So...yeah. I have no excuse here, but I will at least explain why in a brief manner. Lockdown occurred shortly after I began work on the chapter, and that really did affect my ability to write. I got stir-crazy, couldn't really focus, and so on and so forth. Life itself happened, and I got back into writing about two months after chapter 39, just not for GVLP. Ironic that this happens after I said that I was hoping for such a thing to occur. Exactly seven months have passed (GVLP Chapter 39 released April 10th) since then...kinda crazy to think about. I am so sorry about that, for those who were maybe interested enough to want more.
I won't promise that I am back fully, but I do want to still write GVLP, even after these long months. Volume 4 calls to me, even though we're technically in Volume 3 right now. And Volume 7 just has...so much I can work with. So, without more life dumping of why GVLP just grinded to a halt…
I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 40: Returning to School
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.(Chapter Start)
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September 20th
Friday
Sunny
The effects of the breach of Vale upon Beacon had finally shown its face, now that classes were back into business. As Azura looked around at the mix of Beacon and Haven academy students walking down the path into the Emerald Forest for combat class, he realized just how different the day had actually been.
Professor Port didn't tell a single story, instead choosing to focus purely on how to deal with a pack of Grimm in any situation for the entire lesson. And Doctor Oobleck had his lesson be purely on how the Vale council would react to the breach and what countermeasures would likely be put in place within the following months. And now, Professor Goodwitch was dropping the normal combat class rotations and was using a system of her own to make sure the students she taught knew what to do against Grimm.
Not that Azura minded. He was always ready to fight some Grimm, Luna by his side and working with Summer. Though, he was much quieter than normal as they walked, feeling rather nervous about being around the older Huntress. Ozpin had likely told her that he was 'in the know' of what was happening, though he'd say that he still had absolutely no idea what he was actually in. It's not that he was nervous that Goodwitch would announce it, but that she'd treat him much differently.
He shook his head, noticing that they were now in his little private training area, all having stopped as Goodwitch watched the forest perimeter in silence. The shuffle of feet brought Pyrrha into his vision, who glanced at him with her emerald green eyes briefly before fixing on Goodwitch again. The blonde woman turned a moment later, looking out among everyone.
"Now, I am well aware that this is not particularly the normal routine for my combat class, to the Beacon students. But, given recent events, I was allowed to change things up and instead will be instating a new training area. The Emerald Forest, typically used for Beacon's initiation, will now be getting further use for hands-on training against the Grimm within it." Goodwitch said, her gaze sweeping over everyone. "This is typically reserved for the older students to continue their growth once normal human combat becomes less effective and they move on to learning how to fight any Grimm. However, due to recent events, It was decided that we would allow the first year students to do the same."
Whispers broke out within the crowd once Goodwitch finished talking, which she let go on for a few seconds. As they quieted down, Goodwitch cleared her throat and she spoke again.
"We do not have time to waste, so I shall get on with telling you what will happen." She looked at the large scroll in her arms momentarily before continuing. "Students are being locked to their teams, though splitting up is allowed so long as you do not remain alone. We are still a school that intends to make sure your teamwork with others is good, so do keep that in mind. I will remain here, at the foot of the cliff, while Professor Port and Oobleck are within the forest itself. You will be monitored for evaluation and safety reasons, and then advised from there. Now go, you are all free to move off."
Groups quickly went off into the forest in several directions, some as groups of two, others as full teams. Azura saw team CRDL quickly comment something to each other before running off as a full team. He didn't get much time to think of their growth as a team as Goodwitch's voice spoke to him.
"Mister Heart, come here please. There is something I'd like to talk about."
Azura turned to see team JNPR and Pyra looking at him, and waved them off before walking towards Goodwitch. "I'll be right back, you guys."
He approached Goodwitch, and she spoke again once he stopped in front of her. "I am aware that you are to be taking combat a bit lighter, but you were given the clear for joining combat class, correct?"
