As it turns out, getting used to being back on ten hour shifts, instead of 'Rona Madness 8's takes time. Also, the middle bit of this chapter whooped my ass. Still gunning to get back to two updates a month, just gotta re-acclimate. This is the last interim chapter between seasons/volumes, so that should help keep the updates snappy as well. Cant thank everyone giving me reviews, follows and favs enough.
As usual, I don't own RWBY or Highschool DxD; and make a single penny off of this. Just doin' it 'cause I love to tell stories, and enjoy the feedback and reactions of all you crazy gits following me on this journey.
Headmaster Ozpin sits, as patiently as is possible, in his office waiting for Rojoa and Phanuel to return from what was supposed to be a simple information gathering exercise. That they are hours late is no real surprise, well, it hadn't been after the initial report of an attack on the recruitment expo had crossed his desk. Three students injured, and another scheduled for half a dozen visits with one of the staff psychotherapists. At first he had been glad that none of the next generations unknowing soldiers in the secret war against Salem had been lost preemptively. None of his tools irreparably broken before they had been finished and used. Then, the callousness of those thoughts had struck him, and he had thrown himself into the task of crafting teams from the students who had been injured during last years second semester, had convalesced and will be returning to repeat the second semester of the year that had been cut short by their injury.
These recombinant teams, while not as close-knit emotionally as the ones that had endured initiation together, are almost always more effective of a fighting force, and less prone to suffering casualties and fatalities. Part of that is likely the caution learned after suffering a grievous injury, and another part the lesson in humility and reality check of being made to repeat part of the year they had finished before suffering the wound that had laid them low. Usually the work of matching personality, talent and weapons into neat groups of four, placing them in available dorm rooms and slotting them into class schedules takes the entirety of the gap between semesters. Barring a night like tonight, where Ozpin catches himself thinking of huntsmen and huntresses as tools or pieces on a game board, not as human beings with lives and goals and dreams, fears and families, living creatures without whom the world is a lesser, emptier place.
He had sent Glynda home hours ago. Whether he locks himself in his office and sleeps in the cot tucked away in one of the cabinets once his task is finished, or goes home to sleep without setting an alarm clock, she will need to be fresh to pick up his slack come morning. However, like every other time this has happened over his too long life, he will not allow himself to rest until he has completed his self-assigned penance for his silent transgression. By the time he has finished, read through psychological profiles, gazed at the smiling, eager faces as he finished the new teams, he cannot think of them as anything but the children and heroes in the making that they are.
He is halfway through the new Sophomore teams, still rebuilding his momentum and trying to shed the heavy emotions that always beset him after sending the letters to the students that did not fit well into any teams, who would have to re-take Initiation next year, instead of being placed on a team in a few weeks time when the door to his office swings open. Phanuel and Rojoa stride in just in time to save him from the looming dread of the letters that he will be sending to the Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors that won't make the cut. Telling them, with block print and cold words, that the dream has come to an end. But he will feel it when that time comes, nonetheless. "Sky Lark is dead." Rojoa coldly announces as soon as the door clicks shut behind the duo.
Ozpin pauses, saves his work, then closes his scroll to look up at the pair of fallen angels. "The report I was sent indicated that we did not suffer any fatalities, Rojoa."
The fallen angel nods, continuing forward and claiming one of the two seats in front of Ozpins desk before replying "Oh, this probably happened weeks ago. The fallen angel impersonating him let the amulet fall out of his shirt during the fighting."
Before Ozpin can ask for clarification, Phanuel, still in the guise of Peter Port, albeit a touch disheveled from his spar earlier in the night, takes up the explanation as he strolls to a halt next to his subordinate. "One of the rarer, more esoteric items Fallen have at our disposal. Put a lock of hair taken from the individual you wish to copy in one of the hollows worked into the amulet while the target still lives, a few drops of blood from the victims fresh corpse in the other, and so long as you wear it your flesh will be as theirs. A brutal tool, expensive to craft and painful to put on or take off. But so long as no one recognizes the amulet, and its wearer knows the one they are replacing well enough to properly impersonate the victim, the deception is nearly flawless."
Ozpin pinches the bridge of his nose "And, should the impostor be killed while the amulet is still around their neck?" Had the mystery fallen angel chose another means for infiltration he would likely prefer capture and imprisonment as a means to deal with them. However, with one of his students killed, for nebulously nefarious reasons, he is feeling less than forgiving.
Rojoa shrugs "If the amulet is still around fake Skys neck, and we shatter it after the corpse is cold, Sky's parents get a body to bury that looks just like their dead son. But I expect the devils of team Juniper to take care of the killing for us. Our infiltrator has been fairly single-minded in his pursuit of them."
Ozpin fixes Rojoa, who is innocently blank-faced and calm despite the nearly constant revelations that the fallen angel has been unleashing since entering the room. "You mean Mr. Arc?"
Phanuel, thankfully foregoing Professor Ports more eccentric mannerisms despite still holding to his rather ridiculous appearance answers the prompt "No, at some point between the bringing of our quiet inquiry as to the presence of devils at Beacon, as well as fallen angels not falling under my care and command, Mister Ren has become a rather impressive mage." Ozpin knows his mask of calm must have slipped, as Phanuel holds up a placating hand. "Of the underworld variety, not the sort of magic that was once native to Remnant, Ozma. On top of that, Miss Valkyrie was apparently some manner of dormant demigod and Miss Nikos possess the first sacred gear worthy of noting to be seen on Remnant for centuries. And all of them are now devils, not humans."
Ozpin can't help it. He drops his face into his palms, elbows firmly planted on his expansive faux clockwork desk to hold his head aloft. "Is there anything else we have been in the dark about that you two have to reveal to me tonight?"
Wearing a grin entirely too wide for someone revealing that they are, apparently, catastrophically uninformed on supernatural matters taking place on their homeworld, Rojoa chirps "Like how Jaunes entire family are all normal humans, not devils like him, or that Atheed Hemlock was actually a Fallen Angel, and whoever is impersonating Sky, along with the rest of team Cardinal actively fought against him and his gang? Well, they were sort of phoning it in, but..."
Phanuel rests a hand on Rojoas shoulder and shoots an admonishing look at his subordinate, before a swirling heat haze melts his illusion away. "The official report surmises that Atheed did not know of Miss Valkyries semblance, was blindsided by it and as such was slain. I believe that he did not posses one, as you and I have never attempted to unlock the semblance of a fallen angel. A few simple spells are more than enough to mimic the effects after all." Half a foot higher now, and toned rather than overweight in a suit cut to accentuate his figure rather than nearly rip open from it, Phanuel at least looks serious rather than comical as he offers a supremely unhelpful addition to his subordinates report.
"I managed to sneak a blood sample, but, between the machine oil facilitating Maginhilds mechashifting, and the grime on the wall I wouldn't hold my breath for a definitive answer as to whether or not there was anything in his system that we would know to look for that the police wouldn't." Rojoa adds.
