Transcript 1: Mission objective
The sun was shining bright, at least according to the reddish colour Jasper could see on the back of his eyelids. But then, everything went dark again. A cloud must have covered the sun, he thought. He was wrong. Instead, a tall figure was looming over Jasper's bed.
"WAKE UP, LAZYBONES!" roared Gale, watching in delight as her team leader flew into the air, covers shooting off the bed and exposing Jasper's flailing limbs. Jasper coloured a little as he saw the rest of Team JNGL already dressed and ready to leave. Some example he was setting for them.
"Did you forget what we have on today?" asked Lina, brandishing Autobeat over her shoulder in club form, and looking like she anticipated more than just a day's worth of adventure.
"Oh no, the Huntsman shadowing missions begin today, don't they?"
He put his head in his hands. After a fantastic but very late Saturday night with Lina and Coco's dance – which had been a roaring success, propelling CFVY to even higher fame and Lina making a bit of a name for herself too – Sunday had been busy too, and he hadn't even stopped to think about what would be going on the following week.
"A week out there with the one of the best in the business – a real Huntsman" said Nero. "I'm looking forward to that. Should help us with the remaining half of the semester afterwards."
"Two weeks in Atlas, three weeks of classes, then another two preparing the dance" counted Gale. "So we're halfway now, there's only fourteen weeks in second semester before exams, it's shorter so we have a longer summer break." She looked down at Jasper, who was now struggling into the red coat and tails he had worn only a few nights before. "Wearing that to the missions, are we? Want to make a good impression on the big scary Huntsman?"
"No, it's because the jacket is warmer, haven't you noticed it's winter? He tossed aside the formal green pants and shoes and donned his regular pair and sneakers. "Don't you feel the cold?"
"Hammerhead Point is much cooler than this cuddly, cosy Kingdom of Vale. You probably didn't even know what cold was until we went to Atlas."
He couldn't argue with that.
After Jasper's hurried preparation, the group filed out of the dorms and into the main hall with the last of the first years, like so many meandering ants. He spied an empty section two rows back, and sat down next to Dale Forrest, leader of Team DLPN (dolphin) as they waited for Professor Ozpin to take the stage. They had only just got there in the nick of time, Nero thought, as he saw Glynda Goodwitch leaving the stage, having already given the opening address.
"Today we stand together, united. Mistral. Atlas. Vacuo. Vale. The four Kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end…"
Jasper wondered if he did this sort of address every year, only having to change the dates as the timeline ticked by. It was probably an all-encompassing speech, meaning he could give it in any kingdom he pleased, for each kingdom the students travelled to for the Vytal festival in alternate years.
"…As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: colour. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither were the generations to come…"
Generations to come was correct, thought Jasper. Although the rules had become a little lax in recent years. There were only so many colours available, so eventually a name one step removed became more common – if it made you think of a colour, that was acceptable too. He and Nero were part of the former, but very many of the others – Gale, Jewel, Pollen, Terra, Fox… he could list dozens just in his cohort.
"…Which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work to uphold it. As first year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional Huntsman or Huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the Kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best."
Distracted again, Jasper thought. Was he really that tired? Probably was, given he'd only woken up ten minutes before they were supposed to begin their day.
Lina led the way towards the edge of the room where several blue mission boards had popped up, which were already beginning to be crowded by students, eager to pick the best missions available.
Team BTTR (butter) were first in line on the south side of the room.
"What about the search and rescue for the missing forty-two-year-old man?" Tamarin Shell asked her teammates. After collective expressions of agreement, Brett Salmon entered in the initials for his team in the keypad, and they were on their way.
"Damn!" said Lina only half under her breath. "That looked like a really good one. Some experience outside the kingdom walls would have been really helpful."
"If you're looking for something outside of Vale, what about this one?" said Gale, stabbing a pink finger at a 'Village Security' title. "Spend the week with the Sherriff Brandy Leatherjack protecting the Village of Longsaw, with responsibilities ranging from border protection against Grimm to dealing with minor criminal activities."
"So we get to be the police?" said Nero.
"Not exactly, probably mostly Grimm, the people probably won't take kindly to a bunch of minors doing too much law enforcement."
"Nero and I are eighteen, not seventeen, looks like we'll be the ones making the decisions" smirked Lina.
"Hey, will you guys hurry up and make one of those decisions?" said Fox with a feigned expression of disgust. "Time enough to find out when you actually ask him!"
Jasper pressed the mission icon and entered in the team initials, letting CFVY step up to the board as they moved off.