Azura nodded. "That's right. Aura's a real game changer when it comes to these things." He said with a smile.
Goodwitch smiled briefly before her face returned to a neutral look. "Of course it is. Well, I am glad that you are healing without issue. That's all I needed to know."
"Am I free to join my team now, Miss Goodwitch?"
"One more thing.." She said, before stepping closer. "I will be keeping a closer eye on you. I'm sure you know why, Azura."
Azura blinked, registering the fact that she called him by his first name. Ozpin's words about the Inner Circle came to him, and he looked away nervously as he responded. "Yeah...I do."
"Do not worry, I will not treat you differently." Goodwitch said, turning to walk away. "You may go now. Good luck out there."
Azura nodded, quickly turning to jog back to his friends with a slight nervous step in his walk. He was glad that she had been upfront about it, but also keeping it between the two of them. It would be really awkward if she didn't, though he supposed that wouldn't stop his teammates from asking questions. He saw them turn to look at him, though the only indication of their curiosity was from Pyrrha, who raised an eyebrow at him. Once he was a few steps in front of them, she tilted her head and spoke.
"Is it about your wounds?"
"Yeah." Azura said with a nod of his head.
"The weird stuff or the normal stuff?" Nora asked.
"Uh...normal stuff. Probably my head more than anything."
"And she hasn't told you to sit out, so that's good." Pyrrha said. "Well, we were discussing how we wanted to split our team. So far, it's between putting odd groups together, those who haven't really trained with each other, and putting partners together."
"And you aren't exactly known to train with us too much outside of team tactics and team attacks." Nora grumbled.
Azura gave an awkward smile, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, just how my own training goes, I guess."
Jaune shook his head, amused. "And we don't hold that against you. Still, you're the wild card in how we choose to split teams."
Azura put a hand to his chin, thinking for a few moments. "Well, why not further work on certain groups. For example, Pyra's fighting style works to cover Ren, helps Nora with her semblance, and creates a balance. And, to go along with the example, I could go with you and Pyrrha, since you two are already good at teamwork and I should practice under command more, probably."
"That could work. Seems fine for what I want, at least." Jaune said, looking at everyone. "Thoughts?"
"It's a clever idea, I'll say. I'm okay with it." Ren answered.
"No complaints here." Nora said.
Pyra shrugged. "Makes sense, I guess."
"I think it is interesting. Quite the idea maker you are, Azura." Pyrrha said.
"Then, that settles it." Jaune said, smiling. "Well, let's get going."
Everyone nodded and began to move their separate ways. Azura let Pyrrha and Jaune walk past him, looking at Pyra with a level of curiosity, wondering if he had upset her. She did not look particularly happy, but she didn't seem to disagree with his thought process. Ren flicked his gaze towards Azura, the only one of the three who noticed his eyes watching in their direction, and nodded ever so slightly. Azura had no idea what that meant, but figured that Ren had an understanding of things. With that, he shrugged and quickly jogged off to join with Pyrrha and Jaune and go into the forest.
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.(Line Break)
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"This has to be the worst idea ever!" Jaune yelled, his words ragged as the three teens ran through the woods, dodging trees, bushes, roots that had surfaced, and the occasional fallen tree.
"Just keep moving!" Pyrrha replied back in a less than calm manner.
Azura was aware that he could just use Summer's semblance and escape, but he doubted that the two Deathstalkers would give up. He kept his breathing measured, watching Pyrrha's ever so slight limp from being knocked into a tree only a good twenty seconds before, while also keeping an eye on Jaune, who lagged behind slightly due to only having a good few months of training under his belt.
He also doubted that they would die out here, but that didn't stop the creeping fear that nagged at the back of his mind. They needed to find a good place to have cover and a moment to breathe, both for Pyrrha and Jaune, as well as himself. Not even he was an endless pool of endurance.
In the distance, Azura spotted an opening in the treeline that seemed to lead out into a more open area. As they came closer, however, he noticed that something was wrong.
