[IC] A Grimm War [Vena Sera & Scout]

[Scout]

Owyn absently kicked the Death Stalker's arm to make sure it didn't respond. He then sheathed his sword and pocketed his hands, noting that Ulyssa finally managed to take a kill for herself. Didn't matter how long it took, as long as it got done. He let the two finish their pointless dialogue, his eyes moving from one corpse to another, making sure that they weren't going to move anymore. The other male was an interesting one, that was for sure... A sword and a blaster? Pretty nifty combo, he had to admit, but a bit... heavy, he decided. This guy was a formidable fighter who packed a real punch, thankfully he was skilled. The Vale resident cracked his neck and looked to Ulyssa as though her suggestion was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard.

"Tries to kill... me?" He asked, completely bypassing the word 'us.' He actually laughed and shook his head, "That's cute." He gave a semi-sarcastic thumbs up to signal agreement at her mention of moving on. Thank god he found some people - he was afraid for a minute there that he'd be stuck with Lyra. There's no way she got up here this fast though, not to mention that it was next to impossible that she even found somebody who wouldn't avoid becoming partners with an obvious Faunus. It was a relief; she'd do fine here, but he wanted her holding another team back. She was average, at best.

-----

A young, twelve year-old Faunus girl stared down her thirteen year-old brother in the pouring rain. "Stop saying things like that, Owyn!" She ordered through her tears, concealed by the rain falling in their father's courtyard. They'd been called inside multiple times by the help, but they weren't listening.

"No! Because it's true! He only lets you live with us because he feels sorry for you!"

The small girl clenched her fists, "Nuh-uh! You're just mad 'cause I'm a better fighter than you!"

Owyn's face turned red, "Who told you that shit?!"

Lyra flinched at the word, shaking her head, "Owyn, you can't talk like that! And it's 'cause it's true! I'm better at things like shooting... and dancing... and you're just stronger! That's all! That's why you win when we practice!"

The boy clenched his fists, "WRONG! WRONG WRONG!" He retorted cleverly, "Strength isn't how you win a fight, doesn't dad always say that?"

She scoffed, "He says it because he's trying to make me feel better!" For some reason, she didn't actual believe those words until she said them. Now that she thought about it, though, it hurt. All the technique in the world couldn't help you when there was such a huge strength gap. At least, it didn't seem like it.

"I'll fight you right now to prove it - I'm better. I'm actually a person!"

Lyra's fists shook at her sides, "Good!" She didn't wait for an official countdown or stance. Actually a person? What did that mean? She didn't know, but it was infuriating. Darting from her position directly at her brother, she pounced when she was only a couple of feet away. In the next moment, she felt a heel driving into her abdomen before she was thrown to the ground and sent rolling several feet across the courtyard.

"See? You do stupid, rash things like that too," Owyn pointed out with a laugh, cockily pocketing his hands.

"That's only 'cause you made me mad!" She argued, pulling herself onto her agile feet.

"You act like that's not part of fighting. This is like a pawn fighting a Queen... There's absolutely no way you can beat a piece that can do anything it wants when you've only got a couple of moves..." He pulled his hands out of his pockets as Lyra threw an angry punch at him. He swiped it away and stepped forward, grabbing her hand and yanking it toward him as he moved to step behind her.

The girl moved with him, pivoting with him to avoid letting him get the upper hand. He took her other wrist in a moment of her lapsed judgment, but she just braced herself, and rotated them both inward, breaking his grip. Without hesitation, she lifted her foot and kicked him, missing her mark and striking his hip. She was aiming center-mass, but this worked well too as he fell to a knee. The fight looked, from the outside, rather juvenile (as one would expect from the youths) but still disturbingly violent.

With a cry of fury, Lyra came down on Owyn with more rage than tact and paid for it as he blocked her advance by firmly pressing a wet shoe into her hip and preventing her advance. "What the hell, Owyn?! PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN! I HATE YOU!" She screamed, punching his shin as she stopped thinking about what she was actually doing, just wanting to hurt him how he had hurt her.

"You're insane! You're just a savage, like the rest of your kind!"

That was the last straw, "Stop treating me like an animal!" At this point, Lyra was screeching at the top of her lungs like a tantrum-throwing child. She took a step back away from his guard, dripping with water as she trembled. She stared out from under her short, white hair at the boy that she called "brother." Her eyes were blood red, "Savage...?" She asked, sounding a lot calmer than she had before. "I think you need perspective, Owyn." She bent her knees as the boy climbed to his feet.

"The heck are you talking? It's raining like crazy, let's just go inside, Lyra," He said with a bit of irritation, like she was just a pest to him.

She didn't stop walking toward him, though she didn't move maliciously at first. She pulled her fist back finally and he rolled his eyes, lifting his hands to prepare for another fight. Instead, she disappeared into the whipping wind and he stood dumbfounded as her figure de-materialized. What the hell was going on? He furrowed his brow, caught off-guard. Suddenly, a fist caught the side of his jaw and sent him straight to the ground.

"What was that?!" He shouted as she approached and he readied to continue fighting. The girl was taken away again. In the rain, he couldn't tell at all what was going on, but she next appeared on top of him, already past his legs, leaving him without his strongest muscles. She drove a fist downward into his face as she appeared again, but he barely caught it. With his focus on her hand, she took to his throat with the other.

"SORRY, BROTHER!" She cried out with a soft laugh, "ANIMALS CAN'T CONTROL THEIR INSTINCTS, CAN THEY?!" Her fingers closed over his windpipe as he reached back for her hand again.

When she woke up, Owyn was being chastised endlessly by their father for what he did. When Lyra was questioned, she answered honestly, much to Owyn's annoyance. To this day, the two don't have a liking to one another, but something their father said must have gotten through because he stopped being that big of a jerk afterward.

------

Lyra snapped awake, sitting up on top of the temple. How long had she been napping? Judging by the sun's lack of movement, it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. She could hardly remember that evening... Her father came running out at the last minute... She honestly only remembers being provoked and then told about it later. It took her another year to actually figure out how her semblance worked, let alone use it. Yet another thing that Owyn wound up mastering before her.

She hugged her knees again and shook her head, burying her face. Since then, she'd never done anything like that... But it still worried her that it could someday happen. Was she really just a beast with a human face..?

[GambolMuse]

"Oh don't start acting all smug, we've only just started. You'll get killed if you keep up that attitude," Ulyssa warned, frowning as she scolded Owyn, "Or we'll get killed trying to help you. Don't be so stuck on yourself!" He had done well today and there was every right to be proud, but they couldn't be arrogant; arrogance could kill even the best of Huntsmen, and much as they might think otherwise they were still green as could be. "I guess it doesn't matter much right now anyways, all we need to focus on is finishing this. And hey, we found ourselves a third teammate!" she added with a chipper tone, beaming as she reached up and slapped Soren on the back, "Or rather... You found us. All the same, that means we just need one more!" They had a decent team thus far, and had really gotten a powerhouse in their newest addition. Owyn wasn't a pushover either, and with her cards they made a formidable group already. One more able fighter and they could well be the best team around.

"We have a fourth actually, back in the courtyard," Soren responded as he was smacked, hardly budging at all from being hit, "She's waiting for me to come back, so I guess I'll introduce you two." Lyra had seemed reluctant to join with this pair earlier, yet he couldn't see very much issue with it. Sure, Owyn came off as a bit haughty and arrogant, but that was hardly a deal breaker; if he was of higher social status then that was expected, and while annoying it was just who he was. So long as it didn't hurt anyone then he didn't much care. Giving the slain Grimm one final passing glance he began doubling back the way he had come from before, stepping on one of the corpses callously on his way out.

Ulyssa couldn't be more pleased with how today had gone. It had been perhaps an hour and she'd already amassed a team, found their way to the temple and were just about to finally finish their Initiation. Maybe she was getting a bit ahead of herself there, but it was hard to deny the elation that came with forming her team at last. Now how did the teams work again? The groups who picked similar relics ended up together, wasn't that right? Well then, provided she and Owyn got the same piece as the others then it would work out. Strange too that no other groups had made it to the temple yet, was it really that hard to find?

In following Soren's lead they had arrived at the courtyard, and what a curiously beautiful place it was. Even in its ruined state Ulyssa could appreciate the serenity, imagining how it must have appeared before it had devolved into its current state. Shame that this was abandoned now, it must have at one time been a wonderful place to visit. They were scarcely here for sightseeing though, what they had come for was the altar in the center of the space itself; chess pieces, as it would seem, just waiting for the prospective students to come along and snatch them up. From here she could tell only one had been taken, meaning they were plenty able to pair up with Soren and... "Who is your partner anyways? She's here right?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Just a second," Soren responded, glancing around curiously to try and find Lyra. "Hey Lyra, we've got company! Where'd you go?" he shouted, scratching at his head in confusion and letting out a sigh, "She's got to be around here somewhere... Lyra?"

"Maybe she's just shy? Could be she doesn't want to see strangers so soon," Ulyssa reasoned with a nod, smiling to herself at her own conclusion, "I suppose then we just need to show we're friends then, correct?" Stepping to Soren's side she pulled him down to her level, ignoring his protests as she placed an arm around his shoulders. This was how friends acted wasn't it? "Lyra? We're here to meet you, we're going to be a team together! Come on out and say hello!" she shouted, scouring the opening for any traces of their teammate, "What does she look like anyways?"