"So, we know next to nothing aside from the fact that at least two factions are currently using Vale, and more worryingly Beacon as a battlefield, and doing their best to keep it under wraps." Ozpin summarizes grimly. One of the lights in his offices vaulted ceiling flickers as both of the fallen angels in his office do their best to fight back expressions of worried displeasure. "Phanuel, my old friend, I know that you and yours fled to Remnant to escape a terrible war, but we need more information. Mister Arc is too young to be more well informed than his superiors would need him to be. And, whomever arranged to kill and replace poor Sky is likewise the same, or he would not find a student of seventeen and his peers enough of a challenge for things to have gone on for as long as they have, or escalate as direly. I would not even consider asking what I am of you if-"
"It will take time, Ozma. I don't even know if any of the friends and allies I left behind are still alive, let alone if they will be willing to speak with a coward and traitor, as they will rightfully call me. But I will ask, once I have established a line of communication." Phanuel raises his hand off of Rojoas shoulder to forestall any further inquiry or comment from the headmaster. "That is all I can offer to do right now, old friend."
Rojoa looks between the two far older individuals, clearly more than a little perplexed at how calm they are remaining. "Seriously, neither of you are questioning how three fourths of one team became devils without us noticing, along with another student being murdered and replaced by, most likely, the fallen angel that had been giving the murdered students team their orders?"
"I suspect that they are only training or using their powers on the desecrated ground out in the Emerald Forest, so we had no opportunity to notice before tonight. As to the fallen angel infiltrator... it rather paints the small prank war this years freshman class had at the years start in a darker light, doesn't it?" Ozpin replies calmly, coldly wondering how many of the seemingly harmless jokes pointed at Jaune and his team had actually been attempts on one of his students lives.
Rojoa winces, either at the thought of more students being killed in the the supposed safety of Beacons grounds, or having missed the rather obvious explanations for the questions that the fallen angel had asked moments ago. "We could put some cameras in team Junipers dorm room. That could get us at least one concrete answer."
Phanuel levels a rather stern look on his subordinate. "Oh, yes, put a hidden camera in the dorm room used by four hormonal teenagers, who are even more acutely aware of the fact that they are likely to die any day than is normal for huntsmen or huntresses in training. Who are also seventeen I can't possibly imagine that backfiring on us at all."
"Nevermind that both sets of partners are the front-runners for the faculties betting pool on which students will end up married or with children together. Those four certainly aren't likely to turn your surveillance footage into child pornography, Rojoa." Ozpin dryly adds. The fallen angel, at least, has the decency to blush at the light-hearted, teasing rebukes.
"I still think Arc will find a way to make it work with Schnee." Phanuel interjects.
Ozpin waves his incorrigible ally off. "I tolerate the betting pools among my staff for the same reason I tolerate pranks and food fights and all the other childish mischief that the students get up to. Without the levity the weight of what we do here would crush us all. I do not need my face rubbed in it." As the pair of fallen angels move to leave his office at his silent dismissal, Ozpin mentally prepares himself for his next meeting. Qrow always does try to worm out of doing anything related to his sister at Ozpins request, but, with Atheed being dead, there is information Ozpin needs. With Ravens only potential contact in Vale save her former teammates dead, he needs to know whether or not a new emissary of the Branwen Tribe will be coming to Vale. Atheeds break from the tribe had been a rather flimsy, transparent excuse, but Ravens predecessor had never been a particularly intelligent bandit.
_-*R-DxD*-_
"Um, Prez, this is just a random forest. You said we were going to meet up with Jaunes peerage." Issei dumbly observes as he glances around the darkish clearing. The six of them are still standing on the odd stone platform they had arrived on. He can vaguely make out, something, carved deeply into the stone, and slams his elbow into an even weirder stone plinth sticking up from its edge behind him. "Ow! What the heck is that stupid thing there for!"
Smiling lightly, Rias steps off of the platform into the weirdly safe feeling yet ominous clearing, dark with the late sunrise of a dense forest in the shadow of a cliff face. "Because, to keep up the cover Jaune came up with for us to be able to visit has me as Vacuan nobility, and you are my entourage. People would ask questions if it didn't at least look like we got here by airship."
"And simpler transportation circles are always best. So, we use the natural link between the Underworld and Remnant on the outskirts of Sairoargs families holdings to get to Jaunes home summoning circle here. As soon as Jaune and his peerage know we're here..." Akeno trails off as they all feel the familiar pull of a mass transportation circle flaring to life beneath them. In a flash of light, the forest is gone and they find themselves in what looks like a disused supply room.
Jaune and his peerage are waiting for their guests, dressed as causally as the Gremory peerage are, blue jeans and t-shirts, slacks, skirts and blouses to each teens taste. Well, causally aside from the fact that all four of them are freaking armed like its normal. "Umm, if airship docks are anything like airports, are you guys supposed to have your weapons with you?" Issei cant help but ask as his friends spread out from the tight knot they had still been standing in when summoned to wherever they all are now.
"Hello to you to." Jaune quips. "And, yea, since we aren't on the secure side of the TSA terminal, we can still have our weapons on us, not in secure cases." He waves for the recently arrived devils to follow him as he turns to leave the room, his peerage and team falling into step without any prompting as he does so. "Lets get going, don't want security to have to ask why nearly a dozen teenagers are gathered in a random abandoned storage room."
"So, did you have anything in particular planned for us to do, Jaune?" Akeno asks as the gaggle of teens fall in behind the local king.
Jaune shrugs, before replying "Well, I figured we could walk to Beacons bullhead docks, let you see some of the Kingdom, give you guys a tour of Beacon and figure it out from there."
Smiling as they step into the bustling airship docks, Rias adds "I don't think we'll need to actually move here, now that my engagement to Riser has been called off, but it would be nice to know what my first choice for a bolt hole is like, if your offer still stands, Jaune." The walls are mostly floor to ceiling windows broken up by forest green fluted columns to their right. The sky, now that he can see it clearly, is deeply overcast, its probably going to storm before long, and the airship dock is more illuminated by the lights affixed to the columns than any light filtering in. To their left, as the group of devils work their way towards the exit, the walls are at least painted to resemble light granite tiles where they aren't broken up by what look like video pay phone booths, restaurants, convenience stores, pharmacies and gift shops that you'd expect to see in an airport.
The blonde nods "Of course it does. Though, I'm kinda curious about how house Phenex is taking having what would have been the political power-play of the century pulled out from under their feet." Rias and Nora make their way over to greet Akeno, Koneko and Asia as they walk, while Ren drifts over to mumble something to Kiba.
Rias shrugs "Lord Phenex is running damage control along with Ruval. The rest of the Clan have been keeping their heads down. Sirzechs released a recording of our mock rating game along with Isseis duel with Riser when he announced the engagement being called off. With how Riser carried himself in both of those, no one really asked for much more of a reason for the engagement being broken off." The vaulted ceiling seems high enough to fit what would be three entire stories of a normal store or house. It seems a bit ridiculous, but since Issei doesn't have a clue how airships are different from planes, there might be a good reason. Or the kingdom is just showing off, could go either way. The floor is either some fancy stone tile he doesn't recognize, or that polished stuff just about every grocery and department store he's ever been in uses. Either way, its the sort of aggressively neutral beige that doesn't really clash with anything or stand out, and is as shining and clean as the rest of the airship dock he's seen so far.
