Hey guys! So I know it's been a while since I really got a lot of content out to you all. This was because of my busy work schedule and some personal things I had to deal with in my own life. However, to make it up to you guys I've decided to finally let a little project of mine that I was planning back when I was close to finishing Egle Rising to see the light of day. This story is probably my boldest adventure yet which I hope will help me rediscover my writing spark. Hope you guys enjoy!

In Search of Solace

I

"Why the hell do I have to go to Beacon?" Sable Inari groaned as her parents walked her to the platform where an airship was waiting to take new students to Beacon Academy.

"Language!" Dawn Inari, Sable's mother, snapped at her daughter. "And we've been over this, young lady. Your father and I have decided that you need better discipline and the best way for you to get that is to train at a Huntsman academy." She continued with a frown.

"But I'm going to be transferring into the second year! In the middle of the year at that! You expect me to succeed, let alone make friends, with people who have already had years of training at other schools and a full year at Beacon? I'm going to be so far behind." Sable whined in response.

Sable, who was eighteen, had been homeschooled since she was sixteen. Her adoptive parents, Dawn and Sage Inari, had taken her in shortly after they moved to Vale from Menagerie. Before her adoption she grew up alone on the streets of Vale due to being orphaned at the age of ten. Her six years alone had forced her to grow up fast and to teach herself to fight, steal, and sometimes kill. Her parents came across her after witnessing her arrest after being caught stealing from a dust shop.

Sable was a faunus, her animal feature being a fluffy black and white fox tail, who stood at five foot nine and had long black with brown stripped hair that she kept in a high ponytail. Her hair went down to her hips and had multiple hairpieces in the ponytail which were spaced evenly going down the length of her hair that kept it tight. She had bright red eyes and green plugs in her ears. She wore a grey tank top with a red sports jacket. She also wore a pair of black utility pants that were somewhat baggy around the hips. The tank top ended an inch or so above the pants which exposed part of a black tattoo that was on her right hip and went upwards into the shirt.

Appearance wise, Sable was in extremely good shape. She had taken pride in her self-motivated workout and training regime. She was so dedicated to her training that many times her mother would fuss at her for staying up late into the night practicing her sword swings or meditating at random times during the day. Sable's father, however, was always supportive of her training and even tried working out with her at times.

She had always been a troubled young lady due to her rough upbringing, but her new parents had tried everything in their power to help her straighten out her life. Them enrolling Sable into Beacon Academy was just the latest part of their desperate ploy to get her to end her rebellious streak. Her father, being a new teacher at Beacon, deeply believed that Sable's strength and fighting abilities would make her a natural Huntress. He had even gone as far as trying to give her several pep talks over the past couple nights to make her want to pursue being a Huntress.

"Listen to your mother, Sable." Sage sighed, stopping in his tracks to turn to his daughter. "You have natural skills and it's best if you learned to put them to a good use."

Sable rolled her eyes and threw her duffle bag over her shoulder before walking ahead of her parents. The Inari's were good people but they were never able to understand the hell that Sable had gone through. She never knew how to thank them for everything they had done for her but at the same time, even after two years of being their daughter, she didn't want them to get too close to her. The only perfect thing about her situation was that her parents were also fox faunus, so most people didn't ask many questions when they saw the three in public.

"What are we going to do with her?" Dawn groaned as she let Sable walk a little further ahead of her.

"Relax, sweetie. You remember what the cops told us. She's a damaged child. We've done everything we can for her and now it's time for her to learn skills that fit her personality." Sage replied as he threw his arm around his wife's shoulders as they walked. "Besides, I'll be there in a few days and I'll make sure she doesn't get into too much trouble." He continued.

Sable's lip twitched as she overheard the sickening moment between her parents. She had never liked how affectionate they could be. Every time one of them tried acting mushy it made her want to punch a wall.

"All new students to Beacon Academy are to report to platform seven immediately." Came the sudden sound of the PA system in the station.

Sable stopped in her tracks and looked back at her parents who simply smiled at her. She had argued with them for weeks about not wanting to attend Beacon. However, she did understand their reasoning for wanting her to go. Sometimes she would lie awake as she thought of ways to thank them for their love and parenting but she could never come up with the words. She sighed deeply before smiling back at them and waving them along to her.

"Well, aren't you two gonna see me off? It's not like we'll have many more chances to have seeing your daughter off for her first day of school moments, right?" She gave them a sly grin as the embarrassment of the moment set in on her mother's face.

Her father approached her and quickly hugged her tightly. Sable's tail twitched as she struggled in her father's strong grip. She could feel her face flush as other new students started to notice the moment. She shot a few glares at some of the students who quickly went about their business. She instantly understood that this was his way of getting payback for her embarrassing comment.

"Okay, okay. You've made your point, old man." She growled as her father finally allowed her to wiggle free. "What about you, ma? You gonna go out of your way to embarrass the shit out of me too?" She tilted her head over at her mother who approached her.