[Scout]

Pfft, don't be so stuck on himself. Who was stuck on himself? He waved it off dismissively; he couldn't help it if she wasn't confident enough in her abilities to face a Grimm head on, even when the odds were against her. "Why's she back in the courtyard? You guys didn't travel together? You're supposed to stay attached to your partner... If she's really that bad, we might be better off picking a relic that doesn't match yours," He mused in honest thought. "Is she incapable or just selfish?"

Finally they entered the courtyard and Owyn started for the relic, scrutinizing each one. "Hmph..." His eyes ran over each one... King, Queen, Bishop... Rook... All here. The only missing one was a Pawn and he furrowed his brow. "You made an odd choice... Pawn? As the first people who arrived?" He asked, turning to look back; he could only think of one person who would make such a juvenile decision. He picked up the pawn opposite the first which was also the complementary colour.

Meanwhile, Lyra heard her voice as well as that of others on the ground and she hopped to her feet. Wait... One of them sounded oddly familiar, but she really didn't put the pieces together until she hopped down. "Coming!" She called, descending with a similar route which she used to get outside. Her feet hit the ground almost noiselessly and she lifted her head with a smile, "Nice to meet you..!" She furrowed her brow in confusion, "I"m sorry... Are you okay?" She asked curiously, looking at Soren, "What is she doing..?"

Then she noticed him. Her eyes went wide when she finally saw Owyn fingering the other pawn. The girl didn't hesitate, taking a decisive few steps forward and smacking the piece out of his hand. It clattered obnoxiously across the concrete floor, nearly reaching the wall before stopping.

"Pick. Another. Piece." She ordered, glaring at him without acknowledging Soren nor the other girl in the courtyard. She was practically seething as her hand gripped the bow at her side. He could go to school here, and he could attend class... And he could fail his pretty little ass out on his own... But he was not going to stick his venomous teeth into her Beacon experience. She refused to let him poison all four years of class for her... To be a part of a team that was supposed to develop a bond and work together.

The girl looked to Soren, "I promise you'll regret it if you don't keep him out," She warned in contempt. "He's selfish, he doesn't learn, he isn't a team mate, and he... He's... He's just awful!" She argued aimlessly. The Faunus wanted to give a real reason with proper evidence as to why he wasn't worth their effort... But no doubt they'd seen him fight. He wasn't like their father, but he was still skilled.

On the other hand, Owyn saw Lyra descend before deciding whether he really wanted her on his team. Of course, he'd already picked up the pawn, so he wasn't able to go back on the decision. It did come as a bit of a surprise that she was here before him and had managed to get such a good fighter on her team. As she climbed down, he was legitimately debating picking up another piece - he could get away with it if he was quick. Then he realized how much more fun it could be... From an objective point, Soren and Ulyssa were talented; Lyra lacked the ability to do anything to him as far as enjoying his time here at Beacon went too. She would just be on his team and that meant quite little to him. Yeah, this could be fun, he decided. So, when she slapped the chess piece out of his hand, he feigned surprise and just shook his head.

"C'mon, sis... Why would you do that? It'll be fun - we'll have a family team! Father'll be so pleased," He said with a frown. "What's wrong?"

Lyra didn't give him the validation as she looked at the other two pleadingly. Rules were rules... He'd already picked up the piece and decided to hold onto it - there was literally nothing they could do. He was more than aware of that fact too.

[GambolMuse]

"She isn't bad. It made sense for her to remain behind, in case someone else showed up," Soren explained simply, "You really shouldn't assume things about people, it's rude." Then again that was a bit hypocritical was it not? Earlier him and Lyra had both assumed Owyn to be a bit... Difficult. While that was proving to be largely true it still didn't excuse their assumptions, albeit the other boy was not privy to them regardless. Leading the pair to the courtyard he gave them a chance to pick their piece, curious about Owyn's assessment on what their choice had been. "It's unimportant what piece we choose really, isn't it? They're just pieces to a game," Soren replied with a shrug. What did it matter what they'd picked? The way Owyn spoke of it he almost sounded disgusted, though for what reason remained unclear.

So Soren had a partner as well then, where was she? Ulyssa wanted to meet their other soon-to-be teammate, and they couldn't do that if she was off hiding somewhere. After calling a few times they were finally graced by Lyra's presence, and what a surprise she turned out to be; she had met plenty of people since coming here, but only one or two Faunus. A bit of a curiosity for her, Ulyssa was eager to greet Lyra and get to know her better. Smiling in the other girl's direction she moved to shake her hand, stopping instead as Lyra walked past her to Owyn, smacking the Pawn from his hand and ordering him to reconsider, no shortage of animosity lacing her tone.

What was that just now? Why was she so against Owyn joining them? Lyra had tried avoiding them before and that might have been chalked up as random, Soren would give her that. But after seeing her intentionally swat away his piece and demand he change it there was no possible way she just happened to avoid him earlier. No, from the sounds of it she knew Owyn, and whatever relationship they might have was not a very good one. Frowning as the Faunus girl began to argue her case he glanced over at the other boy curiously, watching as he went to fetch the piece. Both of their demeanor had changed so drastically compared to what they had been before, with Lyra seeming desperate to avoid Owyn, and Owyn playing it off as though it were nothing. Clearly something more was going on here, yet neither himself nor Ulyssa had any idea what that could be. That was until anyways Owyn said something very curious.

"Sis...? You two are siblings?" Ulyssa asked aloud, voicing both her own and Soren's surprise. But Owyn was a human and Lyra a Faunus, how did that work? If they were blood related then it was terribly confusing, the more likely scenario then being that Lyra was adopted. Okay so they were family, why then was Lyra so against being with him? From the sounds of it Owyn was a dreadful person, yet she'd be hard pressed to call him anything other than perhaps arrogant; if there was bad blood between siblings and it effected their team's cohesion, maybe it was best they didn't work together after all.

"He picked the same piece, you know the rules..." Soren said with a sigh, rubbing at his head as he placed his free hand on his hip, "Sorry Lyra, but that makes the four of us a team. I'd rather not piss off the Headmaster on day one by changing the rules, you know?" Admittedly he hadn't been keen on joining up with Ulyssa or Owyn himself, finding the former unreliable and the latter careless in their first encounter. That might change though, he really should try giving them the benefit of the doubt. Dropping his hand from his head then, Soren turned to face Owyn, frowning as he took a step closer, just barely taller than the other boy. "I don't know what the deal is with you two, but put it behind you, okay? Don't drag the team down with whatever is going on."

Okay then, so Lyra and Owyn weren't exactly on good terms... That complicated things. It was too soon to make any real judgments on how these two would be as teammates, but if they were going to get into fights like this more often than not then their cohesion as a team was at risk. To top that off Soren looked to be getting defensive over the Faunus girl, confronting Owyn about it and more or less demanding it be dropped. No no no, this wouldn't do. How was she ever going to excel if her team was fighting amongst itself? Shaking her head in annoyance Ulyssa stormed forward, putting her hands on both boy's chests and pushing them apart, narrowing her eyes at each of them. "Don't you two even start. We're all here and we have the same pieces, that makes us a team. We'll make it work, we have to," she said firmly, then looked past Soren to Lyra and softened her expression a little, "It will be fine, I'll be here and so will Soren." For whatever that might be worth, they didn't really even know each other yet aside from names.

[Scout]

Lyra scoffed, "I... But he... And they... With the..." She sputtered senselessly, furrowing her brow at him. He won. Again. The girl huffed and shook her head, "Fine, because the rules say so." She would be damned if he ruined her time here at Beacon. Ulyssa addressed her and she shrugged, "I'm not afraid of him, I just hate him."

Owyn feigned surprise, "Oh, but little sister! You wound me so..." He said with a roll of his eyes. "Yeah, let's just do this. No biggie, we're just... together for four more years, then we can go our separate ways."

The girl fought the scowl from her face and sighed, "Yeah. That'll work for me."

The somber tension held the air for a bit before a voice filled the entire space. It sounded much like that of the headmaster, Ozpin... Were there speakers in the woods, for real? The sound echoed throughout the temple ruins to an almost obnoxious degree.

"Okay, students, since it seems to be taking a bit longer than usual, it seems we'll be extending your indoctrination. The new test is to retrieve your respective relics and survive for three days in the woods. I suggest finding something other than Grimm to eat if you get hungry... They're awfully gamy!" With that, the sound cut out and no further announcement was made.

Lyra stared in disbelief, but Owyn reacted far sooner, "Three days? Out here? That's ridiculous - this place is absolu-" He stopped mid-statement as he realized exactly what he was about to complain about. Right, he was going to be a Huntsman, so... This was likely a good chance to take a challenge head on. He shrugged his shoulders, "Absolutely a bore. I suppose we should find a good spot to call home - I don't know about you guys, but I don't wanna look like guards and get attacked in our sleep by other students who are hungry to prove themselves. Not to mention, this temple is likely crawling with more Death Stalkers and that's not really on my to-do list either."

The Faunus girl crossed her arms with a smirk as her older brother began to complain about the new state of affairs. She'd slept outside before. Once it was because he'd locked her out and any other time after that it was because she actually enjoyed the air. Sometimes she'd sleep on the roof, sometimes in the courtyard... When the house staff found her it would become tiresome. "I hate to admit it, but I agree... Staying here seems like the worst of our options. What do you guys think?" She asked, looking to Soren and Ulyssa.

Owyn, however, was already moving for one of the corridors to leave with no regard to what anybody else thought. Lyra rolled her eyes, but didn't move to follow him - she wouldn't move until the other two said they were ready to go. From the tunnel that Owyn was walking away from, several voices came.

