"HA HA! We won!"
"HELL YEAH! WAY TO GO, FOXY!"
Sharing a loud, congratulatory high-five, Rember and Jad reveled in their victory as the results screen on the team's projector showed a large 'MISSION COMPLETE'. After getting cleaned up from the massive food fight at lunch, KRME decided on video games and baked goods would be their afternoon. Azure and Gayle were hard at work baking chocolate chip cookies to replenish their dwindling supply, while Rember and Jad were kicking ass together playing a First-Person Shooter. It was a fun, relaxing time. Well, until there were victorious shouts and upset slanders thrown at the screen.
"Almost good to go over there?" Azure asked Gayle, adjusting his apron after placing the last dough ball onto a metal sheet.
"Yep! Just one second….there!" the lizard faunus grinned. The two of them then placed the unbaked confections into the oven, Azure setting a timer. Joining their respective partners, the team regrouped for a shared match on the game.
"Ya know Brosef," Rember commented, "We should make some sort of business with all the stuff you and Gayle make."
"You think? Never thought about that…" Azure mumbled to himself as he got settled. WIthout warning, the young man felt a small, needle like pain shoot through his left thigh, his leg jerking in surprise and slipping out an "Ow!". Looking down in annoyance, a small black kitten mewed for the young man's attention, placing itself directly on his lap.
Azure raised an irritated eyebrow. Thistlebutt really lived up to his name, in that he was quite the thorn in his side. The kitten made a point in digging his claws into him. Whether it was for attention, or his own version of showing affection, he didn't know. Moving the annoyance, the young reminisced what had been happening when this little thing came into their lives. It had to have been two or three in the morning, and he was obviously asleep. He then recalled being rudely yanked from slumber by his partner, her tone of voice dancing with excitement and a bit of a squeak. It wasn't long before everyone else was awake, either. When Gayle saw the kitten, the lizard faunus was immediately won over. Jad, on the other hand (he did not like it when he was abruptly woken up) grumbled about cooking it. If Azure remembered right, his friend didn't care for cats, and he had gained a reputation on not telling the rest of the team whenever he got surprise ingredients for when it was his turn in the kitchen. Now that he thought about it, how had anyone not gotten sick yet?
Another shot of pain pulled Azure out of his self reflection. Thistle cried for attention, keenly observing the young man. "She's. Right. There." He enunciated to the small pet, pointing over to Rember. "Go bug her."
"Won't do anything," Rember stated, "He wants his Zure time."
"But it's not even my cat."
"Oh yes he is! We're partners, so Thistle's yours too."
"No. I'm not the one who went on a midnight stroll for no reason and brought back a tiny furball that hurts me."
"BUT THAT MEANS HE LOVES YOU!" Rember shouted overdramatically, picking up her cat and holding him in front of Azure's face. "HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THIS ADORABLE FACE?!"
The respective pairs of Azure's and Thistle's green eyes locked together in momentary silence. The young kitten then meowed a cheery mew, black ears facing forward. The sight made Azure crack, and took the cat back into his lap whilst enduring another sharp poke from Thistle's claws. Oh well, he didn't really feel like continuing this pointless argument anyway, and the young man relaxed when he heard the satisfied purrs coming from the admittedly adorable black cotton ball. With that fiasco over, the team continued playing.
"I still think I could make him super tasty." Jad commented as his character took out some enemy soldiers on screen.
"Pfft, never going to happen." Rember asserted, "I'll take and burn your hat if you do."
"...So you have a deathwish then, Foxy."
"Hey, just don't cook my cat!"
"Guys, c'mon." Gayle interjected, "Can we not have an argument right now? It's hasn't even been fifteen minutes."
"NO! WE SHALL! SHE THREATENED HUCKLEBERRY!"
"AND YOU WANT TO EAT MY CAT!"
"Enough." Azure ordered sternly, and the two extroverts of the team reeled themselves back in. "Let's just enjoy the rest of the evening, alright? Without wanting to burn anything." He insisted.
