[IC] Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

[Agent B52]

Marcus Goldstein - Convoy Escort

It was almost the perfect situation for a ‘too quiet’ joke. Marcus mentally pulled up the map and marked the position of the blockade. The shutters over the turret cameras mimicked the frown on his face. While he could blow the obstacle up he preferred to keep the gun loaded for the ambush. On top of that aside from the quartz deposits the terrain was flat and mostly even. Not much worse than the sandy tracks they’d driven on for the past quarter of an hour.

“Affirmative lead. Proceed off-road and go around the obstacle, in as wide an arc as you can manage.” he replied tersely. Something was up with the rock, he knew that much. It was the weird antholes in it that really grabbed his attention. Combined with the audio recording he suspected some weird form of mutant wasp was responsible for it all. For his own peace of mind if nothing else, he kept the gun trained on the rock formation at all times.

“Do those holes ring bells with anyone?” he asked.

[Lady Seraphina]

Sapphire Rode - The Shelter

As Sapphire followed the Shelter people in stealth mode she lost track of Abel somewhere along the way. He could take care of himself. In the meantime Sapphire had some information to gather. Seconds later she received several texts in rapid succession. The first was from Shiro. It noted that the bear faunus was helping and that he was destroying security cameras as he found them. Sapphire texted back rapidly.

"From: Sapphire Rode
To: Kuhaku Shiro
Subject: Cameras

Body: "Leave the security cameras be. At the very least a trail of busted security equipment will create a path leading right too you should anyone come looking. At the worst someone will notice the feeds go out or the cameras are hooked up to an alarm. Do NOT destroy the cameras with force."

Moments after this message was sent Sapphire received another, Gren confirming what Shiro had reported and though it didn't state it explicitly also hinting that he'd stopped Shiro was axing all the cameras her found. Good, at least Gren was able to keep the tiger on a least.

A couple minutes after that Gren sent another message reporting that he'd disabled most of the cameras but some ran where running on a separate feed that he was unable to access. That was one problem solved. While Sapphire had been reviewing reports the two people she'd been following had almost gotten out of sight.

She rushed to catch up with them making sure to avoid any loud noises that would render her semblance void. The two people split up at a door marked operating room and while Sapphire would have liked to find out where the administrator was going, seeing the true purpose of this 'Shelter' was more important. That purpose would become clear in this operating room.

Inside what Sapphire saw was ghastly. Including the new arrival three doctors were bustling around the lab, they seemed to be in the middle of some sort of experiment based around a coyote faunus girl. The girl looked nervous and even after receiving encouragement from the doctors continued to fidget slightly.

The girl glanced in Sapphire's direction and though she was sure that the coyote couldn't see her Sapphire was startled at the yellow and black of her eyes. The girl also had a word tattooed under her left eye. Sapphire couldn't quite make it out and didn't want to move in for a closer look in case she got in the path of one of the doctors and her spell shattered.

Looking at the way this place was set up a horrible horrible thought occurred to Sapphire about what this place was truly for. Animals with developed and controllable semblances and unimaginably powerful auras, faunus here for some mysterious ailment, the doctors claim that they were going to make history. Could it be that...? No, no of course not. No one in a thousand years would attempt something so vile. Yet the thought stuck with her until Sapphire had to share it with the others. She had no direct proof but it seemed as though it would explain a lot of what was going on here. If she reported to the others they could ask some questions and find out fast if it was actually true.

From: Sapphire Rode
To: Gren Orchid, Abel Fulgurate, Kuhaku Shiro,
Subject: This Place

Body: "Guys, I'm in a lab where they're preparing to operate on a faunus girl. I don't have any proof but I think this place was created to cure faunus. I'd imagine some faunus see their animal heritage as a curse and would jump at the chance to look like humans. If they're separating out the human and animal aspects of a faunus it might explain the strange and powerful creatures we've seen around the facility. Again I have no proof but keep your ears open. If I'm right this needs to be stopped, right here, right now before it goes any further. If news like that reached the White Fang it could spark the Second Faunus Wars."

Her message complete Sapphire looked back at the operating table and drew her shot guns assembling them into her polearm. She was ready to intervene should this experiment show any signs of hurting the faunus girl.

[HereComesTheSnow]

Luke Schwarze--Goin' Silent

"Not really. Have to guess at it being the important looking one, th-- crap, hide." he had began in a low whisper, sharply cut off by the sound of incoming footsteps further down the hall. One way or another, that door was opening soon, and he didn't want to stick around and get seen near it. Easy way to get yourself killed or in a whole lot of pain. Accusations by multiple of his friends aside, he was not enough of a masochist to actually look forward to that. Seriously! Just because you have a tanky semblance...

As seemed to be the running theme of this excursion, he stuck to Ciel like a shadow, ending up in the nearest room. Hopefully they had done so discreetly enough to not warrant any investigation. If not, well...

"Hiding from the rest of the party in an empty room alone with a girl I just met..." he mumbled wryly under his breath with a sardonic smirk. "I knew life'd get interesting when I joined, but I didn't think it'd be this fast."

Doing the necessary activation procedures with his watches, he felt his hands and forearms coat themselves with trustworthy, reliable steel as his gauntlets came into being. That was better. Now he could actually at least have some protection, should they get found out. But, before they'd worry about that...

"Any plan?" he asked in that same low whisper, keeping an eye peering through the crack.

[Lucius Cypher]

Gren Orchid

Gren heard, and recorded, the words of the bat faunas as he stood right over the door Shiro and the others were in. It seemed that these faunas saw their appearance and nature as some sort of disease, as if it could be cured... Gren had mixed feelings about this. On one hand he could understand why they would feel that their heritage was a curse and something that they wanted to fix. but to get rid of it? Now that was just stupid, more so since it seemed like not only what they were going was both illegal, but untested. How many died trying to seek this dream of being human? Do they even realize what they've lost? Gren was going to ask.

A loud thud echoed through the room, and hopefully got everyone's attention. While Shiro was certainly formidable looking with his equipment, when Gren arrived he was purposely doing his best to look imposing and intimdating. And considering that he's a nearly seven-foot tall robot monster with a weapon tall than he was that could both rend metal and stone in melee and range, being scary looking was hard. Gren hoped his appearance would make sure the faunas didn't try to do anything violent. Gren was much more capable of being violent.

"What happened to Sienna? What is this operation that's being preformed on you all? And lastly, do you really believe the humans will accept you even if this operation is successful?"

Gren had his weapon in his hands. While it wasn't pointed at anyone or activated, it was obvious that he was only one reason away from cutting everyone down. It was suppose to help him be intimidating. But he also retracted his helmet, revealing his face and his own faunas features. His normally smiling and serene face has taken a sterner one, cold and unfeeling. It was either a very good poker face, or the sort of face he'd wear when he is about to commit mass murder.