"C'mon! We have to get our piece before tonight - I'm not coming back to this freaking temple again!"

"I know!" A female shouted back, "It's like a maze in here!" She was obviously winded, panting far more than the male who spoke before her. "We've been walking for hours... We're probably not the only two stuck in here, either... I swear I've heard other people fighting. Not to mention, from somewhere down the hall from here we heard that hideous shriek..."

"Oh, calm down, that couldn't have been human. It must have been somebody taking down a Grimm. That's our job, remember?"

"Yeah... Right," The girl didn't sound so sure.

Lyra watched the hall, "They sound nice," She said to Soren with a low voice, "But like Owyn said, I really don't want to stick around. I'd rather meet people once we're all actually students... People can die here, making a friend now could just mean disappointment later. Especially since there's only two of them." It was a surprisingly logical analyzation of the situation - avoiding allies for the dark truth that these students could be dead tomorrow wasn't such a shocking idea. Most people didn't have a group of four before getting to the temple - these four were just 'lucky,' and pretty talented it seemed. "Maybe we'll meet them in a few days, when we leave the forest."

[GambolMuse]

So this was how they were going to act around one another huh? Perhaps it might have been best not to team up if this was how they were going to be. That was Soren's idea, but Ulyssa appeared to be determined for their being a team to still happen, meaning they would have to somehow deal with the bickering siblings. Sighing to himself he rubbed at his head, glancing over at Owyn with half-lidded eyes as he did so. "Try to get along with her, okay? We've got enough stuff going on without you two fighting." He was probably a bit biased here, siding with the person he'd first met, but he was of the opinion Lyra was a better person anyways. Something about Owyn just bothered him, whether it was the way he carried himself or the air about him, it reminded him a lot of the nobles back home.

"How about we all try to get along, not just them?" Ulyssa interjected, smiling tightly as she folded her hands at her waist, "I don't know what the problem is, but we'll leave that aside and move forward, as a team, understood?" She didn't want to come across as demanding or oppressive, but her future as a Huntsmen depended in part on how her team performed; if they were constantly fighting among themselves then their cohesion as a group would fail, and their team as a whole would suffer for it. She supposed she could always go into solo work once they graduated, but she'd much more prefer to have teammates she could rely on. "Now then, perhaps we could get going?"

That was Ulyssa's earnest hope, to just get moving and be done with this Indoctrination. Hearing Ozpin's voice suddenly echo through the forest didn't instill a sense of optimism in her, and she was astonished to learn their stay here had been elongated. Could they even do that? They had been given specific directions going into this, was it fair to change the rules now? Perhaps not, but she had to remind herself that things would not always go as planned; the life of a Huntsmen was a dangerous one, and perhaps this was the Headmaster's way of simulating that, by throwing an unexpected turn of events their way. Yes that would explain it, and if that was the case she would accept their decision with enthusiasm, eager for a chance to prove herself. It did not appear however that everyone shared her enthusiasm.

"That seems unreasonable, don't you think? We're all in this together, whether we're on the same team or not. Why would any other student attack us?" Ulyssa asked with a frown, regarding Owyn with an annoyed glance, "If we're to stay here then we could possibly form an alliance, strength in numbers. Just because we've made our team doesn't mean we can't work with anyone else." Perhaps this was a man's pride at play, maybe Owyn was simply reluctant to work with others; Owyn could also simply not wish to have to fight anyone else, slim as it may be, on risk of being shown up by someone else. Surprisingly enough Lyra was in agreement with her brother, meaning they now had half their group for leaving. Weighing the options mentally she tried to come to a decision, her eyes widening seeing Owyn already walking off. Just where did he think he was going?!

Well this was nice, seemed as though Owyn was making their decision for them. Since the siblings had already decided to leave the temple Soren opted to follow, not particularly caring where they ended up. So long as they made some kind of progress, particularly the kind involving not dying, he was fine with it. "Does us no good to sit here and shout, there's more coming," Soren said as he placed his hands into his pockets, following after Owyn into the far corridor. With Ulyssa and Lyra following suit they were well out of the courtyard by the time the other students arrived, perhaps a bit more than slightly confused at finding no one else there. No doubt they would notice two pieces already claimed however, and it would be interesting to see their own team form. That wasn't what they were here for though, and they really ought to focus on getting themselves prepared for the days to come.

"First order of business should be to establish some kind of base, and from there we can delegate duties to each member," Ulyssa said aloud, picking up her pace to catch up to Owyn, "Which means you have to slow down and wait for us, you've got teammates to consider now. Running ahead blindly isn't going to help anyone." If they meant to make it through the next 3 days without problems they had to be mindful of where they went, and how they approached the situation. They would need shelter, food, and a means of protecting themselves from the Grimm. Just because they could fight the beasts didn't mean they should, as fatigue would take its toll with constant fighting. The ideal situation then, Ulyssa reasoned, was to find somewhere out of reach from those beasts, and from there form their base. "What does everyone have for a particular skill set? If we can figure that out now then we'll know what jobs each of us is suited for."

"I can hunt, so I can handle food if you'd like," Soren offered, reaching back and tapping the handle of his sword, "Not too used to doing it in forests though, but I should be able to make it work. I'll also help throw together a shelter we need it." One benefit of being poorer he supposed, you had plenty in the way of survival skills. Sure he had an actual roof over his head back home, but he'd gone out and camped in the wilderness simply for fun on occasion, or as a challenge with some of his friends. What had been just simple children's games could now prove invaluable to their survival, if given the chance to use them. "And... I think I should hunt anyways, I can handle myself in a fight just fine. Makes more sense to send me out."

[Scout]

Lyra sighed as Owyn once again turned a whole group into catering to his whims just because he chose to act as an individual. She warned them. They could have gotten rid of him or something, but they didn't. She moved with her team once the other two decided to leave as well, letting Ulyssa take the lead, glad that somebody else was showing leadership traits. Somebody needed to trump Owyn, and she was fairly certain that it could never be her. Ulyssa on the other hand? Very possible. Maybe she could knock him down a peg.

"You're right. We need to do all of those things. You can get fire stuff ready," He delegated, looking to her with a 'tell me you can't' challenge.

Lyra rolled her eyes and looked to Soren, knowing exactly where her place was in this party. "I can hunt!" She exclaimed brightly, completely positive that this was her calling in their mini-tribe of four. "I'm really good at being quiet, climbing, and my bow doesn't damage the meat," She pointed out, glancing to Soren's rifle-sword. "Not to mention my eyes are great and I can see in the dark."

"You? Quiet?" Owyn asked, cocking his head as he'd overheard. "Please. Just because you weigh nothing doesn't mean you're stealthy. Not to mention, you don't ever stop talking."

She didn't give him the validation of replying. By now, Lyra was more than used to his antagonizing and condescending tones. She looked back to Soren, "I'd love to at least give a try. I've never actually hunted, but I know I'd be good at it. Plus," The girl's ears twitched slightly, "I've got a bit of a meat tooth." She pointed out, snickering at her own pun. Owyn let out an audible, exasperated sigh of irritation. Her laughter cut off quickly and she just scowled at him, but he wasn't looking so she kind of just left the good mood behind again. With more than a little bit of bitterness, she asked, "And what are you going to be doing?"

He smiled and rolled his eyes. "Stand watch and supervise, of course. Somebody has to keep an eye on the actual site that we're gonna be using so that no Grimm or other students come try to take it for themselves."

Lyra didn't seem so impressed, swiveling her gaze back to Soren as if to ask, 'you see what I deal with now?' She shrugged, callous now to his arrogant and almost freeloading attitude. Her hand ran absently through her hair for a moment as they left the temple, shaking her head to clear out the agitation caused by Owyn.

[GambolMuse]

Soren just wanted to get this underway, he didn't much care for what he did. The only reason that hunting had been the first thing he thought of was from experience in doing so, and being able to fight of Grimm. But then he also knew his limits, and going out alone into the wilderness would spell a death sentence, even for him. He had been about to propose that someone else join him when Lyra suggested she hunt in his stead, even with no prior experience in it. Meeting her glance uncertainly for a moment he let out a sigh, then turning his focus to Owyn when the other boy was questioned. Supervise? Was that it? And then what did that mean Ulyssa was doing? Hm, perhaps he and Lyra should hunt, and the other two could sort out whatever their plan was.

"Or, you help me put up some kind of shelter and these two go hunt," Ulyssa interjected, reaching over and grabbing Owyn's shirt, pulling him to her side, "I know a gentleman like you would never leave a woman to fend for herself, right? And he certainly wouldn't make her do all the work, unless he's got a superiority complex and is too good for that work?" Smiling slyly she then released her teammate, clapping her hands together in a dusting motion before placing them on her hips. "I think that sounds like a better idea! It makes sense for both you two to go anyways, that way you get a chance to learn to hunt Lyra," she continued, then looking up at Soren and pointing up at his face, "And you, make sure she makes it back safe, okay? I saw how you fight, she shouldn't have so much as a scratch on her when she returns." If they had three days to go then they needed to stay completely healthy, meaning even the most minimal of injuries couldn't be afforded; she didn't feel the need to tell Soren to be careful, she wasn't too concerned about him.