Jad looked at his leader and friend for a moment before cracking a cheeky grin. "Okay, Pasty." the redhead agreed. "Loooove you~" he added, seeing if he could get a smile from him. It paid off, Azure letting an amused smile slip out as the pale boy got recomposed. The rest of the match the team was playing went on in cooperative calls and coordinative planning, until they eventually saw the victory screen pop up once more, all of them celebrating happily.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Rising from her seat, Gayle went to answer it. To her surprise and delight, it was Ceridwen. The silver haired young man waved politely and smiled when the other's in the room saw recognised him. "Hello again." he greeted, "May I stop by for a visit?"
Gayle was about to eagerly answer before a thought went across her mind. Looking back at Azure, it took the team leader a second before realizing the faunus was wanting to know if an extra addition for the evening would be alright, as it was kind of planned to just be the four of them. The pale skinned boy merely nodded his head with a smile, and Gayle happily replied "Of course!" as she led her best friend into the dorm. Ceridwen then got himself settled in.
"So what're you all up to?" he asked.
"Just some gaming." Rember answered, "We're all kinda nerds when it comes to this stuff. You play any?"
"Well, not anything like this…" the boy in glasses commented, taking note of what was on the screen.
"Really? Why not give it a shot?"
"Oh! Um, that's really generous of you, but I'm alright. I'm content with just watching."
"Please, Ceridwen?" Gayle pleaded, "Just try it!"
Before he could respond, Azure placed his controller into the young man's hands, the white haired hunter walking over to the oven. "Play it." was all he said to Ceridwen as he put on oven mitts and extracted out the first of the cookie sheets.
With an awkward laugh, Ceridwen gripped the controller and filled in for Azure. "Guess I'll learn on the go…" he commented to himself.
"So, this'll be the first time we've really caught up with everyone since we left, huh?"
Sonara looked over to her partner with curiosity. Clean from the glorious mess that took place in the afternoon, the two girls walked lazily through the school grounds, Rosalie's eyes fixed on a gigantic stone tower. Kyra and Valerie stayed back in the dorm (as decided), leaving the latter two members to make a trip to the 'Cross Continental Transit System'. Or as the public dubbed it: The CCT. As the girls recalled, this complicated technology allowed for long distance communication between each of the four established kingdoms. The kingdom of Atlas was responsible for inventing it after the Great War. In fact, the CCT in Vale was stationed in the lower tiers of Beacon Tower, with Professor Ozpin's office at the top. Sonara seemed to keep that random nugget of information locked in her head for some reason.
Beside the young brunette, Rosalie hummed an agreeance.
"Yes. Things certainly have been busy lately." The rose haired woman answered.
"You wonder how Mai is doing?"
"Hm, I'm sure she's fine."
Rosalie felt a smile inch its way across her lips. Mai, or 'Mariah' as she was named by her parents, was her adorable younger sister. She was training to be a huntress as well, taking classes and lessons back in Mistral's Sanctum Academy. Polite, forgiving, mature for her age but...a bit of an airhead; these were just a few ways to describe her little sister. They were always together when they were kids, and Mai accepted Sonara into the family with open arms. She really was quite the kind individual…
"Yeah! And I bet she'll tell us all about what's been happening!" Sonara said merrily, and the girls entered the tall spire. Awe struck them when seeing the inner workings of the tower, each of them taking time to take in the sights. This was their first time being inside one of the CCT's before.
A smooth, polished floor was the first thing they noticed, with various open entryways at the far end of the lobby. The walls were all shades of dark blue and grey, with soft green details dotted around, which glowed. There was a terminal placed in the center, connecting the ceiling and ground level. A few people were using a few of the stalls in the central control, but Sonara and Rosalie needed to go to an upper floor. International communications were up in the higher tiers of the building. Making their way through the middle overhang, both girls strolled around a sub room and into an elevator, the soft green glowing lights on the walls giving off an interesting feel.
Once inside, a robotic voice chimed "Hello. Welcome to the CCT. How may I help you?"
"Ooooh...Cool..." Sonara complemented, stars in her eyes.
Rosalie cracked an amused grin. "Yes, we'd like to go to the communications room, please." she said politely.
"Absolutely. Please place your Scroll on the terminal to verify your identity."