The crowd flows around them as the gaggle of teens step through one of the airship docks main entrances into the city proper. Kids, adults and old timers alike shifting to give the devils a wide berth as soon as they spot the weapons. Which is a shame, because some of the girls look pretty hot, but none get close enough for him to get a good eyefull. Some of the people have animal ears, or tails, or horns, and Issei really wants to ask about that. But asking in public wouldn't exactly help them blend in, since no one else seems to be commenting on it or reacting. Well, some people glare at the ones with animal traits, but they also have the same pinched look that Issei knows from the sort of dumb-asses who spit gaijin at people who don't quite blend in like its a bad thing. Personally he thinks someone from somewhere else is just that, and assumes people not okay with that just need their heads pulled from their asses and ignores them.
Nearly everyone is dressed brightly and decked out with an excessive amount accessories, though, the other armed people scattered throughout Saturdays morning shopper crowd take it to the next level. They also pass closer to the group of devils, but still give them a respectable amount of space. "Riser is doing everything he can to hold his peerage together. Losing pieces left right and center." Issei adds, trying to do his best to not look like a slack jawed tourist, and stay in the conversation while drinking in the sites, female and otherwise, of being on another freaking world as best he can.
Koneko shoots him a flat, unamused look that really doesn't belong on the face resting above her petite, cute, pale blue sundress clad form. Seriously, there should be laws against something that harmless looking being able to pull an 'I'll beat you to death with your own arm' look so effortlessly. "Most trustworthy sources say he's down a rook, a knight and two pawns at the worst. Its a setback, not the end of his career in the Rating Game circuit."
"Yea, the jerk lost some of his cronies after blatantly insinuating he might let some of them die so he could take some of Rias' out of spite. I'm not surprised at all. He deserves it." Issei shoots back, the group slowing to a halt as they notice one by one that Akeno had stopped to look into one of the shop front windows the rest of them had walked past. The bell hooked up to the front door jingles just loud enough for them to hear it outside, but no one leaves the shop either. "I do kinda wish I could remember the end of that first fight though."
"Your face looked like ground beef, and you probably had more bones broken than whole. Are you sure you want to remember what left you like that?" Pyrrha interjects, leaning forward to look past Jaune and at Issei, concern clear on her face. She is standing just inside his personal space. Not quite intruding, but definitely closer than you'd expect for someone who's just a friend or teammate.
Nora leans back to look past Ren and at the Gremory pawn "Don't forget having more burnt skin than healthy and severe blood-loss to boot!" she's even closer to Ren than Pyrrha is Jaune, the hand not waving expressively as she nearly shouts her addition twitching towards her partners, but not committing.
Issei ignores the second quip, and looks at the shop Akeno had stopped at, which looks to be selling weapons and maintenance tools for combat gear. Follows Akenos's gaze to a thick bullwhip that looks like it has a hollowed out handle and shudders as the shops door swings open. "Hey, we ended up winning in the end, and, painful or not I'd probably take more away from the fight if I remembered it all. He may have damn near beat me to death, but I'm still here, and Riser didn't get what he wanted in the end." A new voice rather loudly clears its throat, and the entire group of them turn to see the newcomer waiting patiently in the doorway they are blocking off.
A burly man with what look like ram horns sprouting from the sides of his head grins at Issei, having finally been noticed and interjects "Any one you walk away from is a good one, right pal?" with a gravelly voice. Issei grinningly bumps the offered ham hock of a fist as the tall, tanned guy who had been patiently waiting for them to move out of his way, which they just had, strides through the gap the gathered devils had formed for him. Issei does his best to act cool about the fact that the hulking brute of a man has a warhammer with a head almost as big as Koneko hanging off his back. Its normal for Remnant, from what he's seen and been told. On a more important note, Akeno the Gremory peerages resident dominatrix is eyeballing a bullwhip like she's about to ask to borrow some cash – lien – whatever, so it can be her bullwhip totally isn't scary at all. Definitely not.
"Looking to pick up a training weapon Akeno?" Jaune asks the raven haired queen, her pleated red mini-skirt made modest by the white stockings going up past its hem and her conservative white blouse, the ribbon holding her hair in her usual high ponytail matching the skirt perfectly. The entire ensemble looks a lot like the priestess getup she normally wears for serious fights, but less fancy. If she were standing in front of one of the big column-framed display windows, she'd nearly blend in with the shops crisp white outer walls.
Akeno nods, not taking her eyes off of the whip, even going so far as to lick her lips. "Actually, I am, Jaune. You did mention that we'll need physical training to get better with our auras, and have a chance at figuring out our semblances. I don't think I'll ever be a great hand to hand fighter like Koneko or Issei, so..."
"What do you mean by training weapon? A whips a whip." Koneko buts in, stepping right between their queen and the local devil, who had stepped very close to the older devils personal space when he had addressed her. Issei looks around the cluster of teenage devils, and notices that Pyrrha looks, well, he doesn't think mad or jealous is the right word. But, if what he's picked up from watching how much better at not having conversations with girls that don't devolve into screams and getting slapped Kiba is than he is, its a look guys should be careful of. Probably shouldn't try to sneak a peak or make a move with a look like that on a girls face either. Damn. And it doesn't look like Jaune has picked up on whatever has the redhead... like she is, right now. Warning the blonde king somehow would be the nice choice, but letting him hang himself on his own obliviousness might be fun too. Also might give him a shot at Pyrrha. There's no rules saying a Harem King cant have more than one busty redhead after all.
Jaune looks down at the minuscule rook, his open gray button down shirt held tight to his dark orange Pumpkin Pete branded t-shirt by the strap holding his sheathe-shield to his back, hilt of his disguised legendary blade poking over his left shoulder. The getup is tied off with dark blue-jeans held up by a black leather belt and matching hiking boots. All together, it leaves Issei feeling a bit bland in his plain t-shirt, faded blue jeans and sneakers. "A weapon like that is great to learn on. Good for practice, but unless you want to burn through dust like you're last name is Schnee, not all that great in a real fight, against a huntsman or grimm." Jaune explains, all three of his teammates nodding in agreement as he answers.
Before anyone else can speak up, the door to the shop explodes open and a red blur shoots through the opening and takes a tight turn before the abused entryway can slam into the wall it is hinged to, trailing rose petals behind it. As the rose petals slowly flutter to the ground, and the blur resolves into the form of a girl a bit taller and curvier than Koneko, but not by much. Wearing a mostly black corset/blouse combo and skirt – which would be perfect for upskirts if it didn't have a ridiculous amount of crimson frills and lace under the outer layer – sheer dark gray stockings, and a crimson cape in the same shade as the rest of her outfits trims and shin-high combat boots laces and soles. The black haired girl immediately strikes Issei as cute in the same way Asia is before she opens her mouth. "Jaune! What are you and your team doing at my favorite weapons store! Who are your friends! Whats the blonde guys swords name and can I hold it?!"
Smiling at the short girl, Jaune steps back to better address her, only to be cut off again. "Ruby! What are you doing! You nearly ended up stealing that mechashift gear set you had been looking at!" A pale, slender girl with shockingly white hair tied off in a side pony-tail half shouts as she stomps out of the store in heeled boots that really should make stomping impossible. Her white strapless dress and matching long-sleeved jacket makes her seem even more pale than she is, and nearly has her disappearing when she stomps to a halt in front of the wall despite the blood red inner lining of the jacket.
