I ain't dead, I just been real overworked and depressed lmao. But here we are at the end of the Haven intros and the teams will be listed at the bottom like last time! Hope you guys enjoy these POVs and we'll see if I can get the Atlas initiation out quicker than Haven's wheeze
VIII
Haven: Initiation (III)
Unhappy.
He knew that she wasn't fussed over it—or more that she didn't want him to attack someone else—but it rubbed him the wrong way, how easily she'd been pushed out of the airship a few days ago. If he hadn't caught Lin, there was no doubt there'd be a little Lin-shaped splatter on the ground already drying up and washed away by the elements. Was it partially his fault that it happened to her? Perhaps. Heavily leaning towards yes. But that was beside the point. The guy who shoved her knew Greyson's shadow wasn't a threat and that was the end of discussion.
Being unhappy, Grimm did attempt to get close a few times. It was only natural when they were attracted to negativity, and Greyson was a ball of pettiness and angst over his partner almost going splat on day one, but not a single one of them was a Lapin—thus, neither of them had been able to grab a ribbon from one or even encounter anyone with spares. Greyson had heard of someone going around giving out spares and helping other partnerships, but of course they weren't lucky enough to run into them.
Their luck was only good enough for reuniting them with the asshole who pushed Lin from an airship.
He didn't care about their names. Well, he cared enough when he saw the shorter one was apologetic, their name Celestine and their attitude more agreeable. But the bastard insisting his name was Anwar was henceforth dubbed Bastard, and Greyson would not call him anything else as long as he lived.
Greyson stood by one of the trees with his arms crossed over his chest. He was silent the whole time, lips pursed tightly as he stared at Bastard, and his glares didn't go unnoticed by any of the others. It was the final day in Kousa, their camp packed away already and their weapons out for some good old hunting; when Celestine and Bastard had broken through the brush and spotted them, any and all pleasantries stopped as soon as Bastard had recognised Lin—and, soon after, Greyson recognised the face from Goop's memories. Any chance of being polite was out the window faster than Bastard could push Lin out of an airship.
Okay, no more comparing to Lin. She deserved way better than that.
Brooding was not a thing he normally did. But he made exceptions when someone decided to act all chummy with his partner right after trying to kill her, even if accidentally, and he was even more unhappy that Lin was just letting him get away with it. The past few days, Lin was very agreeable—but not in the way where people got along like butter and bread. Lin avoided arguments, the smallest of debates, and even after her attempt to dissuade him from hunting down Bastard on day one she defaulted to avoiding the topic entirely.
He shouldn't have expected her to demand an apology or be anything aside from polite and kind. Lin was a people pleaser, and while there was nothing wrong with that, there were limits to how much you could let people walk all over you for the sake of keeping them happy and preventing an argument.
Celestine had two ribbons tied around their wrist, one brown and the other silver, and they looked to be threaded in a mock braid around the bracelet Celestine already wore. If Greyson had to guess, they'd taken down two Lapin in one go and held on to the second ribbon just in case. How fortunate, he thought, that Celestine and Bastard were the ones to bring a spare ribbon to them.
A spare ribbon wasn't enough to properly apologise for what happened to Lin, though. Bastard had to get on his knees and beg for forgiveness.
"Technically the brown one was the first one we grabbed, so I guess the silver one can go to you?" Celestine was unwrapping the ribbons from their wrist as Lin nodded obediently. Beside them, Bastard preened over how great he was at killing two Lapin at once. Greyson wasn't pleased by how cocky he was.
Before Celestine could hand over the ribbon, Greyson piped up, "Yeah. You're so great at killing, you almost took out Lin before the initiation even began."
Bastard was quick to snatch Celestine's arm and pull it back before Lin could take the ribbon. He glared back at Greyson, staring down his nose at him, and Greyson just tilted his head lazily.
"That was an accident."
"Dunno," Greyson drawled. "Seemed pretty intentional, the way you pushed her to avoid any actual Grimm flocking around."
"It was common sense."
"Common sense also says murder is bad."
Celestine's shoulders slumped the minute Bastard scoffed, offended. It looked like they knew how pretentious this guy was firsthand, and was only barely able to tolerate him. Greyson actually felt bad for Celestine.
"Can I help you?" Bastard demanded. "Because it looks like you just wanna pick a fight for no reason."
Greyson raised a brow. He glanced at Lin, who had shrank in on herself and cringed. Well, one of them had to bring it up somehow. Looked like it had to be him.