"You were born a faunas and you will die a faunas. No matter what your appearance is, you cannot escape your origins. You could change your appearance and the humans will still find a reason to hate you. They will hate your for your ancestors, for what you were, or even just because of your new supposedly "better" appearance. If there is anything that needs to change... It's your pride as a faunas. Take away the hatred. Without the prejudiced and the bigotry, what is it about you do you hate the most?"

[harinezumikouken]

Woken from his thoughts as Gren's large hands halted him in his tracks abruptly, Shiro stopped and turned to look at him. Frowning, Shiro absorbed the Boar Faunus' words and simply nodded in response. "Right. Subtlety." His thoughts echoed, repeating the idea to further burn it into his memory. Subtlety was something he admittedly lacked. If he had been more in control of his energy and emotions, he wondered if maybe his team leader wouldn't be so resentful of him. Or, was there another reason why? Slowing to an easygoing stroll, Shiro resigned himself to moving a bit more carefully and quietly. Going at a full sprint into things wasn't smart, and he would generate quite a bit of noise with his equipment on his back, he knew this. Sighing, his Scroll vibrated in his pocket and he slipped it out, quickly glimpsing over the message Gren sent having dealt with the cameras. Probably having done so more expertly and with more finesse than he had. A chuckle slipped from him, the idea of Gren having finesse was amusing. Smiling, his thoughts began to trail off, imagining Gren doing Ballet in a pink tutu. He snickered again and struggled to stifle his mirth, covering his mouth. His Scroll vibrated in his gloved hand once more, and he quickly lost his smile. Reading the message Sapphire sent to him alone, his ears slowly drooped. Well, that was quick. Did she somehow deduce that he had already gone and destroyed a camera?

"Feh."
He locked his Scroll and slipped it back into his pocket.

Looking up as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he froze in his steps. Blinking, he took a moment to examine the new surroundings, tail curling and swaying behind him. The soft lighting and pastel green color of the walls made the room seem homely. Eyes passing over the beds and other furniture, the place looked to be comfortably lived in. Looking up at the ceiling, he recognized the tracks for privacy curtains. It was an odd mixture of hospital/home in his opinion. In his curiosity, his focus delayed his notice of the other occupants of the room. Shiro froze as if he were caught with his hand in the cookie jar, expressing a guilty look. Eyes snapping to each of the other Faunus, he counted five others wearing what looked to be hospital garb. Attire he was more than familiar with in his youth up to his present days.

Ears flicking and swiveling, Shiro felt his senses start to sharpen. Entering a sort of 'heightened alert' mode, he could feel his unease growing and swelling. He wasn't expecting to suddenly run into so many others so soon, especially with the abandoned and quiet feel of the entire island itself. They were Faunus like him, no less. Looking at the bear cub from earlier, he picked up that the boy's name was 'Babe'. He waved 'goodbye' to 'Babe' as he was told to locate his father by one of the older Faunus and ran off. Eyes locking with the older Bat faunus, Shiro straightened his posture and looked away briefly. Clearing his throat, he felt that the lies he spoon fed the bear cub wouldn't work on the older gentleman. They seemed to immediately know the gig was up, their cover blown. Lying wouldn't work on them.

His thoughts were confirmed when the Bat faunus repeated what 'Babe' had told him, his words saturated with disbelief. Shiro nervously grinned and scratched at his head and ears, an easy tell. When the Bat faunus noticed his weapon, Shiro fingers tugged at the edge of Perun. As if to make some futile attempt to hide the large thing. Shiro had never really been caught in lying before, so with this older Faunus picking him apart Shiro found that words failed him and he could only stand there awkwardly silent. His ears perked when he heard the name 'Sienna', from what he could infer by the way the Bat faunus was speaking about her, she was possibly the one that made the distress call to Beacon. So, then where was she, if not in the room with her assumed friends? Was she safe? He would have to remember to look for her if she was somewhere else in the Shelter, to make sure she was alright.

Jumping with a start as the Bat faunus turned away from the Deer faunus to address him again, Shiro just stood and listened, not really given a chance to interject with his own words. As the bat faunus spoke and Shiro deciphered the man's words and what they meant, a look of horror creeped onto his face. Shiro started to break into a cold sweat, trembling. He grew pale, absolutely terrified. Shaking more visibly, Shiro began looking around at the empty spaces in the room, Shadows appearing only to him. The bat's words were still being heard clearly, but in between the moments of silence, the Shadows congregated behind him and added their own whispers to Shiro. Always at moments of weakness for him, they appeared to make matters worse, Shiro's demons.

"...What's morally right""What's right and wrong?""...You're not wanted here.""Never wanted...""...Something wrong with us""With you..""A condition that has caused hell for us ever since we were born.""Just like your living Hell"""A genetic disease, you might say.""Disease! Sickness! Illness! Blight!""The only cure...experimental.""Maybe cure you? No, no cure for you..""We're here to get cured.""No cure for you.""..Waiting for this cure forever...""Forevermore you shall wait.""..Go away!"

Shiro's condition rapidly withered, taking a few steps back until he met with Gren's chest. Looking down at the ground, he closed his eyes as the familiar high-pitched whine returned and deafened him. Hearing his own labored breathing and the whispers from the Shadows slowly approaching him, he felt his pocket vibrate. With a trembling hand, he slipped his Scroll out and forced himself to keep one eye open to read the message from Sapphire. Like a heavy blanket, the room suddenly felt completely still and silent. In the temporary moment of serenity, Shiro stared at Sapphire's message.

Grip tightening on his Scroll, his claws pierced through the tips of his gloves as he crushed his Scroll to smithereens. Shattered remnants of his Scroll in his palm, he turned it over to let the fragments and shards fall to the ground. The sounds they made as they fell faintly sounded like musical notes to him, in his odd trance-like state. His pupils narrowed and morphed, changing into a more feline black sclera. The golden-brown of his eyes changed with his pupils, turning into an icy blue. Finishing his 'combative' transformation, streaks of black appeared in his hair, on his ears, face, and the exposed parts of his upper arms. Staring down the Bat Faunus, he took a step away from Gren and toward him.

Internally, Shiro was a mixture of emotions. Pain, suffering, anger, hatred, depression, fear, terror, horror, hunger, all screamed at him fighting for control over his heart. With Sapphire's message and the Bat Faunus' words, he realized just exactly what this place was. It explained his dread since the very beginning, what was wrong with this whole situation. The Shadows tasted Shiro's desperation to remain in control of himself and gathered around him in swathes, sharply hissing and whispering abhorrent things to him.