Her ice blue eyes relax from their laser focus on the now cowering and named Ruby to take in the rest of the group. Judgingly. "Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, Nora, I wasn't expecting to see the four of you here. To what do I owe the pleasure? And, who are your friends, if you don't mind my asking?" Her tone is cold, and aggressively polite, but she's cute, those legs probably go all the way up, and isn't going after everyone, just Ruby.
The scar over her left eye adds a touch of exoticness to her the same way Rubys red highlights do, and he really wishes that her dress didnt end in the same overly-frilly mess her maybe friends does, he would really like to know what their booties look like, hidden by a skirt or not. "Oh, so you've already forgotten about me, Weiss?" Rias teases as she steps from the back of the group to greet the newcomers.
The now named Weiss' eyes bug out a bit at that, and shifts like she wants to do, something, than catches herself and waves haltingly at the taller, curvier girl, which Rias returns way more smoothly, straight-faced save for the glint of amusement in her eyes. Pyrrha moves her hand to cover her mouth, and Nora starts sniggering. "Of course not, Rias. I just didn't want to use the wrong greeting for you. With the matter I helped you with, coming to a head, from what I had heard..." Weiss looks like she wants to shout at someone, she really does. That or shake Jaune or Rias for answers, with how her eyes are bouncing back and forth between the two kings. Not his problem. More importantly neither of the newcomers are all that curvy, but he would still love to find an excuse to use Dress Break on them, and the distraction of drama just might provide it for him.
Rias waves off the other girl, either dismissively or forgiving her. Weiss must be a member of the local high society or something with how the two are acting, whatever. "Oh, I'm still the Gremory heiress. Riser" she spits out his name with open disgust "forced a series of duels over me wanting out of the engagement. I gave my brother the documents you helped me get drafted right before Issei here" she nods at him "started a final duel at the engagement party Riser forced down my throat he crashed. Issei took Riser apart, and my father released recordings of the duels and how Riser carried himself during them."
Akeno shifts a bit, partly dodging a more or less oblivious couple walking through the group of devils and partly moving to face the rest of their group. She adds a half step to stand a bit more comfortably, and adds "The footage was, less than flattering for Riser."
"And now House Phenex is too busy running PR damage control to worry about anything else going on right now. So Rias and her entourage flew in today for a little celebration and to figure out what Rias can do for a thank-you to us." Jaune finishes, indicating his team as the shops door once again swings open, and Weiss, who had opened her mouth to say, something, snaps it shut again with a scowl.
Two more girls walk out of the shop, the first is about as tall and curvy as Rias, her own mane just as long as the Prez's. Though that's where the similarities between the two end. The newcomer has vibrant lilac eyes as opposed to thoughtful ocean blue, and her long locks are wild, golden and unkempt instead of crimson brushed to perfection. Her black compression shorts, brown leather half-skirt and jacket/tube top combo flaunt and expose her skin and curves instead of hinting and teasing the way Rias' form hugging knee length lavender skirt, white stockings and crème long sleeved blouse does. The blond girls body language is aggressive and confident instead of composed and demure, her grin cocksure and chipper instead of proper with a hint of teasing. "Hey guys, what gives? And who are your friends?" the blonde asks as the door swishes shut behind the new duo.
Weiss half turns to reply, but Jaune beats her to the punch "I could ask you four the same thing Yang. All kitted out in your combat outfits and wearing your weapons to go shopping?" Naming one of the two newcomers at least.
Yang shuffles to the side to let the black haired, golden eyed girl join the group gathered to the right of the shop entrance. The blonde cocks her hips to thee side and plants her right hand on them. "Ehh, we were gonna spar a bit, but then the deal tracker apps on Ruby and my scrolls went off. Some of what we got pinged for were flash sales, and since we hadn't started sparring yet we decided to just hop on a Bullhead and get what we needed. At that point we were already in town and shopping, and, well, turns out the Ice Queen and I like some of the same boutiques."
"For the work-out clothes. I don't have anything anywhere near resembling the same fashion sense as Xiao-Long, thank you very much." Weiss interjects, the snobby superiority in her tone doesn't mesh with her body language, but Issei ignores that. The hair flip and pirouette to turn and 'lecture' the rest of the group looks good on her.
Yang rolls her eyes at hear her pale friends interjection, before continuing. "Whatever you say Weiss. Anyways, Ruby wanted to check out a few other supply shops because she likes them, not for the deals after we all topped off our field kits and started just shopping around. Blake tagged along for books." The golden eyed girl, her black hair nearly as long as Yangs, but topped with a cute black bow instead of hanging unbound and untamed, wearing ankle-high, high-heeled combat boots, tights that fade from black to deep lavender a white pair of shorts. A thin strip of midriff is laid bare, before the girls white, sleeveless crop-top and black divided vest finish off what is, apparently, her combat gear. Remnant is awesome.
Not as busty as Yang, but definitely has the best booty of the quartet of newcomers. Easily enough for him to appreciate why some guys prefer a great ass over big rack. Appreciate, but not give any ground on what he prefers.
"So, were you guys looking to get stuff to fix up your weapons after those duels you said you were in, or..." Ruby trails off, and glances back and forth between the two peerages. "Um, why are Nora and Pyrrha keeping their partners between them and the brown haired guy?"
Weiss shoots a narrow-eyed glare at Jaune, who sighs through a slow blink, shakes his head, and properly introduces the two groups. "Rias, Akeno, Kiba, Koneko, Issei and Assia" he begins, gesturing at each of them in turn as he gives their names, each offering a wave, nod or smile as he does so. "Meet Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang from team Ruby, our sister team." A trio of middle aged looking guys glare at the gaggle of loitering teens as they walk into the shop, while Pyrrha and Nora wave at the bigger group of teens. Pyrrhas is a small, proper gesture, something that would be perfect for a parade or award ceremony, while Noras entire torso sways as her arm swings a greeting. Ren offers a small nod.
Weiss shoots a glower at Jaune as the ensuing pleasantries that always go along with introductions taper off. "That's an awfully bold statement for you to make, Jaune. Unless you and Ruby worked something out behind the rest of our backs..."
"Weiss cream, the eight of us study together, train together, hell, we even spend most of our free time together." Yang playfully shoves the shorter, skinnier girl, a grin still on her face.
"If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, well..." Blake steps next to the slightly bustier blonde. Her tone somewhere between Rias when she scolds him because he was an idiot who made her worry, and Koneko when she honestly compliments him. She doesn't say anything else, leaving Weiss looking thoughtful. No one says anything for a few moments, all of them standing around awkwardly unsure where to go with their conversations. Meeting people for the first time can be awkward like that, he supposes.
"Ah, if Nora and Pyrrha are nervous about Issei, they really dont have to be." Asia squawks, waving her hands and trying her best to fill the silence. "You girls dont need to be either, he's really nice and helpful. He's a great friend!" Issei smiles at that, sweet Asia, trying to defuse the tension and help him out in one go.