"Apologise to Lin," he said.
"For what? I already said I was sorry before I pushed her."
Well, in that case… "No. Properly." Greyson pointed to the ground at Lin's feet. "Prostrate yourself and beg for forgiveness."
"Greyson, that's not necessary—"
"It is." Lin flinched away from him when he cut her off. He would have to apologise later for upsetting her, as well as for his harsh tone. He just wanted an apology to be given, not to make her uncomfortable. But unfortunately discomfort and demanding apologies went hand-in-hand for Lin.
Celestine tugged at Bastard's sleeve. "Maybe you should apologise and we can put all this behind us? It probably shook her up to begin with."
Bastard glared over at Lin. "I beg to differ—"
"Then beg," Greyson demanded.
Bastard all but cocked one of his guns at Greyson, almost foaming at the mouth. "You wanna fucking fight!?" he screamed.
The situation was escalating very quickly after the exchange. Was it so hard for someone to apologise sincerely? To ask for forgiveness? Huntsmen were supposed to value living people above all else, upholding a vow to protect and serve against all threats to humanity, not just the Grimm. But Bastard seemed set in his ways that needless sacrifice was more than okay.
Greyson sighed heavily and shook his head. This kid should've been kicked out of initiation entirely for his stunt, and if he saw him on campus, the headmaster was getting a very persistent campaign to be rid of him.
"You think I don't know who you are, you goth cowboy bitch?" Bastard yelled at him. Celestine was holding him back now, sweating bullets while Lin nervously reached for her weapon. "I know all about your sister! How she gets her little shadow lackeys to fight her battles! Bet you're no different, throwing those things around cuz you can't do shit on your own!"
Well, that was just tasteless. Maddyx was far more talented than Bastard made her out to be. Not many people her size could throw around a giant axe almost twice her height so easily and not fall over.
It was the low blow that seemed to spark Lin into stepping in, attempting a weak, "Hey, that's not necessary—"
Bastard shouted at her to shut up. Lin flinched again, but her grip on her weapon tightened.
Celestine, ever the voice of reason, was quick on the upkeep and, Greyson soon noticed, able to play Bastard like a fucking fiddle. After so many days together, it made sense that Celestine knew the best ways to play into Bastard's ego while also getting him to back off.
"Hey, hey! Let's not get too ahead of ourselves! We get to go all-out later in the year, remember?" They pushed Bastard back a few steps, and he spat on the ground indignantly. It was the best Celestine would get from him, it seemed, and Greyson could tell the blond was going to be hanging out for the chance to fight him at Vytal. The first time the event would be held, everything about it was unknown except for it being a showcase of skills for all four schools, and Bastard was already planning on having it discontinued because of his stupidity.
Lin let out a low breath and glanced at Celestine. "We can just go look for a Lapin somewhere else. I'm… sorry about the commotion."
They shook their head at her. "No, no, this is okay! I was actually gonna suggest something. Everyone's clearly a little tense and needs to let off some steam for one reason or another, so why don't we have a friendly bout? The staff are observing the place so they'll be able to step in if it gets too bad, but I say, uh…" Celestine patted Bastard's shoulder gleefully. "Anwar! Why don't you and, ah, what was your name again?"
"Greyson," he grunted.
"Why don't you and Greyson have a match to see whose demands are met?"
Oho? Greyson liked the sound of that. It seemed Bastard did too, one hand tracing a hatchet on his belt with a smirk.
"We make it that the first one to reach a low point of aura loses, or the match ends when one surrenders," Celestine went on. Greyson was very fine with that. He may not be able to replenish it as fast as his sister, but damn if he didn't have strong reserves to make up for it.
"Alright," Bastard finally decided. "But I wanna add in no semblances. Big boy's gotta fight his own battles."
Greyson shrugged. Lin looked between the two boys warily.
"You're sure?" she asked him. Greyson walked closer to her, leaning down to whisper in her ear, and realisation dawned on her face for a brief moment as Celestine kept Bastard's attention. It was obvious that Celestine knew how this would turn out, and this was the most peaceful—if barely honourable—way to end things. When all someone did was get mad at things, you had to give them something they couldn't stand a chance against to humble them.