"We're heading straight for a drop!" Azura called out loudly, ducking as parts of a broken tree flew over his head, the sounds of two angry Deathstalkers only mere meters away.
"Get your aura up, guys! We need to get away if possible!" Jaune ordered with a shout, waving a hand wildly in front of him.
No complaints were heard from either of them, though Azura did yell out something to Luna as his aura flared and his semblance activated.
"Catch Jaune ahead of time, we'll figure things out!"
The sound of disagreement from Jaune would have amused Azura were he not deadly serious with his words. Luna flew off without a word, staying at the outer edges of Azura's current limit. As they raced for the drop off, Luna drifted further to Jaune and Azura called out to Pyrrha.
"Better safe than sorry, Pyrrha! Come here!"
No matter the complaint that would have come to her at the moment, she still drifted closer to him as they neared the edge. If there was something Azura knew for certain, it was that the Emerald Forest had plenty of cliffs and areas with steep falls. They reached the edge of the drop off, jumping as the Deathstalkers skidded to a stop behind them so as to not drop off.
The fall was twenty to thirty feet, but Luna still followed the order to catch Jaune, which Azura didn't have time to even acknowledge as he grabbed Pyrrha and triggered Summer's semblance, trying to soften the fall as much as he could. They all landed, Jaune more stable and able to keep his footing from being awkwardly dropped, while Azura and Pyrrha stumbled and fell to the ground as they rolled away from each other.
The greenery was gone in the area they dropped in, full of massive boulders and sand. It still led out into the forest, but the change of colors brought to Azura's attention that they were now in a divot of sorts. Not trapped, but definitely stuck in their position with the two Deathstalkers making a racket somewhere up above.
That was enough for Azura to hastily get up from the ground, seeing Jaune already at Pyrrha's side and helping her walk. She was limping slightly more now, with the awkward fall having worsened it. Azura drew his weapons, quickly making it to their sides.
"We'll find cover in the boulders, they're close enough to each other for us to slip in." Jaune said, breathlessly. "Deathstalkers are too big to get in, and we might be able to stay away from their tails."
Azura nodded, looking at the boulders. "You two need a breather, so it's a good idea. And they seem steep enough to be unclimbable for a Deathstalker."
They quickly moved, Jaune eventually letting Pyrrha walk on her own once they got to the boulders, where they would need to squeeze into one by one. Pyrrha went in first, followed by Jaune, and as Azura moved to go in last, the crash of something hitting heavily was heard, followed by a pair of hissing noises.
"They've found their way in! Get in there now!" Summer said, urgency in her voice.
Azura would not disagree with her there, already moving to get inside. The process felt much slower with the danger so close to him, but he got through without issue. There was a small area within the boulders that was open, with a hole on the top of it, large enough to drape sunlight onto the enclosed area. Pyrrha and Jaune were already sitting, breathing heavily, though Pyrrha was gingerly feeling the leg that had been limping.
Azura approached her, taking in steady breaths to calm his own breathing and heart rate before speaking.
"Is that going to be okay?"
"I...think so, yes. Given a few moments, I should be plenty prepared to fight, just not at full capacity. Aura is a miracle, but it is not perfect." She replied.
"Well, we have a few moments before those Deathstalkers begin to improvise." Jaune said. "Did they look old to anyone?"
"Old enough if they were able to ambush me like that." Pyrrha said.
"They definitely used that area we found them in as a trap of sorts, so they seem to know this place well." Azura said, thinking aloud. "Probably a good number of years old at this point."
"At least twenty years, their armor is still hardening." Summer says, giving her own advice.
"And Summer is guessing around twenty years. Not surprising, to say the least." Azura said dryly, his thoughts going to the odd headmaster for a moment.
"Then they'll definitely improvise something. So, we'll have to do the same. I think I have an idea."
"Let's hear it, then, oh leader of mine." Pyrrha said, her voice positive.