Doing as she was instructed, the young woman took out her handheld and placed it on top of a small scanner. After a moment, a soft beep was heard, the tin voice replying "Perfect. Thank you, Miss Caelum."
The elevator then ascended. The lift happened so fast, before any of the girls knew it, the confined space abruptly stopped, the metal door sliding open to a new room with multiple, desk like terminals. Windows to the outside were on the far end of the room, letting in a touch of the late afternoon sunlight. Not all the spots were empty, some of the other students chatting up with friends or family on the other side of the world. Once both members of AMBR stepped out into the room, a holographic projection of a woman appeared in a large desk in front of all the other terminals.
"Welcome to the Beacon Cross Continental Transmit Center! How may I help you today?" the apparition asked when noticing the new arrivals. Rosalie decided to answer.
"We'd like to make a call to Aster and Fiora Caelum in Mistral, please." the purple eyed girl requested, remaining well mannered.
The hologram nodded. "Of course," it replied, "just head over to terminal nine, and I'll run a connection."
"Thanks!" Sonara chimed happily, she and her partner making their way over to where the guide directed. Both girls got themselves seated, and waited in front of the monitor. Sure enough, a feed was sent through the screen, revealing a couple in their forties. Once the adults registered the young women on their respective end, they broke out into smiles.
"Hey, girls!" the man greeted, a familiar grin gracing his face with a pair of vibrant cherry red eyes. He was a very sturdy looking individual, with fading, clean cut pink hair. The woman beside him waved lightly, a dainty look about her whilst her long sun blonde locks covered most of her face. Well, except her two shining, breathtaking sky lavender eyes.
Rosalie mimicked the smile she was given. "Hey, Dad. Hey, Mom." She greeted.
"How are things going at Beacon?" Rosalie's mom, Fiora, asked.
"Oh, it's going a-MAZING!" Sonara exclaimed heartily, "You wouldn't believe how much fun it is here!"
Heh heh, good to hear!" Aster boomed.
"We're actually partners." Rosalie elaborated, "And we're on a team with two other girls."
"Hmhmhm! You don't say? What're your other members like?" Fiora asked.
"Well, there's our leader Valerie. She's nice, determined, and she looks out for all of us."
"But she totally likes Azure, Rosy!" Sonara interjected, giggling to herself, "Remember when she was flirting with him in the library that one time and she tripped into Gayle's tower of books by accident? It was just-hehe-too funny seeing her try and regain her cool after that! Hahahaha!"
Rosalie stifled a smile. She did remember. Cheezy as it had been, it was funny to watch their team leader get flustered. After her partner settled down, the young woman continued.
"The other girl is named Kyra. She's…" she trailed off. How could she describe Kyra without sounding...insensitive? Was that the word she was looking for?
"She's blunt, cynical, and a complete stick in the mud!"
Oh, Sonara… Rosalie sighed to herself. Brutally honest as always…
"You don't say?" Aster pondered, stroking his facial stubble. "Well, to each their own…"
"You two are still being a good friend to her regardless, right?" Fiora asked, her gaze keenly watching her two daughters.
"Of course we are, mom." Rosalie assured. "She may be a bit cold, and have a sharp tounge sometimes, but she really is a good person once you take the time to know her."
"I see. Well, bring 'em by next time! I'd like to meet these ladies!" Aster exclaimed, his deep voice resonating out of the console.
"Okie dokie!" Sonara beamed, "But enough about us! How's things back home?"
"They're the same as always." Fiora responded, "Mai is doing well in her classes at Sanctum, and is always working on her singing whenever she gets the chance. Honestly, I think she's a little lonely without you two around."
"Well, she's still got two years," Rosalie recalled, "So it won't be too long before she can apply to Beacon."
"Mhm! Other than that, it's the same old, same old with us adults. Helping out with construction on some new buildings in the kingdom, and your mother's been preoccupied with all the new paintings she's making." Aster continued.
"Ooh! Will you show us when you're done, Mom?!" Sonara asked Fiora eagerly. The expression made the woman smile, and she nodded her head happily.
"Of course I will, sweetie." she promised.
"Awesome! I can't wait!"