"Run. Eat them. They are weak. Destroy. Just like you. No hope. End them. Level the building. Kill them. Give them what they want. Put them to rest. End their suffering. Just like yours. You remember? Your suffering. Roar. Enslave them. Subjugate them. Consume." Like machine gun fire, the Shadow's words reflected some of Shiro's innermost and dark thoughts. Piercing into his very essence and picking him apart. However, his own voice remained the loudest and clearest. Placing a hand on his head, he closed his eyes. Shaking his head, he quietly whispered to himself and silenced the voices. "No." He knew he was stronger than his own sickness, otherwise he wouldn't be standing there today in that moment. He had beaten 'them' back before, and today would be one of those days. The Shadows that gathered around him dissipated into thin air, peace returning to Shiro.

Though he had still broken out in a sweat and still swayed where he stood, he cleared his throat and sniffed. Wiping at his nose, he looked to the ground for a moment. To everyone in the room other than Gren, it would have appeared as if Shiro had a brief panic attack, only Gren would know the truth. Swallowing dryly, Shiro turned over his shoulder and smiled at Gren.

"I-I'm fine. Gren. Could you use your Scroll and take a couple pictures of the Faunus here? Relay the information we learned for me, please? I seemed to have...broken my own Scroll." Shiro looked at the pieces that lay on the ground and then back up at Gren behind him, grinning and scratching his head.

With a heavy sigh, Shiro removed his combined sword and shield and set it away from him, plopping onto his bottom and crossing his legs with his hands on his knees. He wouldn't run, he wouldn't attack them, he wouldn't flatten the entire building. Though, he was sure he had more than enough ability to, it wouldn't be nice to do that to his team mates. They wouldn't like that very much at all. He wouldn't attempt to eat them in a blind rage, he wanted to simply...talk.

Wiping at his brow, he looked to each of the Faunus in the room and at the end of it, he chuckled and grinned. "Sorry about that, I wasn't feeling too well for a moment." Clearing his throat, he continued. "Since it looks like I'm a terrible liar and we've been caught red-handed, there's no use lying to you all. I just want to introduce myself and talk for a moment."

Pointing a gloved thumb at Gren behind him, "That big guy there is named Gren Orchid. I know he's pretty big looking and scary, but underneath all of that armor he's a Boar Faunus." Pointing a thumb at himself, "My name is Kuhaku Shiro, and I'm sure you can tell I'm a Tiger Faunus." He looked at the 'stripes' that streaked the visible parts of his body. "You say there's something wrong with you all. A condition that has caused unending pain and suffering for you all. You consider it a disease and you've been looking for a cure for who knows how long, and you supposedly found one." Shiro stared into the eyes of each Faunus there returning to lock eye contact with the Bat. Placing a hand on his own chest, he continued. "I'm not here to tell you that you're wrong. In fact, you're right. I agree with you. There IS something wrong with you all, just like me. We're all Faunus here, and we've been abused and mistreated all our lives. But the difference between what's wrong with you all and what's wrong with me, is that you accepted the hand life dealt you and let it beat you down. Drive you into a corner, forcing you to desperately seek a way out. The only thing wrong with me? I'm a bit stupid. Got a few screws loose in my noggin, y'see?" He tapped the side of his skull with a knuckle.

"Everyone here and in the world has had their own share of pain and suffering. I know. I get it. At a very young age, I was orphaned. My mother and father were murdered and their bodies were never found. With no family left alive to care for me, the state placed me in an orphanage. For a majority of my youth, I was bullied. Physically, mentally, psychologically abused by the other human children. The faunus children could only cower in fear and hope it wouldn't happen to them, hiding and letting me be the focus of all the abuse. I was alone, isolated, and they turned a blind eye to me, even the adults. I was the only one in my group that dared to attempt to stop the abuse of myself and other Faunus. I fought back. I...made mistakes." Shiro paused to look at his palms, closely examining his short, stubby black claws. "I learned while I was in the orphanages-Well, told. That the shield and sword I have with me today, belonged to a pair of legendary Hunters. They couldn't recall their names, ironically. Neither could I. Whatever happened to my parents affected my memory, doctors say it's some sort of mental defense mechanism or block. But, when I was told that, it gave me hope. Because the sword and shield was found next to me when I was discovered, barely clinging to life myself. It meant that my parents, whoever they were, were these great Hunters. Hunters dedicate their lives to protecting the people against the Grimm, no matter who they are. That's what they did for me. They sacrificed their lives to give me, a little insignificant Tiger cub, a chance in this world. A chance to lead a good life. Trust me, I contemplated many times of ending it myself. It would've been easy. But, I hung onto what little hope I had and decided I wouldn't let life beat me down. So, I joined Signal and the rest is history. I made myself into who I am today, through the decisions I made. I studied and practiced hard to become a Hunter, just like my supposed parents." Standing, he took a few steps toward the Bat. Spreading out his arms, he continued.

"Now, here I am. On my way to becoming one of the top Hunters. I didn't mean to feed you some sob story, but it's so we can connect. You understand where I come from through the pain we all share in some way. Now, I'm not going to say you're wrong in your decisions. If you honestly want to stay here and chase after some false 'cure', go right on ahead. Me? I'm fine. I'm proud of who I am and what I am, and if anyone dares challenge my pride I'll fight them fang and claw to prove them wrong. Back where I now call home, it's gotten better. Faunus and Human relations are improving and only getting better each day. Come back with us and we'll make sure you're taken care of and provided for. Hell, I'll provide for you guys myself if I have to. Or, you can choose to stay here and have whoever it is hack away at you doing something they probably shouldn't be doing in the first place. Let me ask you this, that other faunus Sierra...Where is she now? Has she come back yet? Have you heard from her?" Shiro lowered his arms and stepped back.

"You all are free to make your own decisions in what you believe to be right and wrong. But me, I don't think there's anything wrong with being a Faunus." He laughed and stroked his own ears. "I mean, don't you think we look so cool with our special traits? We're not beasts or animals. We're living beings too. With our own thoughts, feelings, and emotions. We're not lower than Humans or better. We're all equals. That's what I believe."

Kicking at his sword and shield just a few feet away from him, he flipped it up and caught them. "I digress, you're free to make your own decisions in what you believe is right and wrong. But it's of my own opinion that you're wrong. You're wrong for being here. You're wrong for letting whatever people do whatever it is they do to you." Shiro put up two fingers. "I'm going to give you two choices. Tell us what we need to know and everything we need to know and come with us peacefully. Or..." Grabbing the hilt of his sword, he forced it into it his shield. Carefully swinging the weapon as a cacophony of metallic clicks and ticks transformed it into a massive Great Axe, Shiro slammed its head into the ground next to him. Burying a deep gash into carpeted ground. "Or so help me Gods, I will knock each and every one of you silly and MAKE you come with me." With a low rumbling growl, he continued "My Semblance alone will take your enhanced senses and turn them against you. My buddy here?" He motioned towards Gren with a nod of his head, "He's got a chainsaw that shoots rockets." Peeling a Dust Shotshell off of his belt, Shiro shoved it into the hidden chamber of his massive Axe. The weapon automatically chambering it with a threatening and heavy cha-chunk

Eyes still an icy, soul-piercing blue, Shiro growled his last few words. "Now choose. Please come with us peacefully, I don't want to have to hurt any of you."