"Well, I'm not sure if either of you noticed, but there are a lot of smaller boulders scattered around this central pile of boulders. We could likely use those boulders and this central one as a stepping stone to separate and deal with the Deathstalkers."
"How would we do that? Separating them would be hard." Azura spoke, frowning slightly.
Jaune paused momentarily, like he lost his train of thought. The blonde shook his head a moment later, continuing.
"You have a point there, but I have another idea that works with the first one. Deathstalkers don't have good sight, relying more on noise, right?" Upon their nodding, he kept going. "Well, if we make noise in several areas at the same time, it could confuse or make them split up. If we all make a different noise in different areas, the Deathstalkers would be forced to go one way or the other."
"Wait, I have something to add to this plan." Pyrrha said, interrupting Jaune. "We could confuse the Deathstalkers into attacking the boulders out there."
Jaune tilted his head, confused. "What do you mean, Pyrrha?"
"I mean that if enough noise was made, overstimulating it, it would lash out to try and stop their senses from being so overloaded." Pyrrha explained. "Split them up, cause a loud noise, and we might get to take advantage of it, either because it is stunned or because it gets stuck in the boulder."
"Which means we need someone to distract a Deathstalker, and another to make the noise for the other. Maybe even two, right?" Azura asked, looking between them.
"The more noise, the better." Pyrrha replied. "As for who would be the distraction…"
"Can't be you, Pyrrha." Jaune said almost instantly. "You might be our best fighter, but you're still hurt."
"It's just a limp, Jaune." She responded, a hint of stubbornness in her tone.
"One that aura would need a few minutes to fully mend. It's a miracle, but as the doctors probably say, it won't save you in a moment of near death." Azura said. "Though, I doubt it'd come to that. Better to play it smart, anyway. We're being graded on this, right?"
"Oh...right." Pyrrha said softly, embarrassed. "I remember that."
"We're also the ones with the shields. Those are probably the best tools we have for making noise, especially with your semblance, Pyrrha. And Azura here has Summer, making him our best evader instantly."
"Correct, dear leader." Azura replied. "Well, meeting adjourned, or whatever cool sounding word would work here? These Deathstalkers won't let us stay here all day."
"Right, right. Well, if we can take on a Deathstalker back during initiation with five people...what's two with three people?"
"Harder."
Azura was going to reply to Jaune, but was quickly sidetracked by Summer, and allowed Pyrrha to reply as he listened to the older woman.
"Hard, if we didn't have me and the prodigy herself, Pyrrha." Summer commented.
"Hey, Jaune's been getting better." Azura replied mentally.
Summer chuckled. "Fair enough."
"Which would leave Azura as playing a game of cat and mouse." Jaune said, catching Azura's attention as his name was said.
"That's true." Azura said, focusing his attention on the blonde. "If I'm lucky, I might be able to injure the one I'm keeping distracted, making both of our jobs easier."
A new look came onto Jaune's face, who was carefully thinking about the idea. "Maybe, but I want you to be focused on evasion, wait for us to come and help. As Pyrrha put it, taking on two Deathstalkers with just us three is hard, but it'll be harder to take one on by yourself."
"I'll be careful." Azura said, shaking his head. "Let's get out of here and fight now." He turns his head to Pyrrha. "You good to go?"
Pyrrha gets up slowly, testing her weight. "Good enough, yes. Though I am sure that Jaune will protect me if needed."
Jaune blushed at the comment. "Er, right. I have your back, partner."
"Come on, you two lovebirds." Azura said in a dry tease. "You can kiss all day long after we kill these two Grimm."
Pyrrha blushed, unable to answer, while Jaune coughed awkwardly. Azura grinned, moving out first, and letting the other two follow after him. They slid along the wall again, pausing just as he was going to be out in the open so that he could listen and look out. Seeing one of the Deathstalkers, but not the other, Azura moved out and motioned for Jaune and Pyrrha to remain where they were.
