Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo


Flower

Partner


"You mind telling me what that was all about?" Lily had not only found her, but managed to trick her into looking right into her eyes without even knowing it. That whole thing had seemed a little too well planned. Had the faunus girl somehow knew Violet's Semblance beforehand?

"It was a test. And wow, did you pass." Lily cracked her neck and began to roll her shoulders. She had been sprawled out on the floor until a minute ago and Violet had refused to help her to her feet. "I knew you must have been strong, but that's more than anything I could have imagined. Been a long time since someone's got the one up on me." She finished this sentence with a loud laugh, like she wasn't even taking this seriously.

"Is that why you chose me, because I'm strong?" Somehow Violet felt disappointed. Lily may have been odd, but she at least seemed intriguing, able to set such a thoughtful trap and even catch her off guard. But if that was her answer, she was just as mundane as most of the others Violet met. Without even waiting for an answer, she turned and set out once more down the path.

They were still on a time crunch, after all.

"I assure you, it's more than just that. I told you during our first chat, remember?" Lily skipped to keep up, settling in place next to her like it was the most natural thing to do.

Violet thought back to their previous conversation, briefly recalling how Lily said something about how 'she would do nicely.' She didn't think there was anything extraordinary from that talk that would've made Lily so keen to be her partner, however. "Just what is it I did that made you think I would be a good partner?"

Lily made a small hum, dog ears twitching. "Before that, we should turn here instead." She stopped and pointed down a side passage. "The way ahead of us is a dead end." Violet squinted but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't see that far ahead.

Still, it was better to take Lily's lead on it. Her hearing had been good enough to find Violet based on nothing more than her heartbeat, so there was little reason to doubt her now. Not to mention as a faunus she could see in the dark.

She nodded for her to lead the way and the two of them continued on. For several minutes, Violet's question went unanswered and she wondered if Lily had forgotten or was simply trying to get out of answering it. Those concerns vanished when she started to talk again. "I grew up in an orphanage, you know?"

"I did not." Violet assumed the question was rhetorical but answered anyways. Lily must have found the fact that she answered funny, because she giggled.

"Well I did. There weren't many other faunus kids at the one I lived at and the discrimination was rough. I was the eldest, so it was my job to try and look after the others. When their food got stolen, I gave them mine. When they got beat up, I had to tend to their wounds."

"I'm no stranger to having to look after younger siblings. I'm the eldest of eight." Violet didn't know why she interrupted, but somehow that felt relevant.

"Then you know what it feels like to want to get stronger, in order to protect them." That was indeed a feeling Violet knew very well. Lily brushed her bangs out of the way, so brown eyes could look right into Violet's. She saw in Lily the same resolve as an eldest sibling that she felt.

"An old, retired Hunter trained me, after I begged him for weeks. He lived on the outskirts of town. His style was… well, pretty unique. You'll see when we get my weapon. Anyways, he also taught me how to pick out good friends. And I think you, Violet, are a good friend."

"None of what you told me explains why you think that." How could she possibly be a good friend, having never had a single one her whole life?

Lily simply smiled like the answer was obvious.

They turned another corner when her partner stopped, dog ears twitching and perpetual smile slipping into a frown. "What is it?" Violet couldn't hear anything, aside from the typical Grimm growls and occasional screams of students, which had unfortunately already just become background noise to her.

"Something's coming." Lily's head whirling around to look behind them. Even to Violet and her poor night vision, she could tell it was just a wall. There was nothing coming at them from that direction.

Then she felt it, the low trembling in the earth. Something was stomping hard and whatever it was, it was getting closer to them by the second. She didn't have to wait long to know what. With a mighty crash, the wall in front of them blasted apart.

Without thinking, Violet dove in front of her partner. Her Semblance easily deflected all the raining debris, twisting it around the two of them. The hunks of wall clattered to the floor with a loud racket and a smokescreen of dust occupied what had once been solid rock. From the cloud stepped a giant, bull-like Grimm. Unlike normal bulls, this one was bipedal. Standing at full height, Violet was maybe half of it, if that. The size of its arms alone were easily as thick as she was and it's torso was ripped with muscles.

"Oooooh….!" It let out a low, deep growl as beady red eyes locked in on the two girls, tilting its horned head down.

"Minotaur." Lily whispered its name from just behind Violet, leaning over her shoulder to get a better look. "I uhh… don't suppose we can take it without our weapons?"

"I seriously doubt it." This Grimm was far too big for Violet to handle with her bare hands and her Semblance would only get her so far.

"So then, run?" No sooner did Lily ask that and the ground thundered again as the Minotaur charged them.

"Run." Violet agreed, the two of them sprinting before the word even left her mouth.

As they fled, their screams joined the chorus of others throughout Ruby Canyon.


Chapter End