"So what do we do now?" asked Gale, her rough ponytail bouncing up and down as she moved her head in vigorous excitement.
A beep came from Jasper's belt and he checked his scroll.
"From the looks of it, we pack our bags. We fly out in half an hour to meet Sherriff Leatherjack for an early lunch."
Transcript 2: Views
Three very different perspectives were shared between the four young students as they flew over the Spineback Mountains to the east of Vale. As they crested the snow-capped ridge and looked over, a very unfamiliar terrain awaited them beyond the peaks, a very different side of Sanus than what most of them were used to. Sure, it was green and wild just like it was around Vale, but the area looked a little more grassy and drier than the other side of the mountain, and then progressively more and more arid on their right side towards the south.
Nero shook his head. It was easy to forget other places like this existed. While the golden-brown strip on the horizon was much smaller than Vacuo's sandy expanse, dusty and rocky eastern Anima, or even Menagerie's arid landscape, there were some smaller patches of desert scattered along the east coast of the Sanus, and this appeared to be one of them. The ship seemed to be dropping to a point well north of the desert though, so perhaps his Vacuan tricks in the sand wouldn't be needed after all.
Gale was mostly oblivious to what lay ahead, busy comparing the speck of a town below them to her own stomping ground at Hammerhead Point. Longsaw appeared to be a lot smaller and less naturally protected, but upon closer inspection a distinctly unnatural depression seemed to surround the town as they drew closer. She smiled. If you couldn't have natural walls protecting you, just make them yourself. That same casual resourcefulness that came from living out in the wild seemed to be apparent in Longsaw as well and right away Gale began to feel she was going to enjoy staying here.
The more innocent Lina and Jasper didn't have much idea to expect in a place like this, and their inexperienced eyes missed many of the changes which might give them a leg up against the odds in a place like this. They noticed the Grimm barrier as the ship circled around to land, and instantly realised its significance, but missed subtle terrain indications further away which might indicate hideouts for more arid or flatland Grimm like Ziraphs.
"Welcome, welcome!" cried the broad figure of Brandy Leatherjack, arms open wide as Team JNGL touched down. "Let's get to know each other! I think the most important queries can wait until after our luncheon! Khrome will look after your bags for now."
As the entered the Twisted Oak behind the Sherriff, they found a table lavishly decorated with fresh produce and steaming roast lamb, and quickly realised the Sherriff's broadness wasn't entirely due to his muscular frame.
What they didn't realise was that many of the important questions were already being answered, although not from the student's side. The moment Jasper had led Team JNGL out of the airship, his body language and leadership qualities were being assessed. Not much was missed by Sherriff Lumberjack's discerning eyes - there was a reason this huntsman-shadowing mission in particular was offered every year. As both a local figure of authority and a fully-fledged huntsman, he was uniquely qualified to assist with improving leadership and team cohesion while simultaneously giving the students a range of real-life experiences they might encounter as Huntsmen and Huntresses.
It was plain to the Sherriff that Gale and Nero had been outside the Kingdom before, the two taller students subconsciously scanning their surroundings a little more quickly and decisively, whereas Lina looked a little more lost at what to expect in this new environment. With Jasper it was more hidden, although his slightly stiffer and less natural walk out of the aircraft still betrayed the nerves he felt despite his outward confidence. Although now he was getting more into the flow of it, thought Leatherjack, checking like any leader should that his teammates were well cared for as he passed the butter to the bubbly grey girl on his left, who both looked a bundle of fun, and like she thought this whole trip was also going to be that way.
The Sherriff smiled. Not a bad first impression for this year's team, he thought. Time to let them know what was in store for the week ahead.
"New Grimm training?" said Lina that evening as the four meandered towards the white-brick cottage that was their accommodation for the week. "I know Grimm are different in Atlas and other places, but this is still pretty much like Vale."
"Spoken by somebody who's never seen a Lagartodile!" Gale said gleefully as she stretched the knots out of her muscles after the town tour and border patrol this afternoon.
"Or a Ziraph," added Nero for good measure. "We're only a few hours walk from the Quartz Plains."
"A… a what?"
Nero grinned evilly. "A Ziraph. Plenty of them in Vacuo, they're a bit like an actual giraffe, only four or five stories tall, with three horned heads and nasty long tongues that wrap you up so they can swallow you."
"Come on now, I KNOW you're making that up. You're not even trying to be convincing."