"I'll grab this one's attention. You two get the other with the noise." He spoke quietly, as to not draw the attention of the Deathstalker. "We start when I get the first one's attention."
Not waiting to see their nods, Azura quickly made his way towards one of the boulders and hid behind it. Sneaking along it, he poked his head out to see that the Deathstalker still hadn't heard or seen him, then moved closer. If he wanted its attention for sure, he would have to give it a reason to. A good surprise attack would likely do the trick, he felt.
He kept to the rocks until he was next to the Deathstalker, peeking around his left side to see that Pyrrha and Jaune had begun to sneak around the other side, just disappearing out of view. They had to be close to where the other one was, if that was the case. With that in mind, Azura began to climb up the large rock he was against, keeping sure to try and make as little noise as possible as he did so.
Despite the fact that Deathstalkers had poor sight, Azura kept out of sight for a good twenty seconds or so, wanting to give the other some time to get in a good position. Not to mention how it was rather hard to climb the large rock, but he eventually managed to get up there. He crouched, pulling his weapons out slowly as he watched the prowling Deathstalker facing away from him, and surveyed the area. There were only two boulders by him, so they would be his only cover if he needed it, and the other Deathstalker was barely visible across the way, hidden by the central boulders.
He held his hand to make Luna, who was hovering just behind him, wait as he waited to see Pyrrha and Jaune. He caught a glimpse of red and blonde behind a rock, then Jaune partially popped out, catching Azura's eye, and nodded to him. Azura nodded back, preparing to get the attention of the Deathstalker in front of him. He tapped Luna's hand, then pointed to the Deathstalkers' tail, just where the spike and flesh met, making a motion of cutting for her. She nodded, drawing her blade, and waited for him to attack.
Azura gathered Summer's semblance, the two-toned petals forming before he dashed from the rock, with it cracking behind him at the speed. The Deathstalker began to turn, but barely had any time to react as Azura whizzed by, spinning in the air as he dragged his dagger by and cut two of the eyes on the Grimm, then sliding across the ground a few feet before stopping on one knee. Luna attacked just moments after, not managing to sever the tail tip as the Deathstalker as it had begun turning by then, but indeed weakening the support it had.
The sound of the other Deathstalker could barely be heard over the hissing of the one that had just been attacked, but that sound was soon drowned out by the ringing of metal hitting on metal. Both Deathstalkers screeched in pain from the noise, but it continued on and on. The sound of something heavy hitting the ground or stone was felt more than heard, but Azura could not focus on that as the Deathstalker lunged forward towards him suddenly.
Azura gasped, instinctively jumping up into the sky with the help of Summer, letting Luna catch him and whisk him back to the ground. The noise Pyrrha and Jaune were making stopped as the vibration of the Deathstalker they had stabbing the ground reverberated to him. It was stuck, Azura assumed, but he flicked the thought away as he focused on the Deathstalker before him.
"Get the legs, cut them!"
Jaune could be heard giving a command as Azura dodged the grabbing pincer of the Grimm. He grit his teeth, dashing to his side and then forward, shooting some dust at the weak point of the pincer attaching to the main body of the Grimm, seeing a coating of frost attach to it. Dodging a few more attacks and tail lunging towards him, Azura moved to the other side and repeated his actions of shooting ice dust at the weak point of the other pincer. As it attempted to grab him again, led in a circle by Azura, he could tell that the action was slower because of the ice dust.
He didn't have much time before it would wear off, so he had to take action.
"Luna, get the right pincer!" He called out, seeing her already over and waiting, unable to be seen.
He waited for the Deathstalker to attack before dashing to its left to dodge as he activated his semblance, then forward as he swung his sword into the frozen section with the intention to sever the pincer from the body. The sword did cut through, but not fully, leaving it stuck halfway through. Luna did cut through the pincer she attacked, severing it fully. The Deathstalker hissed with pain, lashing out and knocking both Luna and Azura away as it hit them.