"Ha ha ha! Glad to see you both still in high spirits!" Aster grinned, "Now, I hate to cut this conversation short, but duty suddenly calls. Glad you are having a good time, girls! Do your very best! Love you!"
"Love you too."
"Love you too~!"
Aster then got up and out of the frame. Fiora smiled gently at her two children. "We'll try to get Mai next time," she said, "But until then, you two be safe. Okay?"
"We promise." Rosalie agreed, Sonara beaming ear to ear beside her. With a final wave goodbye, the transmission was cut, leaving the two young women alone.
"Heeee...that was fun." Sonara stated.
"Going back to the dorm?" Rosalie asked.
"Okay. No wait! Let's go get ice cream first! And we'll even get some for Val and Kyra!"
"Sounds good to me. Let's get going then."
"Right! Off we gooooo~!"
"AAAAAAAAAAARRRGH! YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!"
"Huh, looks like I won that round."
Jad turned over a sharpened glare towards Ceridwen. The scarf wearing boy had just managed to pull ahead of him in the last round of the fighting game the group had switched to, as they were getting bored of the FPS. This game was filled input commands and fast reaction strings that the redhead just didn't have interest or time to memorize, and resorted to the mode where all you had to do was button mashing. Nevertheless, since he had gone up against someone with around as much experience as he had, the round they had played was really close, and it stokes his competitive fires.
"Guess I'm up next…" Azure mumbled, stepping away from the cookie sheets. It was winner that played the spiky haired young man, and he was the best player in the team when it came to this particular game. Taking the controller from his friend, he plopped himself down beside his partner, the fox faunus playing with the cat whilst eating a cookie.
"C'mon, Pasty! Kick his ass!" Jad cheered, acting as if this was some life or death battle. It earned a chuckle from Gayle. She always found his...outbursts of indignation amusing to watch. As a spectator of course. Heaven knows she never wanted to be on the receiving end of whenever Jad decided to be upset or passionate about something.
"So," Azure said in Ceridwen's direction, "What type of game mode?"
"Hmmm...I don't know." the boy with glasses admitted, "This isn't exactly my cup of tea, so I don't really have any preference."
"Alright, we'll stick with this one. I'll use the traditional setting. Sound good?"
Ceridwen raised an eyebrow. "But doesn't that put a handicap on you?….that confident you can beat me?" the silver haired gentleman finished, grinning slyly over at the pale young man.
"Trust me, hun. You're going to want it if you're facing him." Rember spoke up. She remembered the first time she decided to play her partner on equal footing. Boy, did that turn her off from playing against Azure from that point on. Everyone had their genre of game they excelled at, and this was his. Personally, she was more of a 'puzzle games and first-person shooter' kind of gal herself.
Ceridwen hummed something of a recognition. Wasting no more time, he picked his character, and Azure followed suite. After selecting a stage, the match began, both players completely focused on the game. The girls in the room watched their best friends duke it out in the virtual world, each cheering for their respective favorite.
"Oh! By the way, Gayle," Rember started, "This just kinda popped into my head, but I'm curious, just where are you two from?"
"Atlas." Ceridwen commented over his shoulder, "But not in the kingdom. Just a town smack dab in the middle of a forest by the coast."
"It's called Kinsfell." Gayle added, petting Thistlebutt.
"Yeah? What's it like?"
"Oh, it's beautiful. I actually want to take you guys there after we graduate."
"Deal." Jad stated as he watched the game.
To no one's surprise, Azure beat Ceridwen. He then proceeded to fight Jad, to which he mopped the floor with him. His rage building, Jad challenged his teammate once more, a chillingly serious look in his blue eyes. Azure accepted, and the pair started again. This time however, Jad played completely erratic and wild, shouting "IMMA COMING FOR YOU FACE PASTY! IMMA COMING FOR YOU FAAAAAAACE!"