"Language! I swear, I don't know how many times I have to correct you on that." Dawn snapped at Sable again. "But no, I think your father did enough of that for the both of us. Just remember to study hard and train even harder. Your father will be there in a few days and will do whatever he needs to help you adjust. But we do understand that you won't want us in your hair too much." She continued.

"Oh, don't do that. Please, mom? You know I love you both and won't mind a call here or there. Besides, it'll be nice to have some contact with someone I trust every now and then. Especially seeing how I doubt I'll even be able to make friends. Everyone in my class will already have their own circles." Sable groaned before giving her mom a reassuring smile.

"Sable, sweetie." Dawn replied. "You'll do fine. Trust us for once. Now get going before you miss your flight, kid." She finished before hugging Sable briefly.

Sable nodded and hurried onto the airship. After several minutes of waiting in her seat she nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt the ship rise into the air. This was her first trip on an airship so she was unsure what it would be like. So far, it wasn't her favorite thing in the world. She was looking out her window nervously when she felt someone take a seat next to her and lean past her to look out the window with her.

"First time flying?" Came a young man's voice just behind her.

Sable turned her head to get a look at her new found companion. The stranger that was sitting next to her was a kind looking young man, he appeared to be the same age as her, who had shaggy golden hair and bright green eyes behind a pair of simple glasses. He had a boyish grin on his face as he looked past Sable towards the window. He wore a navy blue t-shirt with an image of Shade Academy's logo on it along with a pair of jeans and a pair of orange and white sneakers. He was a decently stocky young guy but was overall average in appearance. His eyes met Sable's and he tilted his head slightly as if to silently repeat his question.

"Yeah, is it that obvious?" Sable replied to the stranger before closing her eyes and sitting back against her chair.

"Maybe a little. The sick look on your face and the shaking leg kind of gave it away." The stranger replied, to which Sable's eyes snapped open as she realized her leg was shaking violently.

Sable instantly crossed her legs and looked out the window as she tried to pretend like what the stranger was saying wasn't true. But deep down she could feel her stomach lurch as airsickness set in. It was true that she had never flown before and she was feeling a little nervous about it but she wasn't about to let this guy make fun of her for it.

After a few minutes of trying her best to put up her best tough girl act, she leaned her head against the window and let out a small groan. This made the young man next to her laugh gently as he started fishing through the bag he had at his feet for something. After a few moments he extended his hand, which had a piece of gum with an airship on the wrapper in it. Sable just shifted her eyes to glance at his hand and then at his face, cautious of a stranger being so nice.

"Here, take this. It'll help with the airsickness. I can't stand flying either so I always make sure I stock up on these little miracle workers." The young man said with a grin but after a few moments of awkward silence he realized that Sable wasn't going to take the piece of gum so he shrugged before peeling the wrapper off and putting it in his own mouth. "Suit yourself, if you want we can switch seats for when you need to run to the restroom. Wouldn't want you to puke in your seat while on your way to your first day at Beacon." He continued with a sly grin.

Sable simply rolled her eyes in response and continued to look out the window. She didn't care if she felt a little sick, she wasn't about to let her guard down around anyone that was so chatty towards someone they didn't know. She had learned the hard way too many times in the past to not allow herself to become friendly with a stranger. Either they were really a creep who wanted to hurt her, or they were just too annoying for her to handle. Most times she rather them be a creep than annoying because then she could at least beat them senseless in self-defense.

A few more awkward minutes of silence passed as the two sat next to each other. The chatty guy next to Sable had pulled out a book to read while she continued to try her best to keep her groans to a minimum. Meanwhile, the rest of the flight around them was filled with people becoming friends or just partaking in small talk. Sable wasn't sure if the airsickness was worse than the fact that the awkward silence between her and the person next to her felt louder than the chatter going on all around them. She closed her eyes tightly and gritted her teeth before gently head butting the window and turning to the stranger.

"Gimme a piece." Sable snapped under her breath.

"What was that? You're going to have to speak up." The once chatty young man said sarcastically without looking up from his book.

"I said give me a piece of your gum." Sable extended her hand before looking away embarrassedly.

The young man chuckled softly under his breath before gently placing his book in his lap and leaning down to fish another piece of his special gum out of his bag. He smiled at Sable as he dropped a piece in her extended hand. Sable quickly threw the piece in her mouth and started chewing the gum. Almost instantly she felt a calming sensation wash over her. Her stomach also almost immediately started to ease from her chewing the strange gum. Her face must have shown a funny reaction to the gum because the young man laughed heavily at Sable before extending a hand to her.

"The name's Eurig Nyral, nice to meet you…" The young man trailed off as he awaited Sable's response.

Sable hesitated but finally took Eurig's hand firmly and forced a small smile to the surface. The young man before her seemed nice enough but she was still cautious of him. He had a kind look to him but the way he carried himself and the intensity of his grip proved that he was a lot more powerful than he let on.

"Sable. Sable Inari." She replied.

"Nice to meet you, Sable." Eurig responded with a grin and a confident nod.