Azura crashed into a boulder, knocking the breath out of him as his senses became disoriented. He began to stagger up, aware of the injured Deathstalker coming towards him, grunting with effort. His semblance was inactive now, unable to focus enough to activate for Luna, so he tried to shake himself into motion. Summer's presence was heavy, so he flared his aura just before the Deathstalker could hit him to jerk his body away with Summer's semblance. He slid on the dirt for several feet with a few rolls, less disoriented and active again.
Luna was by his side, and Azura managed to pull his semblance up this time. His thoughts were racing, seeing his sword stuck in the Deathstalker and his dagger missing, trying to figure out a plan.
Azura hastily spoke after dodging another dashing sweep of the Deathstalkers' now lone pincer, pointing forward. "The other pincer!"
Luna understood what he wanted, floating up above and waiting with her blade ready. Azura dashed forward, then jumped up towards the sky to bait an attack with the pincer, achieving that goal. Luna, with her own semblance already functioning, dashed from the air and severed the other pincer. Azura landed as Luna tossed his sword up and towards him, and he took it as the Deathstalker recoiled in pain. Luna pulled him back as the Deathstalker took a wild bite right where he was.
"Respect the teeth, got it." Azura muttered, focusing with his weapon. "Luna, tail!"
Luna whizzed forward, Azura joining her. As she went for the pincer, Azura leapt forward, landing on top of the Deathstalker as Luna sliced at the partially severed tip of the tail. The Grimm rocked back and forth to knock him off, almost succeeding, but Azura managed to hold his balance on the creature. This gave Luna ample time to simply strike hard and true, the pincer falling and hitting the Deathstalker before rolling off.
Azura turned around with the shaky motions, almost falling off as he did so. He faced its front now, one hand holding him in place, but unable to truly do anything. Luna, however, took the initiative for what it was, and quickly moved in front to stab the Deathstalker directly through the mouth. The creature froze, slowly withering to the ground, then died there. It began to slowly disintegrate, so Azura hopped off and began to survey his surroundings. There was silence and no sound of fighting at all, so he ran to the other side of the dirt-covered area, around the boulders. When he got there, he saw Jaune and Pyrrha sitting there, their own Deathstalker just freshly killed.
Azura rubbed his forehead with slight relief, sighing as he looked at them. "Um...well, our plan fell apart really fast, huh?"
"Don't all of our plans fall apart?" Jaune said, catching his breath. "We got really lucky with this Deathstalker."
"That we did." Pyrrha said after. "It lashed out and got its tail stuck in the boulder, so we crippled it and made it unable to move. Jaune made a really good callout on that."
"We wouldn't have been able to do it if you weren't you, Pyrrha. You're amazing." Jaune said back, pushing the compliments her way.
"Plan failed, concept fulfilled?" Azura asked, not wanting a particular answer "It worked, so no reason to complain."
"So, how'd you kill your Deathstalker, huh?" Jaune asked.
Luna came up behind him, though Pyrrha and Jaune only saw a floating dagger. Azura took it, then sheathed it as he spoke to her with a turned head. "Thanks, Luna." He turned back to Pyrrha and Jaune. "Well, when you have one Huntress able to fight for and with you, and another Huntress stuck in your head and sometimes guiding your motions...it happens."
"That just tells me you have the power of two fully trained and expert Huntresses…" Jaune said, looking in awe at the idea.
Azura laughs. "Well, I guess you could say that. It isn't exactly my power, though."
"Still very useful to have." Pyrrha said, shaking her head with amusement. "You are actually rather scary in a fight, I would feel."
"Wouldn't be as scary without their help." Azura pointed out, deciding to make a joke out of it. "And I don't think Pyrrha Nikos of all people should tell me I am scary in a fight.
"Oh shush, Azura. You know what I mean."
"Yeah, I know." He said, looking around the place. "We should try to find other Grimm in a few minutes, let Pyrrha get a bit of rest."