"Alright, alright, jeez... She'll come back without any injury, you have my word," Soren said defensively as he looked away, crossing his arms over his chest, "Fair warning, neither of you expect a huge meal tonight. There's no telling what we'll find out there, could be a buffet or could be one measly squirrel." One of the luxuries of being in a city he supposed, you knew where to get food and how consistent it would be. An sure, back home it was relatively consistent still, but the small vendors and shops in his town paled in comparison to the sprawling stores here in Vale. Slipping his weapon out of its holster on his back, Soren gave it a flick to extend the blade to full length, and resting it over his shoulder he turned and started walking into the brush. "Come on Lyra, keep close. Don't know where Grimm might be lurking."

There, everyone was happy with that decision it seemed! Or almost everyone, there was a distinct feeling in the air that Owyn was displeased. Though they were teammates and should be supportive Ulyssa found it difficult to worry about his pettiness, more keen on making their group work than pleasing everyone. "Good luck you two, bring us back something tasty!" she called, smiling as she waved after the pair. Once they were out of sight she folded her hands together once more, surveying their immediate area for something to work with. They weren't going to set up camp right here, but she figured they could at least grab some useful bits if they spotted any. "Let me think... I read once in a book that using branches and fronds is an excellent way of making a shelter, so maybe we should look for those..." Ulyssa mumbled, walking over to a dead tree and giving it a tap with her knuckles to see how solid it was. Dead, but still good, hopefully it would work well for them. Brandishing her sword she jumped up a couple of times and sliced some branches free, smiling as she pointed to them on the ground. "Carry them and be a dear? I'll gather and you haul, seems like a fair deal don't you think?" she asked, her smile taking on a more teasing note as she tilted her head, "Unless it's too much work for the man?"

[Scout]

Lyra tried not to let her excitement show when Soren said she could go too. First day at Beacon, already about to learn something new. She pulled a plain arrow from her quiver and clicked it onto the string of her bow before pulling up her hood. As the two walked away, Lyra couldn't help but notice how Soren and Ulyssa both were already defaulting to acting like she was the most defenseless one of the group. She furrowed her brow for a moment - did she already give off an aura like that? Just because she would have some inhibitions fighting a person, hadn't she proven herself competent in combating Grimm? It wasn't like she could help it now, but she still felt a bit uncomfortable realizing it. The girl had been tolerating Owyn for most of her life, yet Soren and Ulyssa already seemed like they thought she needed protecting, not that she was one who could provide protection.

After walking for a bit, she stopped dead in her tracks and pulled her hood back down, looking upward as her ear twitched. She closed her eyes, seeming to be in thought, taking a whiff of the air. She took a step forward and turned slightly. "I think there's a..." The faunus sighed, "Dammit, I don't know, but it doesn't smell foul like a Grimm. Not yet, at least. I think it's a boar - a normal one too... If anybody in our group knows how to cook..." Her voice trailed off hungrily as just the thought of a pig roast made her ravenous. "At this point, I don't care what it is, I just wanna eat. Let's move," Show time. She put the arrow back in her quiver and slung her bow over her back before bending her knees and leaping toward a tree. Both of her hands met the thick branch and she dug in, swinging slightly before kipping her body and pulling herself up over it with the reversed momentum. She planted her feet firmly on it, looking over her shoulder with a small smirk, "I'll see you up there."

Moving up one more ring of branches, the girl almost disappeared into the leaves of the tree, her cloak camouflaging her as she jumped through the trees. There was no monkey in her blood, of course, but she found the elevation almost reassuring. She would see most things before they saw her and that thought alone comforted her. Following her nose, she checked every now and then to make sure that Soren was able to follow. She wasn't sprinting, so it was just a matter of making sure he was going in the right direction. If he started to stray, she'd give a whistle, letting him know which way she was going.

Finally she could make out the scent much better. It was a boar, indeed. In fact, there were three of them sniffing and snorting about a hundred feet away. Lyra looked back and gave a soft 'tss' to get Soren's attention. She could smell something else in the air. In a low voice, she spoke, "Well, we found dinner... Bad news is, I think I smell an Ursa... I've never been around one before, but it smells kinda like a... a bear. I've seen them at the zoo before," She explained quietly, "It's like that, but... then it smells like Grimm too, so... I think it's one of those. We need to be really, really careful."

-----

Owyn watched Ulyssa with less than some enthusiasm. He shrugged, "Sure. Carrying is easy," He said before grabbing the wood she dropped. "Let's just hope Lyra can use that bow for more than pretending she's a huntress. She might be a Faunus, but she doesn't have any of those traits that make your average Faunus a useful companion or any of the qualities that make a human... Well, able to function in society," He explained. For once, his voice wasn't actually condescending. He was speaking very matter of factly, "Sure, she's light, so it's easy for her to be quiet, and she can hear and smell... All those things that are natural, but she doesn't exactly have a lot of mental strength. I don't mean she's stupid... She just lacks uh... Fortitude," The boy pointed out honestly, "Pressure isn't really her strong suit - whenever we had house parties, she'd stick around for a little bit and then sneak off before too many people asked questions even though Father encouraged her to participate and socialize. He and she are the only two that I know that didn't care about her being a Faunus - but she could hide it well enough and at least pretend to be normal at parties. Instead, she'd sneak off to somewhere else and, nine out of ten instances, would ruin whatever clothing that had been bought for the event. Either by getting it dirty or having some kind of... anxiety attack or something." He shook his head, "I don't imagine it's easy..." He sympathized with a genuine voice, silently adding a thought: being such a useless waste of freeloading space can't possibly be.

It had to be done, he realized, picking up more branches and fronds that were cut down. Exchanging a little bit of background was only natural for team cohesion, right? They had to know something about each other. It seemed tedious, though... "So, Ulyssa, where are you from?"

[GambolMuse]

Was hunting really something to be so excited over? For Soren it was a commonplace practice back home, yet he could feel Lyra bristling in anticipation beside him as they walked. He supposed it would be exciting if it was her first time, though he couldn't say he'd felt the same in his initial outing; tension, nerves, doubt, plenty of those but not much excitement, that came later. He just hoped they found something they could eat too, otherwise all of Lyra's excitement was going to be for nothing. For a while they walked with no signs of prey, perhaps scared off by the proximity of Grimm, or by all of the students running around. If they couldn't find themselves some meat, Soren reflected, there were plenty of plants to have. Hardly as nutritious or tasty as a fresh seared steak, but given that and starving he'd gladly take some leaves any day.

Soren nearly continued walking when Lyra stopped, only a casual glance backwards telling him she had even come to a halt. Watching her silently for a moment he nodded at the mention of boars up ahead. There was one huge benefit of having a Faunus on his tip, being able to both hear and smell things from a ways off. It could secure them a meal as it was now, or alert them to Grimm before they walked into an ambush. Handy that she was along as he hadn't noticed anything yet, failing to find any footprints in the forest floor to track. "I can cook over a fire, it's not that hard. So long as you're not looking for a fancy meal anyways," Soren replied, nodding as Lyra began moving forward with her bow at the ready. Shame he didn't have a skinning knife on him though, he'd either have to try using his sword or something else to carve up their kill. Not to mention they needed a way to get rid of the waste once prepared, especially with so many Grimm in the forest.

Expecting Lyra to keep to the forest floor, he was a bit surprised seeing her leap up into the trees above. There was something he couldn't do, he wasn't too familiar with trees and had next to no practice climbing them, let alone running along the tops of them. Nodding silently he watched her rush off ahead, chasing after on the floor below. Just up ahead was their quarry, astonishing how accurately Lyra could track them. Were all Faunus capable of this, or was she just particularly skilled? There had only been a handful of their kind back in Vacuo and he didn't know them too well, certainly not enough to know what their skills might be. Ready to go in and catch one of the boars Soren instead halted in his step when hissed at, glancing up before frowning at the latest revelation. "Right... Attacking the boar is bound to bring it here too..." he mumbled to himself, grabbing his sword and holding it at his side as he waved for Lyra to take a shot, "I'll handle the Grimm, focus on getting us some food."

---

For whatever there was between Lyra and Owyn, the latter sure did seem to have a lot to say. Hearing him critique his sister like that was a little off-putting, as if she was lacking somehow because she didn't possess social graces. Not everyone was amiable in the face of large crowds, some people downright detested them; Soren seemed like the sort not to care for crowds, perhaps Lyra was the same way? It was strange, he sounded almost remorseful and yet critical at the same time, making it difficult to get a read on exactly how Owyn was feeling about this. "Well... Maybe there was too much pressure on her at home? Some people like being alone when things get to be too much, others face it headlong and overcome it," Ulyssa said simply, shrugging before reaching up with her sword and slicing free another tree limb, "She might change now that she's here, you never know. I don't know her well enough yet to agree or disagree with you though." Nor was she really in a place to tell Owyn he was right or wrong, so she'd just leave their conversation about Lyra at that.

"Me? Oh, I'm from Mistral. I'm the daughter of two very successful Huntsmen, and I've been training for this all of my life," Ulyssa began, smiling as she stopped in her tracks and turned to face Owyn. Placing a hand on her chest she looked at her partner proudly, seeming to glow as she got a chance to share her pedigree with him. "I was trained by my parents, excelled in combat school and plan on doing so here as well! I've dedicated my entire life up until now to getting here, and I don't plan on settling for anything less than the best," she continued, winking playfully, "So don't you slack on me, got it? I need good teammates to help with that." Well perhaps she'd gone a little bit overboard with her response, Owyn had only asked where she was from, not her life story. It was always fun to be able to gloat a little though, knowing that while she didn't come from money she was perhaps the most experienced of students here, and one of the more prepared to take on what being a Huntsman entailed. "How about you? And, if you don't mind my asking... Is Lyra really your sister?"