Celestine held up their scroll with mild triumph. On the screen, both Greyson and Bastard's aura levels were displayed. They were explaining something about starting a group call with the other scrolls to listen for a verbal surrender, but Greyson just shifted on his feet lightly and cracked his joints. This would be quick and, more than likely, a little painful. So when Celestine began to say, "If Greyson wins, Anwar can apologise and we give them a ribbon," Greyson didn't wait for them to finish.
He lunged at Bastard, the barrels in his heels firing shells that propelled him forward. Bastard was unprepared, screaming about dirty tricks, but Greyson quickly shut him up as he grabbed his head and, in one swift movement, slammed the boy down onto his knee as his boot fired another shell. Bastard stumbled, blindly waving about one hatchet as Greyson spun around him, and then they were tumbling through the bushes as Greyson hooked a boot around Bastard's ankle.
Bastard gave chase when Greyson jumped up and ran for a nearby tree. Even the most basic of environment utilisation was lost on the blond, who didn't even see it coming when Greyson jumped up and swung around on a branch just as Bastard caught up with him. A full three-sixty swing, and he was slamming his boots into Bastard's back hard enough to make his aura visibly flicker.
"A proper apology would've saved more time," Greyson told him as he hung from the branch. Bastard rubbed his back. He growled and, as his hatchet began to transform, fired an ice dust bullet right at Greyson. Greyson dropped down onto the ground, tumbling aside to avoid the shards that shot out from the impact against the tree. He sighed again, heavier this time, and tutted the blond. "Do something about that temper of yours, too."
Bastard threw his other hatchet at him. Greyson easily avoided it and lunged once again. It was child's play, disarming him of his remaining handgun and throwing him against another tree. Before Bastard could try to recover or even utter a word of surrender, Greyson lifted one leg and, swiftly, stomped towards Bastard's neck. Two thin blades extended from his boot's sole, each landing on either side of Bastard's neck, and he watched the fear slowly set in when the toe of his boot lifted to reveal a small barrel.
He spoke low, low enough for their scrolls not to pick it up. Greyson reached into his jacket, leaning in close as he bent his knee to keep his foot in place, and he chuckled innocently when Bastard stilled entirely at the sight of the dagger he pulled out.
"Would you like a little bit of information on how the shadows work?" he asked.
Bastard swallowed, gulping audibly.
"It's not just Grimm we can make shadows of," Greyson explained anyway. He twirled the knife in his hand, almost playing with it like a toy, and the dust infused in the blade flickered sporadically with small flames. "It's not an almighty power, don't get me wrong. I can't make a shadow of fire once I snuff one out because fire has no solid form. It's all gas reacting on a solid surface. Same with water. You could argue ice or jello, but let's not get into the semantics of those things."
"You're a fucking psycho," Bastard whimpered.
Greyson shrugged, jostling his hands up and down as though they were scales. "I get that a lot. But back to the lesson. See, as long as it's capable of dying and it has a solid form my aura can replicate, I can make a shadow of it. Grimm are just what you would come across most in terms of extraction. Useful, too, since some of those bastards need to be taken out by their own kind. Why would I solo a Manticore when I could summon a few Griffons, right? It's not rocket science.
"I can also do animals, though you hardly come across any worth making shadows of. Sure, maybe if I get a pet dog and it dies young, I'll make a shadow so it can get some more quality of life. But if it's old and weathered, why prolong the suffering? An unending existence makes life meaningless, especially if the one holding your life in their hands decides to do nothing with you. You just float and float and float forever. It's actually super horrifying and arguably a good example of existential dread, but I'm more of a cosmic horror kind of guy myself."
"What the fuck are you even talking about?"
He snorted a laugh. He pointed the tip of the dagger at Bastard, a smug look on his face. This was the humbling the boy needed, he decided.
"If a Grimm-turned-shadow looked like what you've seen in tournaments from Maddyx," he drawled, "then what do you suppose a person would look like?"
Bastard was silent for a brief moment. "You're bluffing," he eventually tried, but his voice cracked as he spoke.
"You wanna see one?"
"What…?"
"A human shadow. You wanna see one? I've got a few that might interest you."
Bastard went into a full panic. His hands smacked at Greyson's leg, trying to push him away, and all the blond could do was scream, "I surrender! I surrender! Get off, you freak, I surrender!"
Greyson let him go. True to his word, Bastard didn't try to attack again. He just collapsed on the ground, pressing himself as much as he could against the tree to get away from Greyson.