Jasper tapped a few times on his scroll. "Ziraph. Gargantuan Class - Should only be engaged by multiple trained Huntsmen. Moves quickly due to its very long legs and is extremely destructive, using its large size and bone-plated horns to batter human opposition and through many Grimm-resistant barriers." He looked up. "Sounds a real treat."
"I hope we don't get any when we are on sentry duty tomorrow night, Rosy" said Gale to Lina with mock seriousness. "If they fall in the pit, they'll still probably be able to see you over the edge!"
"At least I'll be able to see them back!" said Lina, pulling a black orb of aura from her torso and tossing it at Gale's head. "You won't have a chance, especially if you're not paying attention, as usual!"
"To be fair," said Jasper, "It's probably not coincidence that Sherriff Leatherback's resident Huntsmen are both Faunus. There are plenty of Grimm out there in the dark, more than near the kingdom, and if you want to keep an eye on them, well… you probably want the best eyes in the business."
Lina swished her tail triumphantly and leaned forwards to poke her tongue out at Gale. Which was a mistake, because Gale reached out an arm the length of Lina's tiny legs and touched her shoulder, instantly hoisting a shining blue and nearly weightless Lina onto her shoulders. Lina hated what came next, and already was plotting how she could extract the customary revenge, but it was too late.
"Wooo" sang Gale as she trotted backwards. "So we need a seeing-eye Lina, do we?" Then she released one hand from Lina's left foot and turned a makeshift cartwheel with the helpless Lina sliding off to the right. Gale leaned back as she landed, brough her right arm full circle, and launched the fox girl high into the sky. "SEEING-EYE LINA!" she called through cupped hands, delighted with the words' relevance on this particular occasion. She easily dodged the half-dozen aura balls which rained down and exploded into dusty fragments on the ground beside her.
"Well," commented Nero to Jasper as he watched the green figure fly further and further upwards. "I hope we'll be able to make some decent entertainment out of tonight's patrol. They certainly won't have any trouble with theirs tomorrow."
Transcript 3: Weapons Practice
"So, once we've completed a quick sweep of the area just outside of the pit, we'll make our way back over the bridge and draw the centre up. Then for the remainder of the night, you two can alternate between patrolling the inner perimeter while the other sleeps, taking care of any Grimm you might see from your vantage point. Unless it's a Ziraph of course, then you'll need backup."
Jasper and Nero nodded. The pair had just been briefed as expected on the local wildlife, which had turned out to be surprisingly different despite Lina's theories.
The Sherriff frowned as he looked at Jasper's gauntlets and Nero's twin whips. "Hmm. Not the best weapons for dealing with flying Grimm, I take it." He scratched his chin thoughtfully, now covered in a thin layer of stubble since this morning's activities. "Ah well, adapting on the run is all part of the Huntsman's job! Now, let's see to these lurkers."
Orange rays of dying sunlight illuminated the knee-high grass and farmer's fields all around the outside of the protected residency area. After five minutes walking and the repetitive swish, swish of the grass around their ankles threatening to lull Jasper into a false sense of security, Leatherback's sharp eyes picked up some familiar black shapes in the distance.
"Ah," he said, eyes narrowing to small slits. "Here's trouble."
One of the two Jackalopes raised its head and let out a low rumble in the direction of the approaching humans. They turned and crouched down, before leaping six metres into the air to attack the approaching humans.
Jasper's eyes widened as he saw the full size of the huge rabbit Grimm and the massive power in their hind limbs. They looked twice the size of an Ursa, with a pair of wicked horns to add to the similarly bone-plated head cap.
Nero himself was faintly surprised at their opposition, thinking it unusual to see a familiar desert-based Grimm before the more strictly local varieties. Although, he rationalised as he drew Draw and Quarter, when that large, not many animals or even other Grimm would tell you where you could and couldn't go.
Nero twirled the gravity dust whip above his head and flung it forwards, lassoing the front Jackalope's horns and pulling himself high above the creature while striking at its exposed back with Quarter. The Grimm's back legs kicked out and it spasmed in pain, jerking its horns towards Jasper, who was taking a much more conservative approach than the more experienced Nero. He ducked sideways under its first lunge, then unleashed a flurry of punches along its left side as it passed.
Brandy Leatherjack stood by, having drawn a long, segmented sword with a peculiar black strip across the back of the single-edged blade. He wasn't needed yet, but it never hurt to be ready.