[Scout]

Lyra nodded, "Got it. Be careful, I'll come after you and lend a hand as soon as I get these things taken care of." She reached into her quiver and toyed with a few of the tips, deciding which would best do the job for catching as many boar as possible. On second thought, the girl pulled a normal arrow from her quiver. They'd be here longer than initially thought, so she had to conserve her dust usage. This was new... she'd never taken the life from something that wasn't inherently evil, but rather would act as a means for survival. The empty pit that was her stomach had started to signal hunger, but she still wasn't exactly starving yet.

The arrow clicked easily onto the string of her bow before she dropped out of the tree, her boots hitting the ground with more finesse than she honestly believed she had. The leaves hardly rustled, even as Lyra lowered herself onto one knee. The entire world around her turned black, save for the few boar spending their day in the clearing ahead. She focused solely on her breathing and those creatures, her gaze sharp and merciless. One side of her - the innocent, wealthy girl raised by a family of a high-class, sophisticated people - didn't honestly want to take a life. The other side, however, was a lot hungrier and a lot less sympathetic to the cause of a few pigs who could barely think, let alone feel. Just the thought of them made her mouth water, her tail twitching ever so slightly. There was a gentle creaking, audible only to the sharpest of ears, as she pulled her string back and bent the limbs of her bow. The stronger of her two sides won today, and would likely always win as she released the cord and, in the next instant, watched a boar roll not once, but twice over from the impact of an arrow to the side of its head. The life had left its eyes before it even hit the ground, but Lyra didn't let the others run as she kicked to her feet and snapped her bow, the genius design allowing the two limbs to form into a pair of devastating claws around her hands. It took the other creatures a moment to realize what had happened, or what was happening, and in that time, she was already standing over a second prize breathing a sigh of relief as her hunt came to an end and she let the others run into the trees.

With a grunt of effort, she released the legs of one of the boars, letting it lie beside its former herd-mate as she stretched out her own back. "They're so heavy... geeze..." And the smell of Ursa still lingered. It was actually much more prominent now and the stench kind of burned her nostrils, if only slightly. Most people just found Grimm to be off-putting, but to her, one as big and significantly more rank as an Ursa, it was significantly more foul. It couldn't be far off, but it was strange that she couldn't hear it - certainly if Soren had attacked it, it would have made some kind of roar...

The girl looked at their two boars and sighed, "If anybody touches you, they're dead," She told them, as though they could hear or cared at all. She broke back into the treeline and started after the 'scent' - slowly and with measured steps this time, her eyes peeled for Soren.

-----

Owyn shrugged, "I'm sure that father her both think that Beacon will help her 'overcome it,' I honestly think her becoming a Huntsman is only going to make adjusting to society a lot more difficult. I'm sure you've seen how some of them adapt to being around... less talented people. It's not easy knowing you're the strongest person in the room at any given time, I'm sure. It's a lot of pressure," He explained, "Guess we won't know until we see it." Ulyssa started to explain her own life situation and, to be honest, Owyn wasn't entirely disappointed by the story. Everybody here was supposedly special or talented, but she seemed to have a real promising background. "Mistral's a nice place... Been there a couple of times with my father. My parents were Huntsmen, but father's a real good swordsman and has a lot of friends in the profession."

He looked at her blade as she chopped branches and limbs down, allowing him to pick them up and carry them to the next tree when she finished. "I am curious though... That sword's nice and handy and all, but... Isn't it a bit... I dunno, simple? I mean, with two parents who are hunters, I would be under the impression you'd have something... Uh... Flashier," he noted curiously, quirking an eyebrow.

[GambolMuse]

"You got it, take your time though. No sense in missing a meal because we were rushed." Ideally Soren would tell Lyra to stay back and keep an eye on their game, but he knew she probably wouldn't want to stay put. So long as there weren't multiple Ursa about he should be okay on his own provided it was only a test of raw strength. Did he have more power than something like that though? He wasn't sure, he'd never had to fight one before so that was up in the air still. Leaving the Faunus to her work he stepped through the brush and continued on away from the hunting grounds, trying to distance himself as much as possible to prevent the Ursa from finding Lyra. It would be one thing to have to fight the Grimm, it would be another matter entirely if they had to fight over a meal.

There were a handful of things which Soren was good at. Hunting, fighting, thinking on his feet in dire situations, he had traits that ought to make him an excellent hunter. He lacked somewhat in the intelligence department though, at least compared to some of the students here, and he lacked one particular skill which would be very useful here: stealth. With his tall, muscular frame and heavy sword he didn't exactly possess the ability to sneak about, though he doubted it would have done terribly much here anyways. About 50 meters from where he'd left Lyra he found the Ursa they'd been alerted to, thankfully only one it seemed. While a relief in of itself to find so few he'd hoped to catch it by surprise, yet his oafish self had scraped a tree with his sword while walking by, putting the Grimm on full alert immediately. No sense in trying to hide then, albeit it had probably noticed his scent by now either way, it wasn't like sneaking up on a person.

No sooner had he broken the plane of the clearing did the Ursa let out a furious roar, rising up on its haunches and standing several heads taller than Soren. With eyes burning a furious read it flexed its forepaws before heaving its body forward in a charge, racing on all fours before lifting its right arm to take a swing at him. Soren lifted up his sword and angled the flat edge of the blade outward, blocking the arm before the claws got anywhere near him for safe measure. The force of the blow forced him to use his free hand to support his weapon, and his feet dug into the soft earth upon the impact yet he somehow remained upright. "You've got a bit of power there, fun," he muttered before pushing the Ursa's arm away, stepping back with his left leg and throwing forward his right, kicking the Grimm in the stomach and managing to force it back, following up with an overhead cleave that buried itself in its shoulder but didn't quite sever, alarmingly becoming stuck in the process. Cursing to himself he had to release the sword as another swipe nearly took his head off, jumping up and forcing his weapon free before backing off hastily. Not quite as easy as a Beowulf then, good to know.

---

"People who can't adjust wouldn't adjust even if they weren't Huntsmen. Being a huntsman has nothing to do with that," Ulyssa stated matter-of-factly, "And being the top of the class just means you're obligated to help others in your class succeed too. The Huntsmen are only as powerful as their people, and it doesn't help anyone to have a sub-par Huntsman now does it? That's why you three are going to have to do your best here." She added a wink to the last bit but she meant it, they needed to do their absolute best in order to see themselves rise to the occasion. If she were to do her parents proud then she couldn't settle for anything less than top of the class, she wouldn't dream of doing anything less given her pedigree.

They should have enough wood for at least a fire now, and the larger limbs for a shelter would come later. Soren would be a better fit for hauling away branches, she didn't quite see Owyn being particularly useful for some hefty manual labor. Not that she'd tell him outright, she didn't think it was too conducive to be insulting your teammates. "My sword isn't flashy enough for you? Well I'm very sorry to disappoint His Grace with my subpar weapon," Ulyssa said jokingly, smirking before waving her weapon about, "It's not meant to be flashy, that's the point. I can make due with a simple sword, rather than need some fancy weapon. I use my semblance to fight more often than not anyways." Had Owyn been paying any attention at all during their last encounter then he... Oh, had she even used it? She'd frozen up at a crucial point and Soren had been forced to stand in for her, she couldn't recall if she'd actually used a card or not. What a terribly humiliating way to begin their partnership, she'd have to make up for that somehow.

[Scout]

There it was, the roar of an Ursa filled the forest as flocks of birds took to the sky in fright. Lyra's ears bent back slightly as she picked up her pace from a walk toward the sound. As she came through the clearly, she was standing behind the massive form of a red-eyed cretin that resembled only a bear in its silhouette. She watched it recover from stumbling back for a moment, trying to regain its wit. Soren's brute strength came as a clear surprise to the Grimm, that was for sure, but the Ursa didn't falter for long as it moved to attack again. Lyra let out a high-pitched whistle, halting the monster. She wasn't far from it and it took little more than a shake of her hands and flourish of the wrist for her claws to turn back into her hunting bow. It was unnerving to think of how close it had been to the boars - had it been looking to hunt their prize too?

She leaned to the side so that she could catch a glimpse of Soren and nodded - thankful that he'd shown the ability to hold his own. The Faunus caught sight of the Ursa's partially severed arm and she flinched slightly - the limb was only attached by some flesh along with black-doused muscle and tendon reaching across the gap of opened wound, barely holding on. How did the thing still manage to control it? Did Grimm even have a sense of pain, let alone any kind of science behind their muscles' control?

Lyra dropped to one knee and pulled an arrow with a starch-white, rounded tip out, almost like the one she'd used to light a fire earlier, and pulled it back against the string of her bow. "Cover your eyes!" She shouted as she released her grip on the string and turned her head just before it made contact. The tip burst on the monster's cheek and released a dazzling light - even in the shade of the trees, it was stunning. At this point, the beast was more than a little bit confused, but the temporary blindness would only last for a short while, it would gain its wits about it soon enough. Soren had to act - Lyra's arrows could do little harm to such a large beast and she didn't want to use more Dust-infused ones than she had to.

-----

Owyn quirked a brow, "Your semblance, eh? That's pretty good, mine's still pretty freaking exhausting... But it depends on how much I use it - like anybody else, I get tired out by it a lot faster as I use it more. Eh, we all find some way to make up for something, right?" He shrugged, "I guess I can respect the simplicity of the blade though, there's nothing wrong with it... But y'know, you see some Hunters have these massive freakin' things; I don't know many people who don't have some kind of range in their weapon. Even mine reaches pretty far when it splits, but I guess I don't have some fancy-ass gun built into it or anything. But I don't remember using the word subpar."