When Celestine and Lin walked through the bushes and caught up to them, Celestine was all polite smiles and claps as they handed the ribbon to Lin. They praised the fight, admitting that while they hadn't seen anything past the knee to the face, it was good the boys got some of their anger out in a productive way.
A deal was a deal. Greyson hovered behind Bastard as he prostrated himself in front of Lin, and he kept his boot on the blond's back until he was satisfied with the apology. It was no surprise to any of them that Bastard demanded he and Celestine leave the area afterwards, and that was more than fine by Greyson. He just beamed at Lin, pleased with himself, and pondered aloud with her about what kind of teammates they hoped they would get.
Going to the edge of the forest was a mistake. The chances of an Ursa showing up were low, never zero, and he should've known that even in a controlled area like Kousa there'd be one. Kelron held tightly onto Forte, the girl slung over his shoulder, as he ran through the trees and tried to avoid other applicants that might get caught up. It was the rudest kind of awakening, the final day of searching having begun, and if not for the lack of ribbon in their possession, they would've just run away and left the Ursa be entirely.
But with no Lapin in sight and the Ursa causing enough panic to attract some to their location, it was better than nothing.
Well. Kelron also happened to see the Ursa gnawing on a Lapin as well. And the ribbon around the Lapin's neck was basically attached to the Ursa—every time he looked behind him and saw it roar at them, the flash of gold poked through its teeth alongside the Lapin mask it had chomped down on.
Ursa were the assholes of the Grimm populace. He almost wished it were a Beringel instead.
No, Kelron decided as Forte wiggled in his grip. A Beringel would probably be difficult while keeping a much smaller person safe in the fight. He'd have to rely on what little adrenalin built up with running, his semblance working overtime to store up power from the arguably miniscule amounts of concern and movement.
Forte kept trying to sit up in his arms, staring over his shoulder at the Ursa. It was getting too close for comfort each time Kelron hesitated to weave through some trees, and he jumped into a sliding drop under a toppled dogwood tree as he tucked the smaller girl tightly against him. The Ursa tried to jump over it, but tripped midway and tumbled onto its back as Kelron stood back up and began running again.
"You could've hit it just now!" Forte panicked. "Why are we running?"
"Building up momentum," Kelron panted. It wasn't a lot, but he could feel the whirlwind of stress culminating into something in his muscles.
"That's not how momentum works!"
"It is when it's me." The Ursa roared and chucked the tree trunk at them. Kelron let out a shriek, dove into a sharp right turn, and the trunk barely missed them as it tumbled through the forest and down the steep hills. "Right, okay, bully the bear. I should probably do that now."
Forte crawled out of his arms and grabbed Howler, quickly turning the dial and cycling through the dust loaded into it.
"I should be able to—" Kelron started. Forte, contrary to the somewhat reserved person he'd gotten to know over the last few days, cut him off with a hiss.
"I'm not entirely useless, remember?" She pointed Howler at him, and he understood what she meant when she elaborated, "Howler's like a lighter version of Heliostrum. So tell me how you would use Heliostrum in this situation and I'll distract it while you build up your momentum."
She was right. They'd discussed this on the very first night in the forest. Kelron sucked in a deep breath and, distantly, tried to recall how he had to make use of his weapon before puberty had hit him properly and bulked him the hell up.
The Ursa barrelled past them with a roar. It skidded along the ground, knocked into another tree, and Kelron quickly looked to the hill the last trunk had fallen down. He grabbed Heliostrum, immediately setting it to flail-mode, and he darted forward as the Ursa tried to stand back up. With a heavy swing, Kelron slammed the mace up against its stomach and knocked it over once again. The Ursa tumbled over and its lower half slipped down the hill, and the rest of the body followed as it clawed at the ground for purchase.
Kelron looked back to Forte and nodded down at it. "You're gonna jump down and hit it with Howler. Make sure you use the dust function at the last possible minute and try to squish it down in place."
"Wait, seriously?" Forte gawked at him.
"Whatever else you can think of, go for it. I'm gonna build up that momentum and try take it down while it focuses on defending against you."
Forte seemed to hesitate for a moment. But when the Ursa let out a frustrated roar and tried to throw something over the hill, tried to reach them again, she finally chewed her lip and nodded.
"Okay. Baby's first suicide mission, right?" The joke was weak, but Kelron gave her a thumbs up regardless and nodded. He watched her turn Howler's dial to the rock dust function, the microphone glowing almost dark orange, and then Forte was running to the edge of the hill and made a graceful jump from its peak, falling right down towards the Ursa.