"No, we can keep going…" She argued, trailing off at his raised eyebrow and look at her.
"We still have some time left before we go back, no harm in a bit of rest." Jaune said. "As leader, I sanction the five minute break!"
"You can't just do that!" Pyrrha retorted weakly.
"Sure he can." Azura replied with a chuckle. "Come on, we can kick some Grimm ass soon."
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.(Line Break)
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September 21st
Friday
Clear
The twilight hours were always beautiful on Beacon grounds, one that Azura enjoyed walking around with his thoughts during. They had done well, according to Goodwitch, though she did comment on their odd way of teamwork. He could still remember her unimpressed eyes as she said that they clearly planned something as a team and failed to actually fight as one. It was much nicer to be out in the open sky than holed up in a room in his opinion. But that was not the particular reason why he was out and about. He had been asked to, having been called out to fulfill a promise he had made some time before.
"You said she would be coming in today? Did she contact you?" He asked, looking down at the black haired girl next to him.
Cinder's orange eyes flicked up to his dual-colored ones briefly. "Yes, she did. She should be here soon, and I was on my way to meet her when I ran into you."
"Ah. She's early, then. The second wave of students wasn't supposed to come in until a few days later. For the repairs, I would assume."
"Hm." Cinder sounded. "I do apologize for forcing you to come with me, by the way."
"It's no big deal, I did say I would keep an eye out for your teammate." Azura replied, shrugging. "Besides, I haven't seen you around much as is...which reminds me, where's your two friends?"
"Mercury and Emerald? Off somewhere, probably bickering and bantering with each other." The girl said with a roll of her eyes.
"They do that often? Sounds like Ruby and Weiss."
"As much as possible, it seems. They are an odd pair, those two." Cinder says, a tone of annoyance only slightly audible before it returns to her natural smoothness. " And you say you have friends like them?"
"Yeah, I do. But those are just my friends for you, they like to be pushy with things." Azura answers, more amused by their tendencies than anything. "They just care a lot about each other, myself included."
"I see…" Cinder said, now walking slightly ahead of Azura. "I think I can see why they might be. Especially with you."
"What about me?"
"You do seem to have quite a peculiar wound on your face, Azura."
"Oh, the eye thing? It's really nothing special, doesn't even hurt." He said with a shrug.
Cinder nodded, but remained silent.
They walked through the main square of Beacon, around the fountain and towards the airship docks down the path. The airship was already docked and the first few students on it were finally exiting the airship and walking about with their friends or alone. There was no short girl with black hair and green eyes yet.
Azura spoke as he leaned on one of the pillars along the path. "Guess we'll just wait until she comes out."
"Yes." Cinder said, crossing her arms. She spoke again after a moment. "So, what is it like to have the great Pyrrha Nikos on your team?"
"Hm?" Azura sounded, tilting his head before it became clear to him. "Makes sense to ask, as someone from Mistral. Well, I personally didn't know who she was at first, so my opinion might not be so 'amazed' as you might think. She's kind to a fault, never able to truly be angry unless she means it." He pauses, thinking about when she had yelled at him. "A strong fighter and a stronger mother hen, but I'm not here to sing her praises. I could go on, but we'd be here all day about her qualities as a person."
"Heh, I expected you to be rather enchanted with her. Are you from the outskirts or countryside, then?"
"Yeah, I came from a very very small village north of Vale. Not much for technology out there outside of scrolls, and the connection was poor anyway."
"I'm sure that made for quite the childhood." Cinder replied. "So, you're still pretty new to Vale and Beacon too after all these months, huh?"
"Yeah, you could say that. I know my way around Beacon well enough, but can't say the same for the city itself. Never even been to it until about a month before I entered Beacon."
"I see." Was her reply, her eyes looking in the distance. "Ah, I think that's her."
"Oh?" Azura said, looking where Cinder's gaze had gone. He eventually found a black haired girl with green eyes, her hair in twintails. "That's her, I guess?"