Koneko looks from Aisia, to the local girls, then over to Issei. He cant really make out what she's thinking by her facial expression, not that he normally can normally do that with any girl except for when he screwed up big time. Still, the intentional neutrality has him nervous. "He also likes to use his semblance to strip girls clothes off." All four of the new girls take a big step back, nearly in unison, to the far side of the shops entrance from Issei. Ruby even goes so far as to shuffle over and cower behind Yang, poking her head out from the taller girls side so that that is just about all he can see of her. "Nice guy, a hard worker, super honest and a total perv."
"Hey, I only do that during fights! I'm not just gonna wander around town stripping random babes naked!" Issei shouts at the petite rook. Not that I wouldn't totally do it if I could get away with it. He's more than a little proud that he remembered not to say the second part out loud, even if he'd mumbled someone would have overheard and called him on it.
Rias pinches her nose, head turned down, half-lidded eyes more or less taking in pavement and dirt. "I apologize for Issei's behavior. His reliability, loyalty and versatility make putting up with his, proclivities, worth the effort, if the four of you are willing to take my word for it, that is."
"Issei is pretty single-minded when it comes to pretty girls. But he only undresses girls with his eyes outside of fights." Kiba adds with a smile, and an apologetic half-bow.
Issei sees a the mischievous smile on both Rias and Akenos faces, and does his best to school his pouting, betrayed face back to a more normal expression. But come on! Why do his friends have to always throw him under the bus like that. "To answer your question Ruby, only Kiba and Issei actually have weapons. Akeno saw something that might be a good fit for her through the window." Rias explains, ignoring her peerages teasing playfulness to keep the conversation more or less on topic.
All of team RWBY blink at the visiting devils for a few moments, each of them looking more than a little confused. "But, if only the two of you have weapons, why were you getting into duels?"
Jaune nods his head towards the entrance to the shop, and the group slowly moves into the shop. If a cop decided to hit them for loitering, it would be pretty hard to explain how they don't have any from of identification. Rias shrugs "Oh, the private academy we're all going to unlocks all of the students auras. Some of the clubs focus on weapons or combat sports, but none of us are helpless." The entire group accepts his silent suggestion and follows the local devil into the store. Well, everyone except for Nora. She walks into a wall, causing Akeno to release a mischievous chuckle, and the ginger devil to start grumbling to herself, shifting between shooting grumpy and amused glances at Akeno.
"That, didn't exactly answer Rubys question, Rias." Blake dryly interjects as she pulls the door shut behind her, taking up the rear of the now rather large group. She looks like she wants to dart over to the pile of bags near the front register, at least she does until the cashier makes a placatory gesture at her.
Rias and Akeno both reply by holding up their right hands and manifesting their respective powers; arcing and snapping bolts of lightning working their way up from the raven haired queens elbow to dance around her fingertips; and an orb of wild, chaotic red-fringed nothingness about the size of a baseball floating above Rias cupped palm. The shops other patrons startle at the display of power, a few of them reaching for weapons, others darting behind shelves or moving to shield their children. "Why learn a weapon when the genetic lottery already gave you one?" Rias asks, letting the small orb of destruction dissipate.
"That, seems kinda short sighted." Yang awkwardly observes. Rude, but at least she looks uncomfortable saying it. The other shoppers in the store slowly go back to their browsing and chatting, having calmed back down as soon as it was clear that Rias and Akeno had only been demonstrating their power. The inside of the shop is more or less the same as the outside, crisp white walls broken up by ad posters and windows, light wood floor and a tall ceiling just shy of being able to be described as vaulted. It isn't quite cramped in the store, but they are clearly doing well, tweens and young teens escorted by parents or in knots of friends and classmates roam the aisles formed by weapon racks. Over by the maintenance equipment, the patrons all look to be at least around the teams RWBY and JNPRs age, and if they aren't armed, they have a garment that could serve as a sheathe or holster somewhere on their persons.
Koneko trots across the group to poke Rias in the ribs while Akeno flags down one of the shops employees to see about getting a closer look at the whip that had grabbed her eye. "You forgot to mention that I have weapons too."
Kiba looks over at their peerages rook, eyes ever so slightly hinting at mirth behind his typical polite and genteel expression "Koneko, we all know those gloves of yours are more to protect your victims and pad your knuckles than cause more damage." Nora goes a bit pale at that for some reason, and Blake shifts over to rub the ginger girls back.
Yang steps between the pair of huntresses in training and the Gremory peerage, a protective frown on her face, arms crossed under her impressive funbags, right foot tapping rapidly in irritation. Part of Issei wants to ask what happened to the bombastic girl he had met the other weekend during their training camp for the mock rating game, the other is mesmerized by the blonde bombshell before him. Kiba flinches and asks "I take it something happened between the last time we got to hang out and now?"
Yang nods "Yea, Jaunes team was on an extra credit assignment Wednesday. Some thugs tried to loot the place. Their boss let loose some sort of electric attack with his semblance. Nora went to take him down, he didn't get his aura up in time, and, well..."
Rias turns around, going from curiously perusing a rack of sabers, cutlasses, foils and a few other strange blades that are probably as dueling oriented as the ones he can put a name to but doesn't recognize. "Is she..."
Nora shakes her head and steps forward to directly answer the crimson haired devil and cut off whatever she had been about to ask. "I made it through finals, and we have a few weeks before the next semester starts and things get all crazy again. I'll be fine."
A low rumble in the distance has just about half the people in the shop turning to look out the window at the gloom outside. "Not to be a downer or anything, but maybe we should head for Beacon before we all get rained on." Asia interjects into the silence, glancing nervously back and forth between the ominous clouds outside and her friends.
_-*R-DxD*-_
Sun Wukong is, bored. Sure, stowing away on a boat to get to Vale, and Beacon, early to see what things are really like at whats supposed to be the worlds greatest huntsman academy, when they aren't putting on a show for the world had been a blast. Nep had even followed behind him, which is even better since it means he isn't stuck in an unfamiliar kingdom alone. Not that he has any problems making friends, but still, having his best friend around is always great.
Problem is, sometimes you just run out of things to do. Sure, Haven had started sending the two of them their courswork to finish on their scrolls, as well as recording lectures for them to watch since they couldn't be in the classroom while they were literally a continent away. But the semester is over now, and, well, to be honest, doing homework on the scroll the academy provides for students too poor to buy their own huntsman grade scroll sucks. It isn't a bad scroll, its just that most of the other trainees have way better. Scroll aside, with classes out for the semester, that's a lot of their days freed up now.
The hotel him and Nep got put up in by Beacon is pretty great. The room is big enough that it doesn't feel cramped with two queen sized beds in it, those beds are soft, and the blankets aren't too scratchy as far as hotel bedding goes. The place is clean, and the staff is friendly. There's a workshop and some sparring rings in one of the basement levels for visiting huntsmen to use, a pool, a decent restaurant, a bar and a few lounges and patios, all open to guests.
Sure that sounds like a lot to do, but he and Neptune have been in the same class since he made it to Mistral and started Sanctum, so sparring, unless one of them has figured out a new trick is fun, but gets samey pretty quick. And without the easy access to new sparring partners and professors to help them learn new tricks, samey had shifted to boring a few weeks ago. Neither of them are really weapons nuts, and take good care of their gear, so the workshop is out too.
