Greyson calmly whizzed through the azure blue, taking in the cool, clear air as long as he could. He felt oddly at peace in the sky, even after realizing the fact that he was indeed plummeting towards a forest full of creatures whose only purpose was to eradicate humanity, at terminal velocity. Greyson pulled Blitz and Nimbus from their sheaths and used a couple of shotgun blasts to slow himself down just before he hit the tree line. Greyson flung back and forth from tree to tree, leaving deep gashes in each trunk as he descended. Eventually, he slowed enough to tuck into a roll on the forest floor.
"Hopefully that damage isn't permanent," Greyson remarked, looking up at the massive gashes he had left in a diagonal line downward. He reloaded his shotguns, tousled his wind-blown hair a bit, and brushed the fragments of tree bark off his face as a girl wearing a long, flowing red cape dashed through the forest, just steps away. Greyson almost pursued her, but by the time he had decided, she was too far to catch up.
Seconds later, Greyson heard a bloodcurdling scream. The scream pierced through the forest for several seconds and echoed around, causing birds to fly in all different directions. Not an excited squeal from two friends who found each other. Not a mere startled shriek. The girl was in mortal danger. As if his body carried him, Greyson began to sprint through the dense bushes without a split second's hesitation. Huge thorns tore at Greyson from every side, but he pressed on. He knew he was close, but was not certain he would make it in time.
Seconds later, Greyson burst into a clearing. An ursa had burst through the underbrush and knocked a girl to the ground. It trampled forward, jaws open wide with anticipation.
Greyson's vision faded to grey, before returning in black and white, everything silent apart from his heartbeat. The ursa struck down on the girl with its left arm, the one furthest from Greyson. The blow slammed the girl's head into the dirt, depleting her aura. THe grimm's jaws came forward.
Greyson's vision returned to normal, and he sprinted forward. He jumped between the girl and the ursa, severing the beast's attacking arm with Nimbus. Still in the air, he followed through with his slash, spinning until he faced the creature of grimm with both Blitz and Nimbus transformed into shotguns. He fired both. The thunderous blasts connected, blowing off the top half of the ursa's head and killing it instantly. He tucked into a roll on the ground and finished in a kneel, sheathing his weapons.
"Remember what Ozpin said," Greyson thought to himself. "If I look her in the eyes right now, she'll be my partner for the next four years. Do I want to be partners with a girl who was nearly killed by an ursa like that? I'll have to protect her, I don't want that type of responsibility... Maybe I could just run, I'm sure she would understand. She's safe, and... IS SHE? I don't hear any sound coming from behind me. I have to check. Please be alive. Please."
Greyson stood up from his kneeling position and reluctantly turned around. His eyes narrowed and he grit his teeth as he prepared himself for the sight he may see.
Instantly, his gaze was met by two of the most vibrant, deep blue eyes he had ever seen, which shone just like sapphires in the afternoon sun. The girl's slim waist held the center of an hourglass figure. Her pure, wavy hair of a light honey blonde fell about a foot past her shoulders. She wore a cobalt blue shirt, sheer from upper chest to neck, covered partially by an unzipped black leather jacket. A short, ruffled skirt matched her shirt and eyes perfectly, and was complemented by black socks that reached halfway up her thigh. She was very much alive, and extraordinarily beautiful. Greyson realized she was the girl he caught himself staring at the day before.
From her figure, to the indescribable beauty held within her soft facial features and huge round eyes, she was the physical embodiment of Greyson's idea of perfection.
"Oh God, she's beautiful! There's no way I'll be able to talk to her, let alone be her partner for the next four years!" Greyson frantically thought.
The girl had a worried, almost sad look on her face, which changed to a bright smile at eye contact as if she knew Greyson was considering abandoning her. She was still sitting on the ground, legs swept sideways. Greyson spotted her weapon on the ground between them, a rigid-looking bow with thick limbs, made entirely from a radiant baby blue metal. Greyson picked the bow off the ground, noticing the bowstring was entirely absent as he carried it over to her. He held his hand out, offering the girl help to her feet.
"You saved my life!" she exclaimed as she took Greyson's hand. He was met with a tight, thankful embrace.
Greyson paused. The girl's hair flashed blue in Greyson's vision for a split second, and he went rigid. The girl he hugged pulled back with a look of shame.
"Oh, sorry," she offered.
"No, it's... I just thought I saw another ursa. It was nothing," Greyson claimed. "And your life is a life worth saving!" He held out the girl's weapon, sheepish look on his face. "...I don't think I saved your bow though..." he added tenderly.
"What do you mean? It looks fine to me!" she inquired.
"Well, the bow is intact, but the string is gone, and I don't see any arrows," Greyson explained.
"Oh. That's just my Moonbow, see?" The blonde placed her fingers gracefully a few inches behind the handle, exactly where the string would be on a normal bow. At her fingertips formed a light blue crescent moon, made to look like a bow and arrow. Once she pulled back, a spear of energy formed, which grew as she pulled back until it reached maximum size. She slackened her grip, and lowered her weapon. "It's completely dust powered, I can even switch the kind of dust by twisting the handle, like this!" As she did so, her bow softly glowed red, white, then yellow.
"Oh, wow..." Greyson said, intrigued by the bow's inner workings.
"That's not all, either!" She continued excitedly. She pulled the bow apart, turning the one bow into two curved short swords. She swung them around, carefully demonstrating a basic string of slashes, one of Greyson's go-to methods of attack. "Not very useful when they're knocked out of your arms by an ursa, though. Thanks again for saving me."
Greyson gave a slight smile. "You're welcome," he responded. He balled his fist, smashing his thumb into his index finger in a nervous fidget. "I, uh... I guess since we'll be partners for the next four years, we should get introductions out of the way? My name is Greyson. Greyson Skye"
"Azure Ozeen!" she responded. She grinned, her smile full of straight, perfectly white teeth. "It's nice to meet you!"
Greyson froze, his semblance once again kicking in. "Azure. The color of the sky on a beautiful Summer's day," the "future Greyson" flirted. "Future Azure" smiled shyly. The vision faded.
"Azure, uh, like blue. I... like blue," Greyson said awkwardly. He bit his tongue and tried to suppress his horror. "Greyson! What the hell was that?" he thought. "What a first impression! Bravo!"
"Oh my goodness, I like you already!" Azure replied, laughing. "Beacon's gonna be fun."
"Oh good. I like you, uh, I mean- we're gonna have fun- I mean, you seem cool," Greyson responded, his words coming quicker and quicker the more he spoke. He let out a deep breath. "If you want to just... pretend we didn't see each other, I would understand."
"Huh?" Azure questioned. "You seem really nice! And you saved my life! Plus, usually when someone else touches my Moonbow, they get a nasty jolt of whatever dust is active. It senses auras, you see. You and I must have similar energy."
"Wait. Quiet," Greyson insisted, placing a finger in the air and focusing intently. "There are way too many to fight right here. They're surrounding us. When I say run, follow me, and as soon as we hit the next clearing, we turn to fight them," he hissed.
Unease crept across Azure's face, her eyebrows knitting together as her mouth hung open the slightest bit. "Wait, there are too many of what?" she whispered in reply. "They're surrounding us?"
"Run."