[Lugubrious]

Gren's arrival did not go over well. The instant his armored feet impacted the ground, all of the faunus in the room -with the exception of the swan waif- instinctively backed off. Even the bat, so committed to his deep violet stare, couldn't help but retreat in the face of something so much larger than he. In fact, the chameleon, the deer, the porcupine, and the bat were all well on their way to the other side of the hall before the latter worked up the nerve to turn around and face the two intruders. Shaking slightly, the bat crossed his arms in an endeavor to appear unimpressed, and as Gren spoke he kept his face even. “I...don't believe I'll tell you. We took the chance of letting her make that call, and I'm not gonna sell her out now.” He jumped as Shiro's scroll fractured into smithereens is his hand, and watched with no small amount of worry as a dramatic change took place in the snow tiger. Trying to ignore what looked like a nervous fit, he continued. “But I'll tell you this. It's not for the humans. It's for me. And you're wrong. You can completely escape your origins. What about sex changes? Nowadays it's improper to say that sex changes aren't a viable and acceptable option. Less dramatically, consider character development! Someone might be born with a streak of cowardice but grow to overcome it. Or the bravest man in the world,” the bat's voice quavered momentarily, “Might be broken inside by a single experience and turn into a shivering wreck. People can change completely. Fate isn't written in stone.”

Though his brain screamed for him to keep an eye on the biggest threat, the bat could not help but divert his eyes to Shiro, who had just recovered. He found the hunter's mention of 'relaying information' most alarming, and suddenly wished he thought to tell Babe to warn his father. Without further ado, however, the time for hindsight passed, and Shiro took center stage.

At the introductions, the bat gave a sarcastically polite bow and identified himself. “Mauve.” After that, he waited, with as resolute an expression as he could make, for Shiro to say his piece, only sighing in the middle of the story and giving a short, derisive laugh when the first 'decision' was presented. He watched with barely-contained fury as Shiro readied his axe and delivered his ultimatum, and glanced over his shoulder to see the despair etched in the faces of the faunus hiding against the far wall. Some looked to him for defense, but Mauve couldn't find one, either physical or ideological. Some of the points made by the hunter-in-training were valid, but Mauve couldn't accept the judgment of this stranger over the song of his own heart. So instead, knowing that he stood little-to-no chance against a furious axeling and a walking tank, he gave a wry laugh.

Then he said, “Some choice. Should I give up everything I ever wanted or be forced to give up everything I ever wanted? I don't even get the chance to defend my ideals, or bore you with my own sob story. Or any of our stories. Might makes right, after all; you've got the guns, and we don't. Here's an interesting bit though: Sienna? Her semblance is speed—crazy speed. She could get out of this place if she really wanted and run across water to the next kingdom over. Maybe it has something to do with her tattoo, I dunno. Anyway...” the Mauve shuffled his feet, and raised a hand to his forehead, “You've probably figured out I'm stalling, so I guess I'd better choose. Hmm...oh, what the hell, I choose fight. Take a good look first, though...” so saying, Mauve smacked himself on the forehead. A soft purple glare appeared around him, resonating smoothly as if it had always been there, before it flickered, and died. “Ah! I was worried that wouldn't work. I deactivated my aura. No semblance, no protection, nada. One swing of that axe and I'm another one of your 'mistakes'.” Smirking, Mauve twisted his head to shout over his shoulder. “Honey, run for it! Tell someone there's a guy in here with a chainsaw that shoots rockets!”

Against the back wall, Coral the deer took a final, fearful look at Mauve, before sprinting for a door partially hidden behind some of the bunched-up beside curtains. As she did so, the rail-thin swan boy pushed himself laboriously to his feet and tottered the hunters' way. Assuming a doubtful and unstable fighting stance, he mimicked Mauve, but was unsuccessful in deactivating his aura. His every aspect argued some form of insanity, but his words rang with surprisingly lucidity as he announced himself in third-person,”Deneb will fight for what Deneb thinks is right,” though it seemed a strong breeze could send him tumbling. Mauve merely sighed, but nevertheless felt gratitude that he wasn't alone in the end.

Abel Fulgurate – Battling a Giant Lizard

Abel swore profusely as an earthen spike erupted from the ground and nearly impaled him, impeded only by his protective aura. Not for the first time in five minutes, he questioned with pronounced cynicism and disbelief how exactly he'd ended up locked in some sort of animal exhibit fighting a horse-sized iguana for his life.

-=-=-

Understandably oblivious to the presence of an intruder, the doctors continued in their last-minute preparations. Footsteps from behind announced the late arrival of a fourth doctor bustling along, giving Sapphire plenty of time to move out of the way. Pulling on his surgical mask, the new arrival rushed over to a pair of tanks attached to the wall beside the operating table and concerned himself with getting them working. Another doctor bid Sienna to lie down, which she did, and on came the overhead lights. Holding a breathing mask in his hand, the new arrival approached the coyote faunus and gently placed the mask over her face, allowing her to guide it to where it felt more comfortable, and over the course of three minutes or so the anesthesia was administered. Despite the apparently illegal nature of the upcoming treatment, it seemed nothing if not proper and methodical.

The red-haired doctor opened a small container of operating tools and placed them by the sleeping faunus's head for later use. From a nearby refrigerated cabinet another carefully removed a syringe full of a clear liquid, in which span a solution of dark red particles, with which he approached Sienna for injection.

Noises from outside the room announced the presence of another incoming individual. If Sapphire were to look, she would find a portly man in a deep blue security uniform only a few brisk seconds away from the staircase that led toward the upper observation galley. From his intensely worried expression it was obvious that something was sorely amiss.

