasis on getting skills up and running as fast as possible since the time for refinement was lacking.

All in all, it's a desolate scene for him, isn't it?

"April, this is seriously starting to freak me out!"

Even as I thrashed and tried my level best to extricate myself from her clutches, the most dangerous thing to wear bumblebee colors since nuclear waste held fast, giggling happily. Giggling! Happily!

Call hell, tell it to stop freezing!

"Heeheehee, it's been so long since I've given you a big ol' hug like this..."

"I know, that's why it's creepy! What's with this sudden 180 in personality?! We've fought since middle school!" I demanded, trying and failing to pummel for an underhook. What happened to the mutual antagonism from five minutes ago?! I mean, I could understand if my offer had simply gotten her off of my back, but how the hell did glomping enter the equation?

"Well... To be honest, Nii-chan," she began, calming down but still not letting go. P-Progress, right? "I was actually really hoping I would get to use those gauntlets one day. Like, super hopeful about it."

"...Is that right?"

Well, it wasn't as if that didn't make sense. April had always been the one we all agreed took after our mother the most, and not just because she inherited all the height. Though it's tempered with age, I've heard stories of Mom being a similar firebrand who loved brawling when she was younger, and it's not hard to see where all that heat in April's blood comes from.

If you choose to believe it, that is. But it's reflected in Dawn too, if more subtly, and therefore I'm fairly sure it's my only option to believe that the unbelievable woman that was my mother was once a crazy kid too.

"Mm. It's right." April affirmed, somehow finding space to casually use me as a springboard when she finally let go. What a mind-bendingly understated handspring... Forget martial arts, she even made gymnastics seem like a cakewalk. You're that Ninja...

...Or maybe I'm just stiff, slow, and unathletic.

We are Huntsmen-to-be.

"I was pretty down when I learned they were headed off to Beacon with you, but I've been making sure not to show it. Whining about your own misfortune isn't justice, right?"

I blinked, plopping back down into the chair with a thoughtful "hunh".

"So then, you've been holding out for me to not use them anymore?"

What kind of plan was that? For someone who could make due with just her fists and semblance, I suppose it was more feasible than it would be for most.

But even so, she herself admitted that it wasn't going to last her for much longer than it had. If I weren't planning on giving up the gauntlets, where would that have left her aside from shit out of luck?

"Of course not, stupid." she scoffed. "Like I said, I was beginnin' to think of other options... But none of them would have felt as right as taking up Mama's mantle. So I'm really happy you'll let me, is all."

"Wow, so you guys actually made up? Impressive!"

I was fairly sure I had not heard that door open.

In walked two young women, one I instantly recognized and the other I had the vaguely familiar feeling about that, in hindsight, should have told me who she was. Dawn Schwarz was very distinct in her colorful yukata, feminine and subdued demeanor (comparatively [in regards to her sister]), and family resemblance to me, being my little sister and all.

The other was a girl about April's age, maybe a bit older, with dark hair and all the expressiveness of a particularly joyful rendition of the Thinker statue. Very familiar, but I was drawing a blank at the moment with the whirlwind I was going through.

"Oh, Hiya, Dawn an' Galla!" April chirped in greeting, raising a hand. "Sorry for running off on you guys like that, but I found Nii-chan!"

"...Hi. I'm Luke."

I didn't really know what to think or say beyond that. It wasn't like Galla was giving me much to work with...

"Aw, drat, I wanted to handle introductions..." Dawn groused momentarily, before returning to her prim smile. "You look well, Onii-chan! In one piece and everything!"

"Don't say 'in one piece' like that's exceeding expectations. I'm not porcelain."

"Yeah, but like I was telling Galla here, April was trying to rip your head off..."

A very poorly, "innocently" whistled tune from my left cued a flat look aside to my bigger sister before I continued to address the littler one.

"Alright, fair point. And yeah, I am managing, more or less, but the year's just started and it's about to kick in. As in, kick in in full."

And kick in my teeth.

I refused to delude myself whenever I appraised where I stood in life. And, to speak of appraisal, I shifted in my seat to face the stoic girl alongside my sly little sister, and inclined my head in a small gesture of supplication.

"I'm sorry if they've been dragging you along on their hijinks, Galla. These two don't understand the concepts of 'personal space' or 'leaving well alone', so it's alright to let me know."

Galla.

GallaGallaGalla.

...Was that Central Mistralese?

Hm.

I just had to know the answer to this...

I knew this. I could figure it out.