The pool, well, he could take a swim just fine, but Neptune starts to look, and feel, like a creeper pretty quick just sitting on one of the deck chairs and ignoring the water. Eating can be an experience, but having come on their own, they're limited to what Beacon is willing to cover for them unless they pay out of pocket. Not the greatest option for a Vacuan street rat going to a foreign Huntsman Academy on a scholarship. Now that the semesters out, he can technically have a drink at the bar without running into the Academies understandably strict restrictions on Academy students being able to legally drink. That said, Sun was never one for day drinking and, again, lien is a bit of an issue. Besides, outside of the occasional party, or night out with friends, meh.
So, he had taken to wandering Vale. Kinda what he'd been doing on and off since he got to the kingdom, but, it beat watching reruns in the hotel room, or sitting around in one of the hotels more or less abandoned lounges or patios draining his scrolls battery. He'd asked Neptune if he wanted to tag along like he usually did, but he had taken one look out the window, saw the ominous clouds, checked the weather on his scroll, and then immediately declined. Sun can't really blame him, his best friend and partners hyperventilation attacks in the gym showers at Sanctum that had him being teased relentlessly, had just barely become a thing of the past by the start of their last year attending Mistrals premier combat school. He was still being teased over them, and the terrible BO he had had before he got good enough control over his hydrophobia to bathe regularly the day they had graduated Sanctum. A good third of their Haven classmates remember that still.
Considering it is currently raining so hard he can barely see more than a few feet beyond Beacons vaulted windows, Neptune had made the right call staying at the hotel. Sun had made it to the bullhead docks before the drizzle that started late in the morning shifted to a downpour, but had gotten drenched to the bone sprinting from Beacons bullhead docks to the academy proper. So, not only does he currently smell like wet fur thanks to his tail, but his plan to find something to do for the day is falling flat too. With the semester having just let out, just about all of the students who live on this side of Vales wall are at home. The handful that are left, have, apparently all decided to have lazy days in their dorms. They must have forgotten to let the early transfers know that was the plan.
So, over an hour after making it to Beacons main building, he's still wandering aimlessly, and alone. Dry finally, but still stinky and bored. He'd tried calling Sage and Scarlet, but neither had answered for a chat, so they're probably still mad at him and Neptune for running off on them. Before his mind can wander too far down the depressing line of thought that is figuring out what he's going to do to apologize to half his team, he hears familiar, friendly voices echoing down the cavernous, echoing, abandoned hallway. Not about to miss out on the chance to hang out with the cute girl he'd met, helped and befriended during his first weekend in the country, or her almost as cool teammates and friends, he follows his ears.
It takes less than five minutes for him to follow the chattering voices to one of the indoor sparring rings "So, yea, this is pretty much what all the indoor sparring rings look like." He can hear the, kind of familiar, voice of the blonde guy, Jaune he's pretty sure, who had his team helping Ruby and her team look for Blake that first weekend explain. What?
"Yea, they aren't quite as spacious as the outdoor rings, and there's more limits on what sort of weapons you can use, which kinda blows. But hey, its out of the elements and just as private, so..." Yangs bouncy, chipper voice adds as Sun walks through the open door to the training room. Just about everyone save Jaune and Pyrrha are facing away from him. He recognizes teams RWBY and JNPR easily enough, even if he isn't quite as sure of the names of the latter team as he'd like. They seem pretty cool after all. Whats more, they have half a dozen other people who look about their age with them. Well, the white haired waif is maybe Ruby's age, tops. The taller new girls, a statuesque redhead with hair that rivals Yangs, the serene looking leggy girl with the long black ponytail, and the slender and confident looking blonde guy all are definitely the same age as the huntsmen and huntresses in training that aren't prodigies. The brown haired guy perving on every girl in the room who looks like he just started working out a few months ago, and decided to switch from a mullet to the hair metal band lead singer look a few weeks before that, and the innocent, modest looking and dressed blonde girl look younger than your usual Academy student, but not by much.
He walks over to Blake, and, as soon as he is standing next to her asks "So, who are the new guys?" The faunus in disguise lets out a small startled shout as she takes a flinching half jump of a turn to face him. Her, bow, shudders, and the accompanying wince from her cat ears straining against her bow quickly shifts to a small glare, cheeks a bit pink from embarrassment. Its cute, overall.
"Sun! What are you doing here? She whisper-shouts at him, taking a half step back as she turns to face him, right arm snapping over her shoulder to brush Gambol Shrouds hilt, left hovering over her heart.
He shrugs "We're in between semesters, and a guy can go stir crazy sitting around in a hotel for too long. What about you?"
Blake shrugs back at him, her cheeks fading back to her usual complexion and the tension fading out of her. "Honestly, I'm not sure right now. First, we were going to spar a bit to start the day right. Then it was a team shopping spree to start the break off right, until we ran into team Juniper and their friends from Vacuo. Just finished giving them the ten lien tour of Beacon."
Before Sun can press for more than the bare bones summary Blake had just given him Yang spots him and presses herself into the conversation. "Wow, between looking out the window after I woke up and the forecast this morning, I wasn't expecting to catch any Sun today!"
Ruby rolls her eyes. Weiss huffs and looks away with a scowl. Blake pinches her nose. Nora snickers, Jaune grins, and Pyrrha covers her smile with her off hand. "Yes, that's the Rapscallions given name, Yang." Weiss grumbles just loud enough for the whole group to hear without moving to look in her teammates direction.
Yang, still grinning from ear to ear takes a few steps towards him and Blake. "So, Rias, Akeno, Koneko, Kiba, Issei and Asia." she gestures at the redhead, the girl with the ponytail, the pale shorty, the blonde swordsman, the brunette dude and the modest blonde girl at each name. "This is Blakes secret boyfriend Sun."
Blake jumps away from him at that, blushing. "We aren't dating!" she half barks out, sounding more shocked and embarrassed than anything else, so he just chuckles at team RWBYs antics.
"I dunno about that." Nora drawls "The two of you did spend the first weekend you knew each other." She flicks her extended pointer finger between the duo.
Weiss puts her hand on the slightly taller, curvier gingers shoulder "It was a White Fang safehouse Nora, much more illicit."
The new guys all look kinda lost, while everyone on teams RWBY and JNPR save Blake seem to be enjoying giving them a hard time. Well, Pyrrha looks kinda guilty about it, but he's pretty sure that's pretty normal. Blake lets out a frustrated growl, stomps her foot and half-shouts "The Hidden Den network is for faunus fleeing oppression. The White Fang have their own safe-houses for when their agents need to lay low. Trust me, the two are very different."
Still grinning a bit Ruby interjects "Guys, that's enough." The teasing atmosphere fades, but the grins mostly stay. Which is fine. "Suns a good guy, and totally not d-dating Blake. She's just the first of us he made friends with."
Yang sticks her tongue out at her sister, and waves off Sun, turning to strut her way over to Kiba, who is one of the gathered teens standing in the arena, not the wide walkway between the pair of bleachers lining the wall the door to the room is on, one to either side of it. She walks down the short staircase into the sparring ring proper.