[harinezumikouken]

Ears drooping, Shiro sighed. Smiling, he scratched the back of his head. "Ah, well I guess we went about this all wrong. I promise that after all this is done, I'll hear your story." His smile vanished as he barked a familiar phrase to Gren. "Gren! Eyes on me!" Forcibly exhaling all of his breath out to empty his lungs as much as possible, he then sharply inhaled to fill his chest to capacity with air. With a sudden thunderous roar, the air exploded with the sound of Shiro's activated Semblance, his face flushing red and veins visibly throbbing as he sustained his roar for as long and as loud as he could. [King's Voice]

Shiro felt the familiar electric tingle of his Faunus senses sharpening, as would Gren. All other living things in sight or hearing of Shiro would be slammed with the opposite effect, having their senses dulled severely. Gripping his axe, he lifted it and hefted it onto his back, flipping over the two faunus that stood in front of them. "Gren! Incapacitate and restrain them, I'm gonna pursue the runner! Inform Sapphire and Abel of the situation, we'll link up with them once we've gotten these guys to safety!" Barreling out of the same door he saw the deer faunus escape through, but before leaving the room, he stopped. Turning in the doorway to shout back at 'Mauve', he said once again. "Mauve! I'm sorry we have to do this! I can't let you do this to yourself! This isn't something you can easily come back from! We'll take care of you and I'll listen to your story! All of your stories! I promise!" Finished, he shifted his axe back to their sword & shield mode, ripping his sword from the shield. Practically tearing up the ground, he chased after 'Coral' the deer faunus and quickly gained on her. Once within range, Shiro leapt into the air and squeezed the trigger hidden in the hilt of his sword. With a loud bang! he fired off a Dust Shotshell and propelled himself through the air. Raising his shield arm, he aimed to bring the face of the shield down on her to quickly knock her out and stun her.

[Lucius Cypher]

Gren Orchid

Gren would have sighed, but he supposed intimidation wasn't really going to be something that would work. These faunas have lived most of their lives intimidated by others, so being scared by him was their only, and perhaps last, act of defiance. Looking at Shiro when he told Gren to do so, the tiger faunas roared as loudly as he could. This made Gren sigh and tried to remind Shiro of something only by mouthing the words. "Subtly?"

But what was done was done. Shiro ran off to get the fauna who ran for it, leaving Gren to handle the others. Easy. Using his Semblance he forced the friction of their feet to be immensely strong, preventing them from being able to left their legs and run. Only Shiro was spared this as Gren casually walked over to each of the Faunas, his armored helmet covering his face again. When Shiro was gone, he spoke his mind about the situation.

"I won't argue that what you want is wrong. It's a valid desire... But consider this. If you could chose to be human, what stops others from saying that all faunas should be human? They would now have the means to make it so. You think the humans are bad enough, those who can't stand to live with us. But just imagine what would happen if they suddenly had a choice to be able to change us simply by bullying and threatening. It's a shame that you're so willing to fight for this cause, here and now. We could have used someone with your passion. But you're my enemy now."

Putting the God Eater on his back, Gren went over to Mauve and Deneb. His hands shot and closed around each of their necks as he began to asphyxiate them. In his mind, he started to calculate how long he should hold each one of them to ensure that they would fall unconscious with minimal brain damage. Something he had a lot of practice doing. When those two stopped moving Gren dropped them, allowing his Semblance to keep them pinned to the ground. Than he moved onto the other faunas, who had to watch as he began to choke the consciousness out of each and every faunas. Some tried to fight, but no matter where they hit they wouldn't even cause Gren to tickle. When he came to the last faunas, Gren revealed something else about himself.

"You may think I'm a monster. That is true. I chose to give up being a faunas too. I made the decision to try to change myself because I felt it was what I wanted... And I regret what I've lost. I'm not going to let you all make the same mistake."

And like all the others, Gren choked out the last faunas, letting his body fall to the floor once he was properly unconscious. With a sad sigh, Gren than went about binding their limbs with whatever sort of cloth he could use as rope. It was a good thing his team members weren't here. He didn't want to show them this side of him. He liked to think he was still a nice guy who just sort of does bad things.

[Lady Seraphina]

Sapphire Rode - The Shelter

Several more doctors entered the room and Sapphire maneuvered around them easily not wanting to draw any attention just yet. Sapphire wanted to see how this would play out. She'd been hoping that they doctors might talk about the procedure or go over it with the patient and assure them the risk was slight. Unfortunately they merely applied a sedative gas. The red haired doctor opened a case full of operating tools. Sapphire's heart froze at the sight of them. Small sterile knives, there blades honed for the purpose of cutting flesh. Other instruments that looked more designed for torture than treatment.

Sapphire took in two breaths and breathed out letting the air calm her beating heart. If everything she saw upset her she would never make it as a hunter. She had to learn to shove those feelings aside.

At the sight of the needle however Sapphire lost it. Blood, gore, explosions, destruction and even death she could handle with a calm face as long as the situation demanded it but surgical equipment and needles pushed Sapphire's buttons in a very specific fearful area of her brain. Sapphire took two steps forward and grabbed the sides of two of the doctors head who were standing side by side. With all of her might Sapphire slammed there skulls together with a crash. They were unconscious instantly.

"Take these two and get out now." Sapphire said and though she spoke in more of a whisper the doctors heard every word. The physicians dropped there equipment and dragged there colleagues from the room. Clearly they were far more used to science, biology and study than they were practical combat for they left without a struggle. Though it was more than likely there were going to get security.

After they left Sapphire closed the doors and cracked open one of her shot gun shells that contained fire dust. She poured it over the opening in the door before slamming the two together. Immediately there was a massive blast of light as the fire dust fused the doors together ensure that they would not be interrupted.

Sapphire was fairly knowledgeable when it came to medical remedies and chemicals. She wouldn't be performing open heart surgery anytime soon but she knew how to get someone on there feet. After searching the shelves of the room for a bit she found a vial that was the counter agent to the standard sedatives usually used on faunus.

Very gently Sapphire injected the coyote girl's arm with the drug and waited for her to wake. When the girl opened her eyes Sapphire was visibly relieved. "Good you woke up. Can you tell me who you are and why you're here?"

[Suku]

Ciel Kuze - A Waiting Rabbit
"We wait" Ciel said off hand quietly as she carefully looked outside for any signs or new guards. Gripping her bag tighter she stilled her breath as she heard footsteps approach making a motion with her hand for Luke to remain quiet in case he did not hear the foot steps. Sigh this was not what she asked for when she said she wanted to be a huntress this seemed more like a spy mission than anything else. Though she had to admit despite everything this was really fun for her. She relaxed a bit when the footsteps died down still waiting for something to happen as she briefly let her thoughts drift off to how Mokuren was doing since to be honest half the reason she was able to get this far was due to her attacking the bouncer.

[HereComesTheSnow]

Lucas Schwarze--Out of sight, Out of mind

Well, yeah... thought the black-haired teen in reply, settling for an internal response and a mildly exasperated frown rather than the spoken word. Cian wasn't the only one keeping her ears on a swivel...

He'd have to find a better phrase than that. Really, "ears on a swivel"? That's like specifically scraping the bottom of the barrel, even if there are plenty of ripe and fresh apples to pick all the way up to the brim. His lyrical and eclectic mind could surely produce better results!