What surprised everyone else however, was that it was working. Azure couldn't keep a straight face, much less concentrate. And when he was able to force out "Stop! I can't focus!" to his opponent, Jad responded immediately with "I KNOW! AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" But, to the redhead's dismay, it wasn't quite enough to claim victory (Yet it was leagues closer than it was before). While this commotion played out, Rember was on the couch in stitches, Gayle's sides hurt from all the laughing, and even Ceridwen was infected with chuckles.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh…..I need ginger ale…." Jad mumbled to himself, sinking into his chair. "Do we have ginger ale, Pipsqueak?" he asked his partner.
"Umm...I think you drank all of it last week."
"WHAT?! THEN GO GET SOME MORE! I NEED GINGER ALE!"
Gayle raised an eyebrow, and Rember abruptly perked up.
"Actually, a light snack run wouldn't hurt." the fox girl admitted, "You wanna go, or should I, hun?" she asked Gayle.
"I can do it! It's not that hard to get stuff, so I won't take long." The lizard faunus affirmed, skipping over to the entrance.
"MAKE SURE TO GET MY GINGER ALE!"
"I know Jad. I'll be right back!" Gayle assured, not bothering to watch where she was going as she hopped out the door. She was just having such a fantastic time with the team and Ceridwen, she completely missed the group of people just outside the door. So it was with great surprise when she ran into something rather sturdy, falling onto her butt on the carpeted hallway.
"Owww…" the young woman grimaced privately, "I'm so sorry-uhmm?" she began to apologize, but found her voice trailing off when her gaze went up to look at the face of who she accidentally ran into.
It was a tall girl. Like, just as tall as Jad. Snow white hair, pure black eyes that put the chill of glaciers to shame, and had a pair of black and white ears sitting on top of her head. And by all the black leather she wore, this person didn't really look...friendly.
"...Are you...okay? Again, I'm really sorry." Gayle apologized.
The faunus said nothing. Heck, she didn't even seem to acknowledge that there was someone in front of her. The tall woman just...kept her cold stare in any other place besides in front of her.
"Oh, don't mind her," A silky voice said behind the faunus girl, a raven haired boy wearing a midnight black coat stepping into view. With a friendly smile, he extended a hand out to the lizard faunus. "Starr's just a bit shy."
Gayle looked at the extended gesture for a moment before curiously seeing if this Starr reacted to this boy's comment. Nothing happened. Without to much thought, Gayle accepted the help, a shiver running through her as the boy's hand was unexpectedly cold to the touch. After she collected herself, the noiret's smile widened.
"Well, glad to see you're okay." he commented, "Just be a bit more careful next time."
Gayle nodded. Now able to get a better look, the lizard also noticed two others accompanying. A boy with goat horns coming out his head, and a short girl with magenta-purple hair (who also looked around her age). Four of them…
"Are you from one of the visiting schools?" Gayle asked.
"Of course!" The young man answered happily, "We're from Shade Academy in Vacuo! Kinda why we don't have a snazzy uniform like you."
"Oh. I see."
"Mhm! By the way," The young man added, "would you mind helping us out? We're on our way to our side of the campus, but we're trying to find a friend of ours that goes to this academy. Do a bit of a catchup of sorts. Been trying to find them by asking around, but we haven't found their dorm yet…"
Gayle raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well I-"
"HEY, PIPSQUEAK!" Jad shouted as he poked his head out the door, cutting Gayle off. "WHAT'S GOIN ON?! YOU BARELY OUT THE DOOR AND YOU SIDETRACKED! WHERE'S MY GINGER ALE!?"
No sooner as he came, Jad was yanked back into the room. Rember then peeked her head outside, ginning lightly as her fox ears twitched.
"Don't worry, hun. Azure and I will make sure that the room is still here when you get back."
Without another word, Rember closed the door, the commotion in KRME's room muffled. Gayle now turned her attention back onto the people in front of her.
"Uh, sorry. I'd love to help, but I'm kind of in a hurry…"
The boy in the coat lightly shook his head, smiling politely. "Oh, don't worry about it. The evening is still young! Don't want to keep them waiting." He then stepped out of Gayle's way, and the faunus left without another word. The boy watched her leave, and when the faunus was out of sight, the practiced smile on his face contorted into an oily sneer.
"Oooooohoho, yes…" he hissed, dark purple eyes narrowing. "I am really liking today…"