Nero released the grip on the front Jackalope's horns and somersaulted over to join Jasper as he engaged the second. Jasper aimed half a dozen ice dust rounds at the monster's rear half, but with its enormous leg strength the Jackalope shattered the trap with ease and jumped up high in the air to crush Jasper underneath it.
"Ice the ground!" called Nero as he ran towards the floating monstrosity. Jasper quickly picked up on Nero's plan and fired into the ground, creating a spiky mass of solid white. Nero spun Draw again as Jasper leapt into the air himself, knowing it wouldn't reach around the creature's body, and aimed for the left foreleg instead. Jasper twisted his body and delivered a full-force Glassfinger punch as he met the centre of the rabbit's head, halting all forward momentum and shattering the bony plate in a blaze of red. Simultaneously, Nero's whip curled around its leg and he heaved downwards, flinging the creature downwards and impaling it on the deadly icicles below. With a squeal of rage and anguish, the Grimm dissolved into a storm of black dust.
Nero and Jasper turned to face the return attack of the first Jackalope. Seeing the fate which its partner had met, it crossed the distance between them frighteningly quickly in shallow bounds to protect its softer underbelly. As Nero began twisting his whips together to prepare his double fire and gravity blast and Jasper considered whether he needed the hammer form of Pound Zero, a shrieking whistle pierced their ears and two streaks of metal and flame exploded into the side of the Grimm, lifting it off the ground and sending it tumbling to a stop. A third projectile hummed through the air towards the now stationary Jackalope and disappeared straight into its eye. The creature convulsed and went limp, disintegrating into black smoke just as the other had done.
"Not a bad display, my lads!" called Sherriff Leatherback from their right, holding a now significantly shortened sword. "Quite a bold strategy, taking the bull by the horns, as it were, Nero, even if it didn't work right away. And you, Jasper, a good idea of yours to first get a feel for a fight when you don't yet know what you are going into. All in all, a good effort."
"Thank you, Sherriff!" offered Nero as he holstered his whips. Brandy Leatherjack didn't seem to miss anything. Or any Grimm, either.
"Did he just one-shot that thing?" whispered Jasper as they continued the final few turns around the edge of the pit.
"Incredible," said Nero. "That Jackalope's eye can't have been any bigger than my hand."
"It's amazing what a real Huntsman can do."
"Yeah!" Nero agreed. "But we'll get there eventually."
"Indeed you will," called Leatherjack from behind them, and the pair flinched, turning around with guilty expressions like a toddler caught in the act of taking sweets when he wasn't supposed to be discovered.
"I'm afraid I must pull you up on this, Jasper" said the Sherriff as he approached. "Talking about someone behind their back is rarely a good thing, particularly within a team. From afar it is often construed as secretive and damaging, even when the intent is positive." He grinned and clapped a hand on the wary team leader's shoulder. "So just remember to include your team members in conversations about them, particularly if they are within earshot!"
The remainder of the external patrol faded into obscurity, as did the dwindling rays of orange light as the sun finally disappeared over the horizon and the sky grew a deep purple as they walked across the drawbridge into the village.
"Now remember boys, I'll be checking up on you a couple of times as this is your first night on watch, but if you need me for anything in the meantime, just call in at my lodge. I might ask you a few questions as well." He smiled again. "After all…"
"…it's a good way to see what you really think," said Lina to Gale as they watched the glow disappear from the horizon.
"What?" asked Gale, half distracted by the colours in front of them.
"Answering questions," repeated Lina. "When you're tired, there's no filter, at least according to what Sherriff Leatherjack told Jasper last night."
"I'd believe it" she replied, and shook her grey ponytail out as she removed her hairband.
"You know, I don't think I've seen you out and about with your hair down before, it looks quite good on you."
"Thanks. You've probably only caught me with it in the mornings when we all look pretty ragged." She sniffed. "And didn't the boys look tired this morning, we'll show them how to handle a long night, Rosy!"
"Did they tell you anything about what he asked?" urged Lina.
Gale pondered a little. "Well, Nero said he asked a bit about their weapons or why they chose them. Nero's response was something along the lines of 'I don't like fists', and was horrified he had said that much."
"I guess Jasper was right then about having no filter."
"True."
The night grew steadily darker and the stars began to appear in their full glory. The moon was due to rise in a couple of hours but for now all the constellations were brilliantly visible. After their initial scout around the inside of the Grimm barrier, Lina agreed to take the first watch, to make full use of her night vision while the moon was still below the horizon. She set up post near the draw bridge on the northern side of the village, and began scanning the distance for shapes that shouldn't be there, her keen eyes making light work of the surrounding fields.