Let's see here...

"Ears open" is good, if a bit overplayed.

Maybe something like "keeping an ear out for trouble?"

No, no, no.

That just runs into the same issue as "ears on a swivel". Think of something good!

He squatted there in silence and massaged his temples, face contorting into a scrunched-up, intensely concentrated grimace. It was a spectacle that would look humorously out of place in such a tense situation, were his compatriot able to look back over her shoulder and not be glued to watching the door and surveying the activity of the guard(s) outside. A necessary evil, and one that was surely better than the alternative.

You can do this, Schwarze! You didn't pass English class with ease once you had to stop doing annotations in your books for nothing!

"Ears on point"!

"Ears in tune"!

"Ears on the ball!"

His head flopped forward, fingers squeezing his scalp in what could only be described as a midway point between the "Hear No Evil" pose and Edvard Munch's famous painting, The Scream.

This is hopeless... Just like back when I learned of the "Courage Series" last year, and how just one word can make anything sound positive.

The image of a college-aged, brown-haired girl flashed through his mind, along with the phrase "The courage to admit defeat!" said in an amused, singsong tone that brought back more memories than you might expect from the voice of someone that he, logically, should barely know at all.

His hands left his head and his fist clenched passionately.

I COURAGEOUSLY ACCEPT MY DEFEAT!

A sharp, yet thankfully quiet gasp escaped from his previously sealed lips, and his eyes went wide as saucers. He fell for it again despite knowing about the trick for nearly a year! Truly a masterful exploitation of simplicity, both in the language he spoke and wiring of his poor brain!

...Wait, where were we?

He snapped himself out of his own contained aside, and glanced around the room, taking stock of the situation once again. They hadn't been found out yet, Cian was still keeping watch at the door, but the footsteps seemed to have died off.

Had the guard already passed? Was he stopped outside?

Inwardly, he shamed himself for losing track of the situation at such a crucial moment. Reaching to his earpiece, he clicked it on, broadcasting to all channels in a low, yet as clear as possible whisper. Better play catch up.

"Jack, any more of a clue what's goin' on than the two of us?"

[SevenStormStyle]

As it turns out, Krystanthe's cue was unneeded, as Sepia was genuinely smitten with the adorable little kittens. "They're so cute!" she giggled, petting the kitty on its head. Privately, however, she wondered how this was ethical, or even possible for that matter. Still, she replied in a purr, her voice dropping from innocent to something else quickly. "It'd be a pleasure to know you. My parents always try to set me up with boys of...equal status, but you seem different. Interesting." She smiled at them sweetly, her eyes half-closed.

"So, tea?"

[Lugubrious]

-=-=Gren, Mauve, Deneb, Shamrock, Myrtle=-=-

Not at all prepared for Shiro's thunderous roar, Mauve collapsed to the ground, screeching, his hands clamped over his ears with all the strength he could muster. An unusual hypersensitivity to sound sent waves of pain reverberating through his skull, ones that stirred not only agony inside his brain but also agonizing memories. Unable to suppress the King's Voice in any way, Mauve wished fervently for death to release him; when his sight, smell, and hearing drastically lessened in response to Shiro's semblance, he assumed death was upon him. “Silence,” he squeaked, still conscious but encapsulated in a faint, blurry haze that made the world seem far away, oblivious to Gren's fist closing around his threat. “At...last.”

The remaining three faunus didn't offer much of a challenge. Deneb initially surprised Gren by freeing himself from the clutches of his friction semblance but unknown means, but the stick-thin swan's first punch damaged the hunter-in-training no more than a feather might, and an instant later Deneb's windpipe, too, was being strangled. The chameleon attempted to persuade Gren to not suffocate him, saying that he'd comply and even taking the time to introduce himself as Shamrock Cochlain, but the risk of him getting away and escaping could not be taken. The last faunus, the portly porcupine, looked at Gren in mute disgust as he attempted to justify himself. “All you're doing is making sure that my pain will never end,” she spat, and offered pitiful resistance.

-=-=Shiro, Coral=-=-

As quick as Shiro was, Coral's physique might as well have been designed for speed. Hard pressed was the swordfighter to keep with with her as she pelted around corners and down halls, but after only a few moments the chase was over with Shiro's attempt to knock her out. While his technique was spot on, slamming his shield into the back of her skull with enough force to render a normal being senseless, Coral had not deactivated her aura as her companion had. The force of the blow impacting her orange-tinged aura knocked her to the ground, where it rose again to prevent her nose from shattering against the floor, and the combined expense of both absorbed collisions depleted Coral's aura almost completely. Still, some energy remained within her, and she rolled away to regain her feet and resume her flight.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans for her. A door just to her right suddenly erupted open, and through it burst a young squirrel faunus in a high state of panic, who saw Coral and froze just in time to avoid crashing directly into her. “Corey! Where's...?” Her eyes flitted behind the deer faunus to Shiro, who had by this time recovered from his big move. “Aw, crap.”

From the door by which the squirrel had entered came a large, familiar figure clad in blue. Abel lurched into the hallway, the Ampere floating, suspended by threads of electricity, beside him. The guardian's left hand was clamped around his right forearm, which bled profusely from an unreasonably-large puncture wound. His getup lay in various states of disarray, including his auburn hair and diminutive goatee, and much of it covered in a smelly, green liquid. Though his breathing came hard and ragged, and that wound seeped crimson, no bones could be made about how ready Abel was to continue fighting. With his chance arrival he had unwittingly worked with Shiro to trap the two faunus girls between them. Though neither knew it, the operating room in which Sapphire currently stood resided only fifty feet behind Abel. A noise of breaking glass caused the guardian to momentarily look behind him, but he refocused on Shiro quickly.

“Hey. I think these hallways run in a loop.” He glanced down at his wound and grimaced. “Don't ask.” Between him and the snow tiger faunus, the two girls both looked close to tears. “Uh...I got Saph's text but I don't think she's got it all right,” he said, clearly distracted by how upset the faunus girls were, and substantially less eager to rip the squirrel a new one for locking him in with a giant killer iguana. “What's the deal with these chicks, d'you know?”

-=-=Sapphire, Sienna=-=-

During the minute or so that the antisedative raced through Sienna's inner systems, Sapphire had more than enough time to study the word tattooed onto the girl's face: embodiment. Unbeknownst to the huntress-to-be, the actors in a silent scene rushed about twenty feet above her head. Nullified by the crystalline barrier dividing the operating room and the viewing gallery, words were exchanged in earnest, and a course of action was determined.