"Yes, it would be." She begins to walk towards her. "Come, we shall get her attention."
Azura followed after her, waiting until they began to move around the students walking their way before he waved an arm in the air to try and get the girls' attention. It seemed to work to him, as she turned her head and caught sight of the motion, then who he was next to. The short girl tilted her head, her expression hard to see through the other students, but was blank when she made her way closer.
Cinder walked to the side of the path, with Azura in tow, and the smaller girl moved to be before them a few moments later. Azura looked her over, easily noticing the more open nature to her outfit. She had black boots on, similar to his own, as well as knee-high white socks. From there, it was bare skin before a skirt that fell down several inches, with her midriff exposed to the elements. Her black shirt covered the rest of her topside, which Azura was more than fine with, hanging snugly around her shoulders. There were white frills around the collar of her shirt, with four frills hanging loosely below it, a thin black silk strand tying neatly around her neck where the frills were. Her forearms and hands were covered by gloves, and one of them idly played with one of her twintails, the black hair darker than Blake's, held together by two white bowties. Her green eyes stared back at him, as if looking him over as well.
Cinder coughed into her hand, speaking. "Azura, this is Mint, my teammate. I know you already knew that, but introductions are in order. Mint, this is Azura."
Azura smiled at the girl. "If you need any help, I'll be sure to help you out. Beacon can be rather confusing to navigate."
Mint nodded, but remained silent.
"Ah, how could I forget." Cinder said, shaking her head. "Mint is mute, Azura."
"Oh." Azura said, a hint of embarrassment in his voice. "Sorry about that, Mint. Still, if you need help, I'll be around Beacon. I don't stray far from the place as a student, even if my outfit doesn't make me look like one."
Mint finally smiles back, looking humored by his words. Azura felt his smile brighten slightly, though he recognized a weird feeling from Summer, who had remained quiet today. Mint nods, but makes no motion of response beyond that.
"Well, I think Mint and I should take our leave. Get her living space in our dorm sorted out, I'm sure you know how that goes." Cinder said, cutting in on the one-sided conversation.
Azura thinks of how cramped the JNPR dorm was at times, shaking his head in amusement as he turns to Cinder. "That makes sense, I won't stop you from that." He turns back to Mint, nodding at her. "I'm glad that whatever was stopping you from being here could be resolved, I hope Beacon will be to your liking."
He waved the two girls off, watching them walk off for a bit before turning and walking off to go along the cliffside. There was something familiar about Mint, but he felt that was just because she kind of reminded him of Blake. They were both quiet and had a similar color scheme to them in terms of outfits. He wrote it off, though Summer did eventually speak after a few moments of walking and watching Luna float lazily over the cliff edge.
"That would be a logical way to see it. I knew something felt odd about that girl, like she was familiar but also unknown. It was odd."
"Agreed, it did feel weird at first. Still, she seems nice enough. So, that's two mute people I know now?"
"Yes, it would be. You certainly do get to know some interesting people."
"Let's see here…" Azura starts, thinking of everyone he knew. "Team Ruby, team Juniper, Pyra, Ozpin, Cinder, Roman, Neo, you, and Mint. Quite the list."
"Oh, so now I'm on the list of interesting people?" Summer remarked, and he could imagine her grin easily.
"You always were. Despite our close proximity of sorts, I do not actually know you too well."
"Hmm." Summer hummed, the noise echoing softly in his head. "Perhaps that will change soon."
Azura did not reply then, though he knew his surprise was known by Summer, given their situation. He looked out at Vale, wondering what exactly would be coming in the future. He had a feeling his calendar would become very full soon.
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.(Chapter End)
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Not much to say here, not this time. Again, to refresh, I will make no promise or hopeful nothings that I will be back. However, regardless of that, GVLP is NOT dead. The day it dies is not now, and it was not when chapter 39 came out. That's all I have to say.
Hope you have a good day/evening.