He shrugged as they started looking for a place to really settle down, carrying the load of branches and twigs that they'd collected. A roar filled the woods and Owyn furrowed his brow, "Dear god, what did those two get themselves into..." Without a doubt, it sounded like a Lyra problem. "I hope they found something worth fighting over - sounds like a pretty big fight."

[GambolMuse]

"I can only use mine three times, that seems to be my limit right now. Three times, for about a total of five minutes. It's random too meaning it's not always the most reliable, but it works more often than not." She nodded at Owyn's comment of weapons, knowing Soren fell into that category. Tools of war so comically large you'd never think someone might wield one, yet here at Beacon it appeared to be the norm. For someone like her who carried about a simple sword it must pale in comparison to other weapons out there, many of which they had not seen yet. Sometimes she considered getting something more so she'd not be so reliant on her semblance, yet that would mean learning an entire new weapon; as they were only now entering Beacon Academy Ulyssa couldn't think of a worse time to reconsider her equipment.

Their intensive resource gathering was put on hold as a roar shook the trees around them, causing the few animals in the immediate region to scatter in response. Judging by the sounds of the roar it could be one of two types of Grimm, and Ulyssa doubted the second would be anywhere near the Emerald Forest. "Ursa... Large Grimm, powerful, very dangerous for us," she commented plainly, deliberating on whether they should go and assist their friends or not. It hadn't sounded like things were particularly bad though, and no gunfire meant that they weren't resorting to long range attacks. Either that or they couldn't, perhaps they were stuck in a close encounter with the hulking beast. What should they do? If they didn't go and investigate then they could lose their teammates, not only a massive setback but it would riddle her with guilt for life.

"This can wait, they may need our help," Ulyssa decided as she dropped what little timber she had. "Come on, we can't waste any time!" Reaching into her headband she pulled free a card and checked the face of it, a cloud forming over her head seeing what she had picked. A dust-based shield would be very nice during a fight, but unfortunately for everyone involved she was nowhere near the action. Cursing her fortune she tucked the card back before taking off in the direction of the roars, still quite fast in spite of having no assistance from her semblance.

-----

It was impressive really that he hadn't cut clean through the Ursa's limb. Then again he hadn't put his full strength into that either, shows what he got for pulling punches. Freeing his blade from the beast's body he moved away to get some space, preparing to rush in and finish severing the arm for good. Just as he'd pivoted his weapon and lowered himself to dash forward he was called out to by Lyra, looking back at her in surprise before nodding and turning himself around. He'd told her to let him handle this, but as long as she remained up in the trees he wouldn't need to worry about her well-being. Not wholly certain what to expect he waited for an explosion, instead puzzled when the area around them was suddenly basked in a bright glow, casting heavy shadows all around them from the epicenter.

"A flash arrow? Nice," Soren shouted before turning back, seeing the Ursa stumbling and swatting blindly at the air before it. This should do it, the beast was now blind and unable to fight him off, good. Lowering himself again he slammed his right leg behind him into the ground, burying it slightly before using the limb to kick off, racing across the ground in a blur. As one of the Ursa's claws swung out at him he ducked beneath it and pulled his sword forward, letting out a shout as he exerted himself and pulled the weapon along. There was some resistance when it met flesh, but giving it a hard pull and using his momentum his body visibly tensed up, his muscles bulging slightly as he forced the weapon through. In one clean motion his sword made a complete cut and tore the Ursa in two halves, its lower body standing as the top fell to the ground in a thud. Despite being cut in two halves the Grimm wasn't dead though and let out a muted roar, using its arms to pull itself up and towards Soren.

"Oh give it up already, you're through," the student mumbled, watching as the Ursa tried to pull itself closer and closer. Looking at it with a hint of disgust he reached a hand out suddenly and grabbed its face, and with a push forced it down onto its chest. After that his hair seemed to raise slightly and his eyes glow, followed shortly thereafter by the crackling of electricity. With one massive burst he released several hundred volts of power into the monster, causing it to gurgle and its skin sear almost immediately on contact. Electricity danced along the ground before dissipating into the air, and once the flow stopped entirely only a charred Ursa corpse remained. Soren's breathing was somewhat labored from the attack, but he remained unharmed from the fight.

"We'd better have something to show for all of this... I hate having to use that," Soren grumbled, wiping his face clean of sweat before collapsing his sword, placing it on the holster on his back. All this fighting was leaving him awfully hungry, he did hope they got a decent haul from those boars. Rubbing at his shoulder as he rejoined Lyra, the sound of branches bending and leaves crunching drew his attention off towards the trees. Another Grimm? Seeing Ulyssa burst out of the brush he let out a sigh, wondering why she was here now as well. "It's taken care of, we're fine. I'm assuming that's why you came running?"

[Scout]

Lyra hopped easily out of the tree and landed without so much as an 'oof' to indicate that she'd hit the ground. She folded her bow in half at the limbs and placed it on her belt stretching out as Soren recovered from his attack. As he muttered something about using his semblance, she looked at the Ursa on the ground and back to him. "Oh. My. God. Was that your semblance? That was so cool! I've never seen one that... uh... big, I guess. It was awesome!" She chirped, almost bouncing with excitement, "It was still alive and in half, but you just punched it and... like... exploded it, or whatever. I wish I had a power like that!" She looked at her palm and flexed her fingers, a little embarrassed that she only had the same callouses as everybody else from the use of her weapon, but there was no other kind of power running through them. Not like that. She could manipulate her aura fairly well - certainly better than Owyn - but it still only did so much. Plus, it could be really dangerous, so she tried not to use it too much.

"I got two boars, actually. And they looked really yummy. So I wanna cook at least one of 'em right now," She reported giddily. It had already proven to be a pretty excitable afternoon for her and she realized her hunger only a moment before her stomach let out a low roar to let her know that she needed to fill her stomach pronto. She rubbed her hands together, "Aww... we don't have any spices or anything... But I guess just cooked meat would be more than enough..." Branches cracked and leaves rustled not far off and Lyra pivoted on her foot, crouching low and stabilizing with one hand planted on the ground, ready to charge. The tension could be seen easily in her stiff tail and lowered ears as her lip curled back slightly. Lyra only realized how animalistic the actual pose was when Ulyssa came through the treeline, ready to fight. She breathed a sigh of relief and rose, embarrassed, to stand on just two feet.

The girl rubbed the back of her neck, thankful only that she hadn't also been growling. "Eheh, hey there, Ulyssa. Nah, yeah, it's uh... taken care of. Dead as a doorknob," She noted, kicking the burnt flesh absently. "But these boars are gonna be pretty hard to carry back. Maybe you and I could take one and Soren could... I guess... lug the other? Did you guys set up camp?"

Finally, Owyn came through the trees and dropped his bundle of sticks, putting his hands on his knees, "God dammit, woman... Run off while I'm trying to carry these things?" He asked, shaking his head, "Geeze... What a pain..." He shook his head and looked at the carnage of the Ursa, nodding in approval, "Wow, Soren... That's impressive, taking down a whole... Big ass Grimm."

"I helped," Lyra pointed out, scowling and crossing her arms at her brother.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Hey, uh... we didn't set up a camp yet, so, I think it might not be bad to do it somewhere around here. What'd ya catch?"

"I caught two boars, and now that you're here, you can help carry them wherever we set up for the night," She chimed in, smirking cockily.

[GambolMuse]

Ugh, now there was his biggest disdain when it came to his semblance; using electricity to kill something was effective, but burning flesh and hair always left a pungent odor in its wake. Wrinkling his nose in disgust Soren turned his head from the Ursa corpse, watching Lyra drop down and begin excitably recounting his attack. Frowning slightly as she spoke he itched at his cheek with one finger, lifting his shoulders in a shrug. "It's dangerous, and there really aren't many uses for it. You're better off with whatever your semblance is," he spoke plainly, sighing before wiping his hand off on the leg of his pants. Plus that took a lot out of him, more than he was caring to show right now. Usually he'd not use such a large shock to kill something but he hadn't been sure what it would take to put down an Ursa. Given its well cooked body he knew he'd overdone it, good to know for the future he guessed.

"Two boars, huh? That'll do good, it's more than enough for four people." Soren doubted even two of them could eat a single one anyways, assuming the boars were of decent size. Once the innards and skin were discarded they should be left with several steaks, which at most each person might eat two tonight. They would need to find a way to save what they didn't eat too, which wasn't going to be easy; carrying around raw meat in a forest filled with Grimm hardly instilled confidence in him either. The crackling of leaves and branches brought both his own and Lyra's eyes to the treeline, though the latter looked ready to pounce despite having no idea what was approaching. When Ulyssa emerged following close by Owyn he relaxed, glad to find they hadn't run into any trouble.

What was that repulsive sound? Immediately upon entering the area did she catch wind of something burned, and only once looking around did she see the Ursa on the ground. "Dead is an understatement... You killed it and burned its very soul I see," she muttered as she covered her nose, disgusted by the smell permeating the place. Waving at the air in front of her as though to dispel the fumes she walked over to the beast and prodded it with the toe of her shoe, stepping back in surprise when it rolled over, not moving at all however. Certainly dead, she was surprised it just didn't turn to ash. How in the world had it ended up like that anyway?