At last, Sienna's eyes blinked open, revealing those unnerving orbs. Sapphire's words didn't seem to register at first, as the faunus raised a deliberate hand to her head. When fingers met scruffy coyote ears, a minute tremor ran through Sienna's body. Those eyes, entirely black but for brilliant yellow irises, swept over the unfamiliar figure in front of her, and then the door. Her heart, previously restrained by the anesthesia, began to accelerate.

“The...surgery failed...?” The syringe, laid in haste on a nearby table, caught her gaze with its swirling pattern. In a similar fashion, by the glint of metal beneath the white radiance of the room's lights, did she notice Sapphire's weapons. “Didn't start?” Again Sienna looked at Sapphire, and this time, she moved. One instant she was laying down, and then next, the faunus was across the room, crouched on a countertop beside the sanitation bay. In her wake she left a momentary yellow blur; nothing else accredited the idea that she hadn't teleported. Her eyes, for a split-second a pure, inhuman yellow, reverted to black-with-yellow-irises. “You. You're here 'cause of my call. I..!”

A resounding crash of broken glass sounded from above, and into the room dropped a six-foot-tall black bear faunus in a suit jacket much like his wife's. Around him rained a deluge of shimmering shards, but none with enough force to puncture or cut anything. Shrugging his brawny shoulders as if in apology, he adjusted his glances as he grieved, “Such an...unfortunate delay. Sienna, don't get yourself worked up over this. Run if you need to, but come back in a few hours after this is dealt with. We'll get you treated, I promise.”

Though she bore an anxious expression, Sienna nodded, and her eyes changed again. Like a flash she darted from her cabinet, up the wall itself, and through the hole in the ceiling's glass dome into the viewing gallery. After her trail vaporized, only Sapphire and the administrator were left.

“Assault,” the administrator said, crossing his arms. “Property damage. Trespassing. Disturbing the peace. And crushing dreams. Not all technical criminal charges, but dire nonetheless. I believe that my patient just now mentioned a call? Terrible judgment on her part. She came around, and nobody coerced her. I really am sorry to get you involved. Since you've attacked my staff, I don't expect you're here to debate ideologies, but still I will be civil. Well, miss, I'm the head administrator here. You can call me Pop if you like, though it's not really a big boss kind of name, eh? And yours?” Pop allotted time for Sapphire to respond, with her name or otherwise. Afterward, he sighed regretfully. “Okay then. My guards have told me that there are more of you runnin' around my facility. In a few minutes, once they're properly equipped, they'll be on their way to stop your friends. If you win our duel, I guess you'll want to go warn them.” Four, eh? And with fancy weapons, and in their late teens. “Hunter team, maybe? My folks always wanted me to be a hunter, but I wanted to box, and to be a doctor. Bottom line is, I'm not gonna underestimate you. I was watching the whole time from the gallery, though, so I'm wise to your vanishing act.” Pop adopted a pugilist's stance, prepared to activate him semblance. “I'm done talkin' now. Show me what a huntress can do!”

[Guess Who]

Outside the Dragon's Den

As Antaeus' trident hit Mokuren, he suddenly felt an immense amount of pain in his head that seemed to come from utterly nowhere. For several seconds, the surprise migraine disoriented him, but not long enough that he didn't see that the girl was still up and fighting with her sword coming directly for his crotch. "Ah shit!" he shouted as he used his trident to try and block the blow. He hoped to catch the sword between the prongs of his weapon and stab it into the ground, effectively disarming Mokuren. Afterwards, he'd use a kick to send her back and give him enough distance that he could call for backup. Hopefully his plan would work, because this girl was a bigger handful than he had expected.

Inside the Dragon's Den

As the Dragon’s Den employee up the stairs and out of the hallway that the hunters-in-training were in, the vault-like door that he had entered from was slowly closing. Already it was at the point where a person could possibly fit their fingers in to prevent it from shutting all the way, but if they waited any longer than it would soon be impossible to enter at all. It was now or never.

If they were able to successfully enter, the intruders would find the door to lead to a brightly lit room, each wall jam-packed with file cabinets. In the center though was a metal table and a single foldable chair. On the table, lied several files and several stacks of paperwork detailing things like transactions, statistics, and other things an illegal gambling den would need to keep track of. The most interesting thing about the papers though, was that almost every one of them had the White Fang symbol stamped onto it or signatures of known White Fang members. It was exactly what the Vale police department would need to incriminate the “business” and bring it down. It was perfect. Perhaps a little too perfect? It would not be a surprise if the three students thought this was all an elaborate trap, because they wouldn’t be far off from the truth.

[Ryonara]

Ebon just scowled at the merchants as they tried to bother him and Skyra. He either ignored them or, when they stood in his way, he pushed right pass them. Soon a thuggish woman came over to them looking for trouble. Skyra was immediately hostile which got Ebon's eyes rolling. He looked back at the delinquent girl and noticed the chained anchors around her waist. [color=black][i]"Chains were one of the items found at the scene of the crimes."[/color][/i] Ebon also looked at the woman's friends, though none of them seemed to be carrying pipes. Not that they were hard to find. Ebon was certain he could buy some pipes around here in a pinch.

"We're here on business. You aren't part of it."

Ignoring the girl and Skyra if she wanted to stay and fight, Ebon continued his patrol. As far as he cared they weren't causing trouble so he had no reason to stick around and bother them. If they were wise they would keep it that way.

[MULTI_MEDIA_MAN]

Oswald Connolly- Convoy Escort

Groaning as the fallen crystal came into view, Oswald sighed. "Yeah, of course that would happen." Looking around, he didn't notice any particularly obvious third option available to the convoy, so he just shrugged and accepted it when Marcus told them all to go around. The tracks went through the massive crystal, so it didn't seem like this was the exact place where the other convoys had been attacked, assuming they had all been attacked in the same location. Still, Oswald was wary.

Looking out the window, Oswald touched the pommel of his sword, making sure that no strange situation had occurred where his weapon was not on him. Ensured that he was still armed, Oswald turned to Rice and frowned. "You've got a plan for when everything hits the fan, right? Or is that up to my team leader to decide?"

[harinezumikouken]

With an audible metallic thwack-clang the face of Perun rightly scored a direct hit on the deer Faunus' dome piece. Causing the girl's face to play on the not-so-bouncy 'trampoline' that was the solid ground underneath them all. Seeing this, Shiro gasped in concern as he slid a few feet after the delivering the blow. It wasn't his intention to so brutally attack her and potentially hurt her. Reaching out toward her as she recovered, his expression was purely apologetic. At that moment, Shiro's eyes snapped to a door that suddenly burst open to their right and another Faunus girl of some rodent nature nearly entangled herself with 'Corey'.