The ring is set deeply enough into the plain concrete floor that the ground most of them are standing on is about chest high on anyone in the ring itself. The combat space is a circle twenty feet across, with a staircase at either side of it parallel to the wall the rooms door is on. The space around it is about five feet across and down from the ring itself. The lowered area has a perimeter of hard-light wall projectors along the ledge that reach halfway to the rooms ceiling, placing them a few feet above the uppermost layer of the bleachers set up to watch spars from. A small control panel to operate the hard-light walls and the screen set up to display the combatants aura levels on the far wall is set into the center of sparring ring and just to the right of the stairs down into the rings staging/out of bounds area.
"So, pretty boy." Yang purrs as she walks right up to Kiba, poking his chest. "Since you wont let Ruby get a better look at your sword, or even know its name, ya wanna at least prove that you know how to use it?"
"Why wouldn't he know how to wear a sword he's wearing?" Sun asks Blake, leaning over so he can asks quietly.
Blake glances sidelong back at him while Kiba loosens the blade in its scabbard. "Those six aren't going to a Huntsman Academy. One of the private Academies Vacuos upper class send their kids to. Sometimes useful kids the same age as their own as well. Kiba said he was in the bodyguard program during our bullhead ride up from Vale. They all have their auras, but only the ones taking the bodyguard course, or who are in the right clubs get a weapon or any training with it. We, don't exactly know how that stacks up to how we're trained."
Kiba, wearing simple black slacks, and a charcoal button-down shirt with the top and bottom few buttons open shoots Yang a wolfish grin. "Looking for a spar then?"
Yang nods "No better way to get to know someone. Tournament standard rules sound good to you."
The slender blonde devil nods, making his way across the pit of the arena while everyone else makes their way to the bleachers. Sun follows Balke to the left set of bleachers. She stops at the third row up, and chooses a spot right up against the wall. Sun sits down just to the disguised faunus right, then stretches out, his feet resting on the bench a level below them, his head leaning on the final row above them. Weiss picks a spot roughly in the middle of the top row off to his right, and Ruby plops down to her partners left, a little more than arms length from Suns head, and shouts "Kick his butt Yang!" as her sister activates the hard-light shileds and flicks the aura display screen on.
Roughly in the middle of the same bleachers he and Blake are sat on, down on the second row, Rias and Jaune sit down, Pyrrha to Jaunes left and Akeno to Rias right, idly fingering the whip that is hanging from her right hip. The belt it's affixed too looks kinda weird with the rest of her outfit, but its far from the strangest he has seen since he had started training to become a huntsman. The rest of the group spreads out in the other set of bleachers, and Jaune nudges Rias with his elbow "Hey, I think I know how you can make up the help I got you with the whole Riser mess."
"Hey, can someone count us off?" Yang shouts from down in the arena as she shakes her wrists, Ember Celica expanding into their shot-gauntlet form, her playful lavender eyes meeting Kibas calm gray as he draws his sword with a flourish. It's black at the center, fading to a bright metallic shine along the edges. From the opposite set of Bleachers, Nora stouts happily shouting a countdown from ten.
Rias looks over at Jaune "Oh, and what do you have in mind?"
The two fighters fall into ready stances, Kiba's legs at shoulder width, both hands on his blade, which is tilted so that the point is aimed just to the right of Yangs head, the busty blonde standing side-on to Kiba, left foot forward, right arm back and ready to lash out. Knees bent and left hand open and held up ready to block. As the two fighters take in their opponents stances, pretty standard for both if Sun is being honest, Nora keeps counting and Jaune nods. "Nothing to big, I just want you and your friends to commission Ruby to have your weapons made.
Yang taps her foot three times after her eyes settle back to ready from her quick inspection of Kibas stance, then she quips "Hey buddy, my eyes are-"
"Quite lovely, if you don't mind my saying so." Kiba cuts her off, just as Nora reaches zero. Yang's stance slackens as her eyes bug out a bit, probably shocked that the guy hadn't spent the extra time ogling her, as Kiba dashes forward. She gathers her wits just in time to lash out with her right fist and fire Ember Celica to add enough speed and momentum to her sidestep to dodge Kibas opening thrust. A shot from her left shot-gauntlet sends buckshot skittering across Kibas aura and helps her square off her stance as she backpedals away from the swordsman. Another shot from her right launches the brawler into a backwards somersault.
Kiba dodges the attack by dropping into a side-roll, his sword sweeping into an upward slash as he rises from his roll at the same time Yang does. She catches the strike with her right gauntlet, stepping inside his guard to deliver a brutal left hook into his gut, firing the gauntlet just after connecting. Kiba is launched sideways, his sword flexing then shattering as his rapidly altered momentum launches him away from Yang. Ruby sucks in her breath at the rapid turn of events "Oh – wow!" Ruby haltingly exclaims, stricken for the first word, amazed for the second. Amazed, as ice crackles its way out from the hilt as Kiba rolls midair, making a neat three point landing, skidding to a halt a few feet from the rings edge.
He flourishes the lump of ice protruding from his broken blades hilt, shattering the ice to reveal a light blue tinged blade, the no-nonsense bronze guard replaced with a crystalline blue snowflake shaped guard, decorative embellishments extending a few inches up the length of the weapon. Charging as he rises all the way to his feet, Yang quickly overcomes her shock and spins around his thrust. Kiba shifts underneath the backhand she had aimed at his left shoulder, executing a tight downward slash, nicking Yangs Right boot and freezing it to the arena floor.
What would have been a follow up jab becomes another close range shotgun blast, shoving Kiba back and away from Yang again. She lets the recoil shove her arm back, thrusting it down at her immobilized leg and firing again, shattering the ice trapping the limb. She fires her left gauntlet behind her as she pushes off with the freshly freed limb. Kiba barely has time to shift out of the way of hay-maker of a right cross she launches at him. Yang lets the follow-through drop her into a crouch that has the punch cratering the concrete as her fist connects with the ground. Ruby makes a shocked noise as her sister rolls away from an angled chop, Kibas feet having more dragged than stepped to allow him to deliver the serpent quick strike. Another shot of twelve gauge buckshot carrys Yang clear of the frozen patch of ground, spent shell belts ejecting before the blonde brawlers feet are back on the ground.
"He calls his semblance Sword Birth." Rias explains just loud enough for everyone in the room, which Ren had sealed before the start of the bout, to hear. "With a little dust and some of his Aura, he can re-create his ancestors swords, he thinks." By the time Yang rolls to a stop she has fresh shell belts most of the way to her gauntlets. She snaps the reloads into place just in time to cross her gauntlets above her head to catch Kibas charging, overhead chop.
The gauntlets freeze together, then, with twin roars, Yangs shot-gauntlets fire and the coating of ice is shattered. "He thinks?" Weiss prompts, probably without looking over at Rias. Everyone's attention is on the fight taking place in front of them, both combatants grinning like the cat that ate the canary. Well, almost everyone. Koneko is in Suns peripheral vision, and he can tell she is more watching Yangs weapons than the fight, and looks close to drooling over them.