She spotted jagged rock formations about three kilometres out which looked particularly suspicious, and could have sworn they changed shape several times. But still they stayed in the same location, and Lina eventually realised that might have been one of the Grimm hideouts Nero had been talking about after they flew in, and the changing shapes might have been Grimm on the rock formation itself.
She checked her scroll. An hour had passed already, and she sighed. Time for another trip around the perimeter.
Lina lifted herself off the wooden fence that stopped the little children falling into the pit, and began marching stoutly around the edge of the village. She hadn't realised how cold it was getting, mostly from concentrating so long on something else, but now that the fresh air was moving past her face, the crispness of the night was really brought to her attention.
And the fresh air sharpened other realisations as well. Here she was, a young girl of barely eighteen, in the cold – in the middle of nowhere – doing an important job. This task in front of her, despite the potential loneliness and potentially harsh conditions, was vital to the village's survival. She was the first – and only – line of defence to protect the village if the wall was breached. She was the one to hold off the attack when she raised the alarm while the others were still rushing to her aid.
And that was important. Very important. She might not have made a name for herself yet, but did she really want to rush that? If something terrible happened right now, and she was the one that had to stop it, would that really be worth it to prove herself to… to who? Herself? Her parents? Lina wasn't even sure if she knew herself.
And what would it prove, anyway? That she wasn't really a Lavender? No, of course she was still a Lavender, she was just different. But what did that mean? The questions, the mistakes, the expectations from random strangers, they still wouldn't go away, that was no different to before.
But were they really that important?
That question combined with the crystal-clear night stuck deep in Lina's mind for the remaining five hours of her watch. By the end, she still wasn't sure she knew the answer, and so she woke Gale to begin her stint with a lot of questions on her mind.
"Gale?" she queried as the brown eyes opened sleepily.
"Yes, Lina? Oh, I mean…"
"It doesn't matter… I think." She cleared her throat. "Gale, what did Jasper say to the Sherriff about his weapon?"
"Jasper? I think he was just brutally honest, like he was with us. He initially made the gauntlets not as a weapon, but to protect himself and others from what happened if he touched them."
"Did he really go that far?"
"I think so. He thought the metal barrier would stop all his problems, but he didn't fully understand how aura worked at the time and that it wouldn't stop his semblance. So he just had to fight it, or at least control the bad aspects, with the help of Professor Goodwitch and his earlier combat teachers."
"Well, what about you?"
"Me?" Gale opened her eyes a little wider. "He hasn't asked me."
"Me neither. I've been wondering about it the whole six hours." Among other things, Lina thought.
"Well, maybe he's asleep. Or he only wanted to ask Jasper and Nero. But I'll tell you. I always wanted to be a great warrior from the first time I could hold a toy sword. I didn't care that most of the others didn't want to fight, but I thought that was the most exciting thing of all. I wanted to be like the King of Vale with his mighty sword in the Great War, or to be able to bring down the strongest opponent like the archer who brought down Achilles." She shook her loose, wild hair and grinned. "So I picked both!"
"Yeah, that very much suits you. I mean you know why I made my weapon, I never shut up about it last semester. I picked the most dangerous weapon I could think of, the furthest away from my sensible family's professional attitudes I knew because I hated the pomp and yet staleness associated with that name." Lina looked at the purple and black gun slung over her shoulder. "Kind of a rotten reason, really. I mean I like Autobeat, but I wish I'd made it for different reasons."
She settled down on the rolled-out blanket beside the coals of a fire Gale had set up earlier. "Maybe don't think about it as much as I did. It was a long six hours towards the end of it."
Gale saluted with a grin, clacked her boots together, and swivelled quickly to march towards the wooden drawbridge.
Lina lay there and pondered some more. Jasper had tried to fix his problems in much the same way she had, by putting up a barrier between himself and the world, instead of herself and her family. Neither had worked, and although he'd hurt himself and others a little, he'd gotten help for his semblance eventually. But how could she bring down that barrier, and let the world back in?
At least they didn't know her. Her friends did, and so did her classmates, and their view of her meant a good deal. And the others who didn't would know her name eventually, for a different reason, so maybe, just maybe, it would be alright.
Sherriff Leatherjack slipped back into the shadows as Lina was finishing her internal monologue, unneeded and unnoticed. Although he didn't know the fine details of each girl's story, what he had learned was enough. Sometimes, just like when they had first met, you didn't even need to ask questions to get answers.