The rodent Faunus girl locked eyes with him, Shiro lowering his outstretched hand and blinking in curiosity at the newcomer. Her less than positive reaction told him that she was potentially a 'patient' here too and that she knew the deer Faunus named 'Coral' by the way she addressed her. Shiro didn't have much time to slowly put the pieces together as Abel, looking worse for wear, lumbered through the door after the rodent girl. Shiro took a step back as his nostrils were suddenly assaulted with an unknown strong smell emanating from Abel, coated in some green ick. Wincing, Shiro held his nose as Abel mentioned how the facility could potentially loop within itself, though he didn't exactly know what he meant by that. As he glanced at Abel's arm, his eyes widened in shock but he was cut short before he could ask about the gaping wound that Abel nursed. The two Hunters refocused on the two faunus girls, now trapped between the two of them, Abel mentioned something about a message from Sapphire.

Shiro looked to Abel and nodded, making a motion with his hands signalling for him to tread carefully.
"I received that text too, and she's not that far off. There are faunus here that pretty much confirmed to Gren and I that they are conducting medical procedures here to somehow change them into Humans, removing their Faunus blood in some form or fashion."
Shiro nodded his head at the two girls, "These two are some of the Faunus patients to be...'treated' presumably. Gren and I were working on escorting them to safety before we deal with the rest of the personnel here at the Shelter. I don't know how Gren is doing, but I chased after...'Coral' here after she ran. She was just outside the range of my Semblance, so she wasn't affected much by it. I've already used it once to subdue the other 'patients'."
Stabbing Perun and Kladenets into the ground, Shiro disarmed himself and started taking slow, careful steps towards the girls. "Uh, Ms. Coral? I do apologize for having to hit you like that, I meant no harm to you by my actions. Please, my friends and I are here with the best of intentions. We just want to help you and stop you from making some irreversible mistake. We're trying to find out what's going on here and put a stop to it." He reached a gloved hand out towards the girls, palm upward for them to take.
Blinking, he frowned as he struggled to find the right words to use to connect with them. He hated having to act so forcibly on innocent strangers. Sighing, he stopped and searched the ground for his answers. Shaking his head, he began to do slow breathing exercises to get himself to calm down. As he relaxed, his glowing blue eyes reverted back to their golden brown color. His black 'stripes' fading and vanishing into obscurity. Ears and tail perking, an idea clicked with him.

"What unites us all as Faunus? Pain."
Shiro groaned, looking at Abel as his ears sagged and tail swayed low to the ground. He despised having to spill so many of his emotions out today. Gren witnessed him telling his sob story of a past. Now Abel would have to discover something else he was uncomfortable with.
"Oh, well. They would find out eventually. No big deal, right?"
Shiro brought his gloved hands in to examine them. Sighing heavily, he looked up at the two faunus girls and desperately hoped this would work. Grabbing the fingers of his arm-length black gloves, he tugged them off to reveal a layer of white wrapped bandages. Slowly, he began to remove them, the cloth unraveling with relative ease. With his

arms bared

Shiro lifted his arms to clearly show to Abel and the girls the strange black mark that was branded on him. The ink black and irritated skin as red as if Shiro had just walked out of a tattoo shop minutes prior, it was clearly apparently Shiro was uncomfortable with showing them. He wished that they would see it as a sign of trust, a connection.

"When my unconscious body was found in the burning ashes of my home village, next to the sword and shield I now use, this was discovered on my flesh. This, in addition to my Faunus blood, brought me much torment. No matter what I do, I can't get rid this...whatever this is. Someone did this to me, as if to cruelly leave a reminder of my destroyed childhood. I wanted to show you this, because as someone who knows exactly how painful it can be as a Faunus in this world...I want to let you know that it gets better and I want to show you all that. I want to help you." Desperation lined his every word, his expression pleading to them sincerely.

Shiro took another few steps towards them, stretching his hand out toward them once again. "Please, come with us. Please. I don't want to have to force you all to come with me. I just don't want to see you make the same irreversible mistakes as...other Faunus have." Briefly, memories flashed into his mind's eye, of ripping and burning flesh. By some cruel twist of fate, the only visible 'scars' that marred his body were the only scars he actively tried to hide. For one reason or another, his body never allowed him to sport marks elsewhere. Quickly healing and fading as if he had never inflicted any harm by his own hand or by others. Shiro always told himself that it was because of his ability to move on and push forward. Yet, the strange marks on his arms always remained with him. The one scar that would never fade or heal, constantly burdening him with the loss of innocence. The loss of cherished memories and details of his life before his frail body was discovered in the forest that day.

[HereComesTheSnow]

Lucas Schwarze--Taking one for the team

There was no time. The coast was clear-- this was the best chance they would get at getting inside. Pushing the door he had been peering outside moments before, he rushed over to the rapidly closing crack in the steel door. He needed to have gotten out earlier to do this clean, but this wasn't the time for could haves or would haves or should haves. Now was the time for action!

And there was only one action to take.

Knowing full-well the implications of what he was about to do, Luke redoubled his sprinting speed and flew towards the door, practically diving when his hand shot out like a bullet towards that crack.

His reward?

Fingers exploding into pain as the door swung in onto them with no regard for such weak things like tendons, blood vessels, or metacarpals. He channeled all his energy into not screaming like a little girl, instead letting out something resembling a hybrid of a grunt and growl.

Today was just crazy.

[Sho Minazuki]

Jack Orpheus | Dragon's Den Back Room

Had it been anyone else, getting through the vault with this opportunity would not have been possible. The door closed shut behind him as he with his Semblance, easily slipped past. As the door shut behind him he communicated with the rest of the team.

"I'm in, or at least I think so", he began, as he started to walk towards the table, looking around. Filing cabinets everywhere... This had to be some kind of room for records and accounting. He stood by the table and picked up one of the papers... These documents were all nothing but little statistics, but they had the White Fang symbol on them. That was strange... Why would they need to put the White Fang symbol on things such as trivial as a record for how much they earned in a night?

"I have some documents, they have the White Fang symbol on it", as he was saying this, he grabbed two sheets, the ones that he at a glance found as most important, and folded them away into his coat before turning for the door.

"I'm on my way out", he finished. He was hoping this feeling of danger was only his imagination, but he kept his hand near his blade, in case it was not.

[KabenSaal]

Mokuren Sabella. Dragon's Den

Mokuren was amazed at the man. There was a big difference between healing after getting stabbed, and outright brushing off getting stabbed - even if it was just the feeling of it - in seconds. He was clearly nothing that Mokuren could touch, and so she decided that going was a better idea than staying. So, she lithely avoided the trident pinning her sword to the ground, and slid backwards, barely half an inch from the foot at it came to kick her. Then, with that out of the way, and them still being outside and all, she turned and fled the scene.