Yang yanks Kibas current blade forward with her right hand as the shotgun blasts launch her arms apart and she lunges upwards, pivoting on her right leg as it reaches full extension to deliver another momentum boosted left hook as she lets Kiba's weight set her spinning while he yanks his sword free from her grasp. He ducks under her attack, barely, spinning and rising for a counter-strike, only to catch a follow up right cross to his chin, Yangs right foot slamming back down into a proper boxers stance to finish out the right-left-right combo, launching him away from her again. "He's an orphan, like me." Koneko explains. "His semblance is too specific to not be something inherited, but there's no one to explain anything past what he can do. Which is turn a bit of dust and aura into a few specific swords."
Yangs gauntlets roar in unison again as she launches herself skyward just as Kibas feet find pavement again. Kiba stays crouched as he shifts to face Yang, right hand on his blades hilt, left arm bracing out the blade. Above him, and making direct eye contact, Yang is bent backwards as close to forming a 'c' with her body that a human being can get, shouting at the top of her lungs, hair trailing behind her like a banner, fists clasped together above her head, Yang descends on Kiba like a meteor. Her double-fisted hammer-blow shatters Kiba's blade, her back unarching at the perfect moment to convert all of her weight, strength and momentum into a single mighty strike.
Kiba's left arm stays in its guard just long enough for Yang to pivot into an aerial back-flip against it as her opponent is sent tumbling across the ring. Shbe lands and turns just as Kibas off hand claws at the concrete with enough force to arrest his tumble, feet once again splaying out into a three-point landing. Then his right arm lashes out, a whip of flame searing free from his pommel, the momentum of the strike rocking Yang back on her heels before she can drop into a stance more able to cope with the hit. She catches the charging swordsmans slash on her right gauntlet, and is pushed back. Damn is he fast, Sun cant help but think.
Kibas orange-tinted, gold pommeled scimitar bites into the long-haired blondes right and left side in rapid succession before she is able to react. She, probably blindly, launches an uppercut at the foreign fighter who is staying way closer than Sun has ever seen a swordsman choose to when fighting a hand to hand foe. Kiba leans away from the strike, and shift out of the path of the follow-up left cross, only for Yangs still raised right hand to come down in an axe-like chop into his newest blade, shattering it. "How does me commissioning Ruby to make the weapons me and my friends want now help you?" She, barely perceptibly to Suns distracted peripheral vision, nods at the small case resting on Jaunes right hip, where it would normally be Balancing Crocea Mors and its sheath-shield. Yang follows through with a brutal side-kick that once again launches Kiba away from her.
Jaune, wincing at the hit Kiba had just taken, replies "She designed whats gonna be my solution to not having any ranged option in my combat gear, and is probably gonna have it done before the next semester starts, with my help." Once again, Kiba is able to get in control of his momentum before he hits the ground and lands cleanly. A new blade shifts into being from his hilt, this one slender and black, save for its vibrant red spine and painful to look at, red – Sun thinks – edges. "And with Teams Ruby and Juniper working together as often as we do, and likely will keep on doing, Ruby getting a head start on what will probably be a long career of commission work for other huntsmen and huntresses' gear and weapons can only be good for my team." Jaune adds a small wiggle of his right hand and a nod to the back half of his reply, earning an equally small nod back from Rias. What sort of conversation are those two having between the lines?
Whatever. Kiba kicks off towards Yang with and audible bang, his hard to watch blade trailing behind him like a brand. "Consider it done, Jaune. No reason we cant help each other." Planted as she is, Yang is able to turn away from Kibas first swipe, and get her footing mobile enough again to sidestep his second. The next slash in his blistering assault she ducks under. Mostly. Just about everyone in the room can hear a small 'snikt' followed by a few strands of golden hair tumbling away from Yangs head as she turns and slides out of her dodge back into a fighting stance.
_-*R-DxD*-_
Kiba Yuuto prides himself on never putting his foot in his mouth when interacting with the fairer sex. Beyond that, he is confident that, when dealing with a girl, he will be able to read between the lines of what she says, her body language and facial cues well enough to always make a good first impression, and end most, if not all of his interactions with women of any age, race, creed or preference on a positive note. Kiba, and he isn't boasting to himself in thinking this, knows girls pretty damn well.
That said, Yang Xiao Longs eyes shifting from a pretty shade of lilac to blood red, as her hair ignited was, to him, a very subtle hint that he made a grievous mistake at some point during this spar. That had been at least five minutes of trying to dodge death ago, when his Vorpal Blade had shorn a small length of hair from the buxom blonde brawlers luxurious locks. Since then, he had been almost constantly dodging, blocking, and internally cursing. He hasn't made a single aggressive move in the, hopefully still friendly, spar between him and Yang since he had damaged her mane.
Mostly he has been dodging. Running, shifting, hopping and shifting for all his knightly speed is worth. Sword Birth had come in handy. Having a single use block in either hand when trying to ward off an enraged force of nature is always a good thing.
Kiba is fairly certain it had been Weiss' voice he had heard through the din of crunching concrete, shattering steel and the roar of his blood in his ears and veins asking what and why Rias owed Jaune anything. Between keeping half a step ahead of death by beauty, brushing shards of concrete off his face, he thinks he heard Koneko explain how Jaunes team had made what would have been as good as a declaration of war at Risers Engagement Party the other week were they a few centuries in the past.
He is also pretty sure he had noticed Yangs aura level dipping with every miss that had put a crater in the arena floor on the screen off to the, off where it is when he can glimpse it. He hopes.
If not, using magic to match what the readout says he has left for an aura means he's dead as soon as the next punch hits him. He'd felt his aura give out with that side kick before he cut some of Yangs hair. Akeno had put a spell on all of their 'scrolls' to make it seem that their aura is on par with that of an average huntsman or huntress in training before they came to Remnant just in case something like this happened.
Kiba sidesteps another mighty, lunging strike from Yang, and does his best to ignore the razor sharp shards of concrete tearing at his clothes and skin. She stays down, kneeling with her fist planted in the ground, taking deep, wheezing, labored breaths. Kiba squares his stance and rests his current blade, a Holy Eraser, it looks like, against her neck. She tilts her head up, sweat matted hair clinging to her skull neck and back, brown leather jacket having torn open at some point in the fight and her tube top stained dark from sweat. Lilac eyes radiant, sporting a Cheshire grin that's ready to split her face from ear to ear Yang quips "Well, looks like you got me this time Pretty Boy." She spits off to the side, a splotch of red mixed in with the clear fluid. "But next time, you're going down."
Kiba sheathes one blade, and dismisses the other so that he can offer Yang a hand up, becoming aware of his own panting, of how sweat-soaked he is, and that his own shirt had fell or been torn open at some point during the fight to reveal the plain white tank-top he had been wearing for an undershirt. "If you can keep your cool, I don't doubt that for a minute, Hot Stuff." he shoots back as Yang finds her feet. Once she gets her balance she takes a half step back, flicks her gauntlets back to their dormant, bracelet state, and holds up her right fist. Grinning , Kiba bumps it as someone clears out the arenas screen and shuts off the hard-light shields.
Today has been a damn good one so far.
Well then. We're making friends and connections it looks like. More people getting welcomed to Beacon in the next chapter, and its gonna be the best day ever. There may be some strays needing leashes, and rivals scheming to deal with, but nothing could possibly be going wrong, right?
Love it, hate it, had a dream where you fought yourself to get back into your body and aren't sure if your the real you anymore? Drop me a review, I live for those things!