"Camp? Ah... About that..." Ulyssa began, lowering her hand and smiling sheepishly. Spotting Owyn finally reaching them as well she rolled her eyes at his complaints, changing her mind for the moment as she pointed at him sternly. "They're twigs at best, and I didn't run that fast, so don't complain. Besides, we'll face worse out here I'm sure, so don't you tell me that's all it takes to tire you." Unbelievable, he was going to be a Huntsman? Not if he was exhausted from such a brief run, and holding some branches in hand wasn't an excuse for it either. Looking again to the Ursa as Owyn mentioned it her eyebrows shot up, glancing at Soren in surprise.

"She did help, in fact she was the reason I was able to kill it so easily," Soren pointed out, his eyes firmly locked on Owyn, "She's capable you know, I wouldn't doubt her." Plus as she was so proud to mention she had bagged their dinner for the night, which on top of slaying an Ursa was deserving of some recognition. Though his body was beginning to wear after the long day he raised a hand before walking towards the way Lyra had come, nodding his head for Owyn to follow. "We'll handle moving the boars, you two go ahead and find a spot for us. Should be far from the kill sites, otherwise it will bring predators to our doorstep." The boars themselves would too, but they would have to take that risk if they wanted to eat tonight.

That seemed reasonable enough, Ulyssa certainly wouldn't complain about not having to move a corpse. Watching the boys walk off she gave the Ursa another passing glance before smiling in approval. "It seems like we have some cohesion as a team already, good. And here I was beginning to worry," she commented with a hand on her hip, looking then to Lyra. "Don't get too caught up in it though, there's always potential danger around the corner. It's like my parents always tell me, don't assume because the battle is over you're safe." She didn't want them borderline paranoid about risks, but it was a good idea to remain vigilant even when they had no immediate threats. "Now then... How about we find somewhere to set up for the night? Preferably somewhere near some water..."Ulyssa muttered, glancing down at her shirt and frowning, "I'm filthy..."

[Scout]

"Mhm, I'm perfectly happy with it. Maybe I'll show you sometime," She teased in a half-singing voice. The smell of burnt Grimm was pungent, but showing how much it bothered her didn't feel like an option. Soren had been thorough in killing the creature and Lyra wasn't going to make him feel like he was making her uncomfortable. The girl furrowed her brow, "You can't really burn its soul if it never really had one. Stench is aaallllll monster," She pointed out, only realizing afterward that Ulyssa had been speaking metaphorically about Soren's slightly excessive use of power. "On the bright side, the repulsive smell here might drive away anything that was thinking of taking our dinners too... But I guess we can't be too presumptuous."

"Oh, I'm filthy," Mocked Owyn, rolling his eyes. "What happened to big bad huntress taking the world by storm, hm?" He piled up the sticks he'd released, but left them on the ground as they discussed their options, "And running isn't the problem - it's the fact that you're literally weightless and it's little bit hard to keep pace when I've got more shit to carry and have to worry about not dropping it." Of course he had to defend himself, whether or not she was being serious in her taunts.

At Soren's suggestion, Owyn shrugged and left the fire-ready bounty on the ground, following suit to grab dinner and meet wherever they camped. God dammit, if Lyra shot a firework into the sky to signal them, what kind of thing would that attract? Probably other students - not something they particularly needed right now, either. "Alright, sure."

Lyra nodded, letting Ulyssa share her words of wisdom before responding. "Ooh, yeah, good idea." She didn't hesitate to take Owyn's bundle from the ground for herself before looking to the other girl, "I don't hear any running right now, so we'll either need to get a higher look-see, or pick a direction and start walking until we find any of the stuff... Water, I mean." The Faunus looked around, "Since we came from that way," She said with a nod in one direction, "How about we go that one?" With another nod down the opposite side of the clearing, she suggested a route. The forest didn't have any paths, not that she'd seen so far, so they'd just have to make their own.

The pair walked for a while, but the forest was emptier than Lyra had thought. Considering how much they'd found in the last day, it was shocking to see how void it was of Grimm and animals out this way. She hoped Soren and Owyn would be able to find them, she was starving... Finally, after what seemed like an hour of walking in what felt like a massive circle, she heard the sweet sound of water crashing. "That sounds like a water fall, or a really big river," She observed, looking over to Ulyssa. "Can you hear it? This way," Lyra instructed, pivoting only slightly to chase the sound.

It was only a few minutes away, but it wasn't quite as large as she'd thought when she heard it. Difficult thing to gauge, how much water is actually moving in a rush from such a distance. Thankfully, they were closer to it than she'd realized. A small waterfall poured from atop a small cliff only about twenty feet up, filling a pool that stretched a short distance into the small cove that was likely created by the fall. The rocks at the top and near the pool shined with a bright, wet gloss. Lyra grinned, "Well lookie here... The water looks pretty cold, but the area's nice... What d'you think?" She asked Ulyssa, setting down her stack of sticks and branches. "Should we start the fire while we wait for them to catch up?"

[GambolMuse]

Ulyssa was close to pointing out the metaphorical nature of her comment but seeing the revelation on Lyra's face she spared her the embarrassment. "It could go either way really. It could lure some Grimm too, or even predators that are especially hungry," she pointed out as she looked at the charred remains again, walking over and placing a hand at her nose as she nudged it with her foot. "If there are other Grimm they might come here to take territory, some can be very territorial like that, almost like wolves." She didn't know enough about the nature of Ursa to really make a judgement, she would need to go back to her books and study a little more. Even if its corpse should bring other Grimm about they would be fine so long as they were well out of its territory.

"What? Are you so astonished that a girl cares she's dirty? Or perhaps you're just so unaccustomed to being around women you simply didn't know," Ulyssa jabbed with a smirk, rolling her eyes as he gave her excuses for being slower. "I was joking Owyn, relax. And they were only sticks, it's not as though I was asking you to carry a tree. I know from now on though if I need anything physical done to go to Soren though." Glancing over at the other boy he gave a look that screamed 'Don't drag me into this', to which she giggled and left it at that. They should keep at it and get camp settled still, something Soren was quick to bring up and even go as far to delegate duties. She had no problem with that, carrying a dead animal wasn't going to help her current state of distress any. "Splendid idea. Lyra and I will find us a suitable camp, and you can fetch the food. Do try not to get lost boys, we've had enough excitement for the day."

She could say that again, they had killed perhaps near a dozen Grimm already and the sun was still high in the sky. Hard to tell with all the canopies obscuring his view, but if Soren had to take a guess he would say it was roughly just past noon, one at the latest. Wonderful time to forget his watch. Before wandering off with Owyn he waited a moment to see which direction the girls left in, wanting at least a general idea of where to travel to. Seeing them break off simply in the opposite direction he nodded to himself, taking the lead and letting Owyn follow suit. "If you prefer I might be able to carry both boars, or at the very least drag them," Soren explained as he glanced over his shoulder, "It would be safer if one of us is ready to fight, we still might attract something."

Lyra seemed to have some sense of where they were going, more so than Ulyssa did. Letting the Faunus take the lead she kept a careful ear out for any movement or signs of Grimm, perhaps a silly endeavor given her friend's senses. Wandering about for some time yielded little results, and like her friend she swore they had passed the same point several times; on a whim Ulyssa had notched an 'X' into a tree, and they did manage to double back across it one time. Just as her patience was wearing thin however they managed to find just what they needed, and what a lovely spot as well. "I think this will do just fine. We should be careful because its the only water source, but we should be safe here," she determined with a nod, "If we place a fire say... Just by the waterfall, then we've got that at our backs to protect us, the pool acts as a barrier as well, which leaves only two potential directions for attack." One couldn't be too cautious when around Grimm, they needed as much protection as possible.

With so many trees around it was a simple matter of gathering firewood, and in just moments the girls had managed to create a bonfire suitable for preparing their meals; considering the boys had to find them as well it would serve as a smoke signal as well, provided they could see it with all the trees around. With that taken care of Ulyssa was more than ready to relieve herself with a bath no matter how cool the pond water might be. With her clothing still on she waded waist deep into the water, figuring she would rinse them off before removing them. Satisfied she'd washed as much grime from her outfit as she could she laid them out in the grass by the fire, and wearing nothing but what she was born with she waded back in, gasping as the water nipped at her skin as she sank down to chin level. Cool yes, but pristine and clean, just what she needed. After a few minutes she began to warm up too, able to sink back and float in the middle of the pool idly. "Heavenly..."

While the girls saw to their arduous task of taking a bath Soren and Owyn were making their way towards the camp, boars in tow. After some fussing with how to transport them it was decided to simply hoist one over their shoulders, with Soren taking the larger of the two. If his body wasn't aching before it most certainly was now, and were it not for the smoke signal giving him a little push he'd perhaps have dropped it then and there. "Really should have... Fashioned some kind of sled..." he muttered aloud, turning his head to wipe sweat from his eyes on his sleeve, "Back home we would do that... Use branches and rope to make a sled, then pull whatever we caught on it. Certainly easier than this." And they would be sleeping on the ground tonight, he would be terribly sore after all of this. Perhaps there was a body of water nearby, he could use that to cool off and let his muscles relax some.

Well there was water luckily, and even better was it was immediately beside their camp. A roaring fire for the boars, plenty of cover from any would be predators, this would do just perfectly. Allowing himself a small smile Soren approached the fire and finally set down his quarry, leaning back some and cracking both his back and shoulders in the process. So the camp was here, as was a roaring fire, as was... The girl's clothing? Noticing the sets of clothes laid out in the grass by the fire he blinked a few times, furrowing his brow and chancing a glance towards the water. There, much to his dismay, were both Lyra and Ulyssa, partially submerged in the water with the latter glaring up at him. Immediately his face burned a brilliant red, and with an uncharacteristic flailing he hastily turned away, coughing awkwardly and trying to silently convey it to Owyn who had yet to notice.