[Crimmy]

@HereComesTheSnow

Mindaro Mondays - Galla

She took in the scene before her with lifeless, hazel eyes. It was immediately obvious from the physical similarities and a lack of other options that the messy-haired young man on the chair was the same big brother that Dawn had spoken of. And, taking into account the droop of the cowlick on his head, the likely object of her sister's curiosities. It seemed like it really did run in the family. It also appeared to be the only indicator of the struggle he must have overcome mere moments before their rival; the rest of him, a few scuff marks aside, appeared to be entirely unharmed, as if he had managed to successfully avoid the supposedly-inevitable assault that the elder of the Schwarz sisters had promised.

The healing-based semblance he possessed was clearly effective.

"Hi Luke," she replied immediately.

He appeared to recognise her. If he was familiar with big sister, then that was expected; it was Family Day.

"I'll consider your offer."

Her tone, patient and unnaturally calm, did not change an iota.

[LokiLeo789]

:

@Crimmy

And Geni held Gratia's unyielding gaze without wavering. In her demeanor he found a mixture of laxed professionalism and apathetic intrigue. It was an off-putting duo, but Geni held no qualms against it and he in fact welcomed it. Her ever-searching gaze was nothing compared to that he had held in the past. It paled in comparison.

"Pre-arranged during my absence. I'm officially apart of team Vignoble."

[Suku]

@Sho Minazuki

Cian Kuze

"Sounds like a plan if any" Cian said as she headed out if anything it would be a quick and easy thing since no one had any plans this was probably the best solution staying in school and getting cheap food was always a plus if you asked her. "Tristan let out a sigh as he took of his hat and rubbed his head it was good she was opening up but at the same time he kind of wished it wasn't with the opposite sex is this what fathers felt when their daughters started dating? If so he was never having children period there was no if ands or buts about it. This was hell and he knew it and he did not want to go through it a second time that was for certain.

[Plank Sinatra]

"Well, my whole family died in a tragic bird Faunus hunting accident, so it's been a little quiet," Jericho replied drily. "It's one of the dozens of reasons I hate you."

Granted, not that Family Day had been atrocious. The Mindaro parents were more acceptable company than Gratia, and their continued gratitude for something as minor as surviving a shopping spree alongside them was as sweet as it was wholly unnecessary. The twin land mines of unwanted affection that were Bianca and Beryl were as predictable yet unwanted as a sunrise was to a goddamn hangover, but there were much harder people to avoid out there. He...

He couldn't complain.

His cappuccino was ready; he heard his name being called in the lax tones of a barista looking to move a coffee off the counter. Jericho went to collect, and returned to take his seat. This time, he sat normally, and at least paid Bianca the courtesy of meeting her eyes for a second. She had an infuriating grin on her porcelain face. He knew he'd been too soft on her. Goddamn it.

Goddamn it.

"So what's up with you?" he asked, loathing himself as he did. "Sitting in a coffeehouse alone on Family Day is even depressing to me. Is there anyone else from the Second Estate that I'm going to have to work not to shoot today?"

[Write]

Bianca Nuit Heiress Extraordinaire

@Plank Sinatra

I won’t lie. I have no idea when Jericho is lying sometimes. But his entire family being killed on a bird Faunus expedition just worked way too much for this ‘I definitely hate Bianca’ narrative he’s been pushing.

Either way, he seems fine so it’s probably better not to push it.

Just let him have this one.

As Jericho got up to get his cappuccino and Bianca got the view of an approximate lifetime she let her smile fade in way that would relax Jericho. She didn’t want to harass him as much as she just wanted to win him over to her side for all eternity. So start slow.

But then my boy did the unthinkable. He sat across from me, looked me right in the eyes.

Can you believe it? I can’t help it if a grin just happens to spread faster than no chunky peanut butter at that point. It’s just common sense!

"So what's up with you?" he asked, loathing himself as he did. "Sitting in a coffeehouse alone on Family Day is even depressing to me. Is there anyone else from the Second Estate that I'm going to have to work not to shoot today?"

Oh right. Jericho Piper had not met my father.

This could either be the single biggest boon to our eventual relationship or the thing that makes certain it never happens.

“Yeah.”

I don’t even know where to start with this.

“I’ve got my father coming in, should be here in about an hour.”

I felt this sense of dread creep up from my feet to the back of my neck. As if I hadn’t realized until just now that I was going to have to interact with my father again for hours today. He was going to meet my friends. My teachers. Jericho.

By all accounts today was going to be terrible.

“I’ll try to steer him clear of you.” I said with an uncharacteristically dry tone.