He peeked over the edge of the hill just in time to see her right herself in the air and throw Howler back as though using a massive hammer. The Ursa raised one paw up in the air, ready to defend itself, and the other paw stayed back to strike once it had blocked Forte. Right when Forte swung the weapon back down, the rock dust activated—a massive boulder formed around the microphone, pulling her down onto the Ursa even faster and smashing against its large paw. Some of the boulder crumbled away, grit raining down around them, but for the most part it remained intact as it forced the Ursa down to its knees.
The Ursa growled. It wound up to throw its other paw at her. Forte clicked something on Howler, and she dropped onto the ground right as the Ursa swung at her. Now in its own flail-mode, she let Howler's microphone fall free of its boulder and took a stance in front of the Ursa. She sucked in a deep breath, the dial switching again to a purple colour now, and for the first time Kelron saw—heard—Forte's semblance in action.
The soundwaves from the high opera note she belted out echoed through the forest and rocked the trees behind the Ursa like strong winds. And as those sound waves hit Howler, amplified, Kelron watched as the gravity dust was infused with each boom of sound and threw the Ursa up into the air. It bounced around, its body jiggling from the overload of aura being thrown at it alongside the dust, and when Forte paused for breath, the Ursa was still bouncing like a balloon along the ground and against creaky trees. Kelron let out a low whistle. That was impressive. Forte should've had more confidence in her abilities. She wasn't as strong physically, but damn if her Semblance wasn't perfect for her weapon and its dust utilisations. She had the makings of a real glass cannon, and he'd be damned if he didn't try to reinforce that glass somehow.
He slid down the hill with a grin. This also worked out perfectly with his own semblance.
"Me next!" he called to Forte. She barely glanced at him, readying herself for the gravity dust to wear off on the Ursa.
"Are you insane? I'll bust your eardrums, among other things!"
"No, that's perfect! That's the momentum I need!" Kelron jogged in front of her, practically giddy. "It's perfect for mine—the more intense I feel, the more powerful I can make myself. If I'm in major pain, I'd be roided the fuck up and ready to fight!"
"Excuse me?"
The Ursa dropped with a thump onto the ground. Some of the rope and Lapin mask dangled from its jaws. Kelron pleaded with Forte hurriedly.
"Please! Lemme smash!" he begged. "It'll be great!"
Forte was quick to cave under his overenthusiastic pleas. She propped Howler up on the ground like a normal microphone, and with a growl she ordered him, "You better block your ears before I do it!"
He agreed. It was a bold-faced lie.
Kelron stood in place as the Ursa stumbled about. He raised his hands, ready to pretend to cover his ears, when an idea struck him.
"Wind," he said. "When the gravity dust takes effect, switch to wind as fast as you can."
"Hey, how are you gonna use Heliostrum—"
He waved dismissively. He idly reminded her that he would be sufficiently feral enough to not need it.
He crouched, ready to jump forward into a sprint, and held his hands lightly over his ears. Behind him, Forte sucked in a deep breath and steeled herself before finally, finally letting out another high note into the microphone. Kelron felt the waves slam into his back, pushing against his aura as his body became lighter. The soundwaves that didn't hit him instead landed on the Grimm again, and the Ursa clawed at its head in an attempt to block out the sound. Kelron grinned, almost excited, and he felt the power pulse through his muscles and build up.
Oh yeah. This was the stuff.
Forte turned the dial, and then wind was whipping at his back hard enough to throw him into the air. Kelron scraped his feet against the ground, propelled himself towards the Ursa at high speeds thanks to the push, and his hands were pulled from his ears just in time for the ringing to set in—temporarily deafened by the up-close performance he was treated to. The Ursa tried to turn and run, seeming to have picked up what was about to happen to it, but Kelron was coming at it far too quickly for it to be spared.
He slammed into its back with a full-bodied tackle. The Ursa dropped to the ground and bounced around with him clinging to it, flailing about in a panic. Kelron sank his teeth into the bone armour on its back for purchase, cracking the armour as he did so, and his hands felt around for its legs. One large paw in his grip, and then the other, and Kelron twisted them both around just as the dust wore off to slam it down onto its stomach. His semblance, Power from Passion, was as simple as its name—the more passionate he felt, the more intense he felt, no matter the emotion it happened to be, the more he could physically empower himself. He never did get to its highest point, the hunts he'd participated in never getting dangerous enough for him to get to his peak, but now that he was in the thick of it and wrestling this Ursa, his head ringing and his emotions running high, Kelron could feel himself overpowering the Grimm like it was barely even a whelp.