[Scout]

I can carry one. Worst case scenario, we have to drop it and only have one, then go hunting when we run out of food, eh?" Owyn replied with a shrug. He took hold of the boar he was delegated and hoisted it onto his shoulders, grunting under the weight. "God damn that's one heavy son of a bitch..." The two headed in the direction they last saw the girls going, but had to wait for the fire's smoke to guide them the rest of the way. Under the weight of the limp pig, Owyn felt like a lot less of a man than he had that morning and it took all of his willpower not to complain. He wouldn't do it, not until he at least heard Soren do it first. When the other boy hardly showed exasperation, save for the sweat dripping down their faces, he knew they were in for a long, long walk. They even had to stop a few times, but Owyn didn't shirk his own duty, lest his pride be struck by Ulyssa again. No, he was going to be a Huntsman, things would get harder from here on out, so he just had to work for it. It's not like he thought this place would be easy, but maybe not so much right out of the gate.

Lyra was happy to help start the fire and was even more pleased that Ulyssa could teach her to start one without using one of her arrows. It would take more practice and a little study to be any good at it, but she looked forward to it. The girl warmed her hands, crouching down low in front of the heat, smiling to herself as she basked in it. It reminded her of home too; in the household, she was an oddball for high society. And the more comfortable she was here, the more she realized it was the truth there. Sitting on the floor by the fire took precedence over any and all furniture in the house whenever one was lit. But this one... The Faunus closed her eyes for a few moments - it smelled like leaves and real timber, rather than odorless gas and heat vent. Even the soft essence of sap and real wood mixed well with the brilliant flames licking at the air beyond her eyelids. The smoke rose straight into the sky thanks to a lack of wind and it was likely that other fires would start to pop up around the forest throughout the night too.

By the time she was done warming up and enjoying the relaxing part of their evening, she heard the heard wet clothes splashing into the grass on the floor. Lyra opened her eyes and looked over to see Ulyssa completely disrobed. She blinked - was now really the... time to be..? Her eyes darted to the water... Even if it was cold, it looked refreshing... and they had a fire to dry by... She furrowed her brow, realizing now that Ulyssa couldn't be older than her, but she acted so mature. In fact, judging by her figure from here, she looked definitely younger. Lyra finally decided to unhook her cloak and hang it over a tree before carefully removing her clothes and laying them down. They weren't exactly clean, but she didn't have anything else to wear out of the water, so she'd just leave them be and wash them when they got their room.

Ulyssa was already almost neck-deep in the water by the time Lyra got to the edge, one arm covering her chest as she touched it with her toe. The fur of her tail stood on end as she tensed, "Oh god, that's so cooolllld," She groaned, staring ahead. She was starting to have second thoughts, but the desire to at least feel clean for a bit was far more powerful. Moving quickly was a much better option which she opted for - get the chill over with and her body would warm up once she was all the way in. The Faunus took several determined steps into the water before she really felt the cool liquid crawling up her legs. However, she pushed through the hesitation and was soon with Ulyssa, lowering herself to at least as high as her neck. Her back was to the shore as she let out a satisfied breath.

"I guess it isn't so bad once you're in... That feels so much better... I wonder if we're the only group out here that's kind of... thriving off the land," She wondered aloud, looking to Ulyssa as she dipped under the water and tipped her head back. When she came back up, her white hair was slicked back and water dripped from her nose and chin. "I didn't realize how tired my muscles were until I got in here... Ughh..." She muttered, reaching up into the air to stretch her arms out before leaning back and stretching her back as well. "Feels so much better..."

Uncharacteristically, she hadn't realized that Owyn and Soren returned until she heard a cough. Her ears stood on end and she whipped around to see Soren with his back turned. Even from here she could tell he was beet red. But Owyn, dumbfounded as he was, had just placed his boar on the ground and not registered that his sister and teammate were both naked in the pool.

"Oh, look at that... Good spot, it's pre-" He started, actually complimenting the find before being cut off in a brilliant flash of green. Something heavy and thick struck his back and when he opened his eyes, he was slumped against a tree with a pounding in his skull and a soreness like no other. "-tty good..." He finished his thought, groaning, "The hell happened..?"

"Why the hell didn't you turn around when Soren did?!" Lyra shouted from the water, sinking low enough to nearly cover her nose in embarrassment, only sticking her head up to speak. "DID YOU EXPECT ME TO REACT ANY DIFFERENTLY?!"

Owyn blinked and looked around the campsite, only now noticing the clothes laying by the fire and in the grass. When the realization struck him, he covered his eyes with his head, "OH GOD. Ew. EW! YOU'RE MY SISTER, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK I WAS THINKING?! I DIDN'T KNOW!!" He cried out in humiliation.

"WELL NEXT TIME DON'T BE SO STUPID!!"

"NO, NEXT TIME YOU DON'T BE SO RASH!!"

It was amazing that the pool wasn't steaming hot with the amount of heat and anger emanating from the Faunus girl as she snarled just below the water's surface. While the two weren't looking and with her eyes locked on Owyn, Lyra climbed out of the pool, covering her chest once more with an arm. She shook the water from her body and finally her tail before grabbing her underwear and cloak, clasping it together over her shoulders and making sure it at least hid the majority of her body to her thighs before taking a spot by the fire to dry off. "I'm enstating, for the rest of the night, a three second rule," She said loud and clear, not yet giving the boys permission to open their eyes or face their direction. "Anybody looks at either of the two teammates lacking a Y-Chromosome... dies. Period." Her voice sounded like it was almost singing the warning, but a venomous threat lie under the words... and the brooding attitude behind them was hardly one to trifle with.

"As soon as Ulyssa gives the okay, you two can open your eyes and make us dinner. If that works for the two of you," She said, growling the last statement with warning. Her bow rested at her side, now reconnected at the limbs and ready for use. On her other side were the arrows and she left her cloak open only enough to let the heat in.

[GambolMuse]

"Ah... This is heavenly. It makes you forget what we're in the middle of..." Ulyssa said dreamily, a placated expression on her face as she sank further into the water. With only her face now above the surface she floated on upon her back, gazing up at the slowly darkening skies. "I think we did rather well today, all things considered. And honestly some of our partners might be... Difficult, but I think it's safe to say we've done well with this team. So long as we don't wring each other's necks this should suit us just fine." And most importantly it should suit her and her goals. Sure there may be more capable allies to be had, but given the random chance of who she could have found these three weren't bad.

She might have been liable to doze off then and there had not the sound of a cough roused her from her daydreaming. Immediately becoming alert Ulyssa shifted to wade water and looked around the clearing, shocked to find both Soren and Owyn present. Feeling her face then turn a brilliant shade of red she quickly got over her embarrassment when instead anger took over, gritting her teeth and storming towards the edge of the pool. Before she could so much as get a word out however a green blast rocketed past her, smacking Owyn into an adjacent tree and right onto his rear. Eyebrows raising in surprise Ulyssa looked back to Lyra who was now hid in the water again, clearly responsible for that attack.

"Never mind look at us, if you so much as think about what you saw and you two will end up as Grimm bait, understood?" Watching Lyra storm out and get her clothing she followed suit, satisfied to find her clothes were mostly dry from her swim earlier. Using her coat for a towel she quickly wiped herself down, laying it out once again to dry before sliding on her uniform as quickly as she could. Her clothing was disheveled and some crass clung to the back, not to mention her hair was still dripping wet and would likely be an unruly mess tomorrow. Beauty was scarcely a real issue out here, yet she couldn't help but fret over it. "You two are pigs for coming over here like that, absolute pigs. If you had half a mind you might have looked before you even got here, given us the privacy we deserve," Ulyssa began, scowling as she stood before the two boys, "I'm beginning to question if we can count two lechers among our teammates."

"Ulyssa, it was an honest accident, I swear. We didn't try to peek or anything," Soren explained, sighing as he finally removed his hand from his eyes, keeping his back to the girls. "And we'll gladly prepare dinner, only seems fair since you got camp set up." If it meant they weren't going to get their throats slit while they slept he would gladly do whatever was asked of them.

"Good! And that means skinning, gutting, and... Whatever else goes into preparing a meal! See that it's done soon, we're hungry!" Ulyssa snapped, glancing over to Lyra and smiling satisfied before nodding her head. Well they had been rudely interrupted during their alone time, but now they were getting a meal out of it and had to do none of the work. Perhaps not quite an even split but she'd take it. "We're decent now by the way, you can stop staring at the insides of your eyelids. And by the way, we sleep on separate sides of the fire tonight, I don't want either of you perverts anywhere near me."

Nodding his head slowly Soren rolled his eyes and went over to the two boars, grabbing a hind leg on each and hoisting them up to drag. "Of course, whatever you say Ulyssa. You two just make sure the fire is going when we finish, I'd rather not have to wait with uncooked steaks in hand." Glancing back at the girls briefly he met Lyra's gaze and offered her a small smile, turning back then and heading the way they had come. "Come on Owyn, we can't clean these in the camp, it's too risky. Back into the woods." They shouldn't need to go far, a few dozen meters should do just fine and keep any scents from dragging beasts to the camp itself. They should see to setting up some kind of perimeter somehow too, albeit shy of a concrete wall he wasn't sure what they could do when it came to Grimm.