One boot slammed onto the Ursa's back, holding it down, and Kelron slowly began to lift himself into a standing position. The Grimm was practically screeching and whining as he pulled its legs back, further and further, towards their breaking points. His boot expanded the crack left by his teeth, the armour almost ready to fall off, and the inky black of the Ursa's fur began to tear.
The front legs were torn off all at once, flying out of his grip and towards a stunned Forte. She stood there, bewildered, and could only stare in silence as Kelron brutalised the Grimm with his bare hands. As fun as it would be to see how far he could go, though, he wasn't the sadistic type. A little crazy, sure, because you had to be in order to come up with dumb plans that got you up close and personal like this, but not sadistic. Kelron kept the Ursa pinned under his boot as he pulled Heliostrum from its place on his back once again, and with one swift swing he caved in the Ursa's head mercifully.
As it faded away, the barely-alive Lapin inside of it now a puddle on the ground, he bent down and grabbed the ribbon that had been stuck in its jaws. A pretty golden hue, and once the Grimm goo faded from it, it would look good as new.
When Forte approached, albeit slowly and cautiously, he debated playing a little joke on her. There was definitely a little bit of blood coming out of his ears, now that his semblance was wearing off, and the tinnitus was hard to ignore. It'd fade, he told himself, but he wondered if teasing her a little would lighten the mood from what just happened.
He needn't joke around, though. Rather than be unsettled or fidgety, Forte stared at him and mumbled, "The hell did they feed you going up?"
Kelron smirked at her. "Thinking of a new diet?"
"No way. So I know what to avoid. That was incredible—and not in a good way," she wheezed. Forte began to massage her throat and put Howler back in its original place, shrunk down to a travel size that Forte could move around with, and she let out a low breath. "But damn if that wasn't memorable. I'll know better than to doubt you next time."
She gave him a weak smile. Kelron returned it with a laugh. Something told him that working with her, having a similar weapon but vastly different fighting style, was going to make the coming years more fun.
"Linked by the brown rope, I present to you: Tovah Heartwood, Celestine Gray, Anwar Holi, and Padparadscha Argentum." Leonardo gestured to the group of four who stood on the stage. The outburst that no doubt came from Padparadscha's sister went ignored as the crowd cheered and clapped for them. "I dub you Team Patches, led by Padparadscha Argentum."
Their scrolls blipped with their team name, which would present as a simple PATC. Behind him, the small screen with their photos rearranged and spelled out the team name with their initials, matching the colour of the rope they'd grabbed.
Leonardo was ready to crawl into a hole and pray for the best. He had to break so many of his own rules and sneak around so much for Ozpin just to pull off a successful initiation. He wished he didn't have so many with silver eyes—something he still wasn't sure of the importance of yet—in his school.
The next group emerged from the crowd, their images appearing onscreen behind Leonardo. He swallowed a thick lump and spoke into the microphone with as much courage as he could muster.
"Next, linked by the golden rope, I present: Forte Aegean, Kelron Phemeranthus, Wisteria Fabales, and Fyth Rue."
The four stood together in a row. Kelron towered over them all, the young man almost eight feet tall, and his partner, Forte, nervously fixed the strands of grey hair sticking out of her braid. Fyth, the smallest of the team by a mere inch, kept her blue eyes on her own partner as he did his best to stand on the stage with his exposed cat feet, purple fur messy and claws stuck in the wood.
"I dub you Team Kefir, led by Kelron Phemeranthus."
Forte gave Kelron an encouraging pat to his arm while Wisteria let out a relieved breath. Kelron bowed his head and spoke to his teammates as the screen rearranged their images to form the team name, spelling out KFFR.
Leonardo wasn't too concerned about this team. He'd seen their experience, respectively, and all but one of them had direct experience in the field. Forte, he noted, also had a strong semblance that made up for her lack of experience and worked well with Kelron during the initiation—she would keep up with everyone else on the team easily.
The next group arrived, all of them standing around six feet save for the pink boy. They all dwarfed him, and he still proudly stood tall beside them with a larger-than-life presence.
"The next team, linked by the blue rope, I present: Raidoeg Hautdesert, Peony Briar, Reznov Patenko, and Asher Grayburn."
All of the boys looked out at the crowd, each of them reacting in their own ways to the applause. While Raidoeg and Peony preened and waved to their peers, Asher shrank into himself and tried to hide behind Reznov a little. Reznov, in kind, gave Asher a reassuring nudge with his elbow.
Leonardo hoped the two bathing in the applause weren't going to cause trouble. He hoped.
"I dub you Team Hummingbird, and you will be led by Raidoeg Hautdesert."
Raidoeg and Reznov exchanged a crisp high five. Peony clapped with a smug smile, almost like he was going to tease his new leader for the responsibility. Asher, seemingly dismayed, tugged at his hair and gave Raidoeg a short nod in acknowledgement of the role. The pictures on the screen rearranged neatly, their initials spelling out HGBR.
When they left, the team that Leonardo dreaded began to approach. The other girl with silver eyes was on this one—and he had many things to answer to in her eyes. He didn't miss the way she stared pointedly at him as she stood by her partner's side, only looking away when the young man elbowed her with a stern frown. The other pair observed their new teammates with interest, and Leonardo could assume they hadn't encountered each other during the week in the forest. It happened every year, he told himself. Not every pair encountered other people during the initiation.
"Finally, linked by the silver rope—" Silver, Leonardo thought, silver, silver, silver. He hated the colour already and he didn't even know what it would mean for his future. "—I present to you all: Schwarzwald Eisenblut, Leonie Argentum, Linnea Elis, and Greyson Mandragora."
Leonie waved pleasantly to Linnea and Greyson as Schwarzwald nodded to them. Greyson and Linnea waved back, though with varying shades of enthusiasm.
"I dub you Team Sterling—" Sterling, silver, sterling silver, he hated the colour so much, why were you hiding things Ozpin— "—with Schwarzwald Eisenblut as leader."
Their portraits on the screen rearranged and the letters SLLG sat above each picture. The applause echoed through the open air as the team announcements came to a close.
Leonardo dismissed everyone. He left them to settle into their dorms and get to know each other. He tried his darndest to leave quietly. Of course Leonie wouldn't let him try.
"Sir!" she called out, jogging over. Leonardo cleared his throat and waved dismissively.
"Sorry, Miss Argentum, I have a lot of paperwork," he said hurriedly. Leonie slowed to a walk and glared at him. "Perhaps later this week. It's nothing urgent, is it?"
"It is, yeah—"
"Good, good." He was obviously ignoring her as he walked backwards, leaving Pembe to handle the rest. "All the best settling in! Do your best with classes! I'll be in my office!"
Whatever Ozpin was hiding, Leonie Argentum knew about it too—the way she regarded him as he escaped, staring down her nose at him with those damned silver eyes, said it all. And when Leonardo closed the door to his office, locking it behind him, all he could do was run his hands down his face and pray it didn't bring harm to any of the other students in this school.
All these secrets would be the death of him.
pats myself on the back for that dumb irony closing line
anyway here's haven's teams!
Team KFFR
Kelron Phemeranthus - 17 - Heliostrum - Power from Passion (Quarmbone marklV)
Forte Aegean - 16 - Howler - Echolocation (TheGGGina)
Wisteria Fabales - 16 - Journee Fluere - Spring's End (nerfherder-han)
Fyth Rue - 16 - Fetch & Call - Feral Senses (Crusading Seraph)
Team HGBR
Raidoeg "Rai" Hautdesert - 17 - Dílis - Force of Nature (Eomer Eadig)
Asher Grayburn - 16 - Zekoaegis and Zenablitz - Barrier (Zeryas)
Peony Briar - 17 - Geranienkollison - Aura Manipulator (Sweet Shi)
Reznov Patenko - 17 - Destiny's Ward - N/A (Quarmbone marklV)
Team SLLG
Schwarzwald "Schwarz" Eisenblut - 17 - Alteisen Nacht - Absolute Marker (LuciferXIII Trollkaiger Green)
Leonie Argentum - 17 - War Forge - Magnetism (nerfherder-han)
Linnea "Lin" Elis - 16 - Silver Talon - Mimicry (SerpentFeather)
Greyson Mandragora - 17 - Wicca - Arise (ekoshio)
big big BIG special thank you to PyropeStar for the lovely Tovah, shown in last chapter and with team PATC, whose weapon is called "Oakenbough" and semblance being "In Shining Armour"! We'll be seeing someone Tovah knows at Atlas, so stay tuned for them!