Author note please look below if you are interested in the inspiration for Maple Haida.
Maple and Tomoko kept up their firing to keep the Grimm off their partners, meanwhile Beurling and Frenda kept running cutting and whacking their way through the Grimm that were in front of them.
Once Frenda and Beurling had rounded the corner where they had started their charge, Maple and Tomoko stopped firing "Right, let's go." Maple spoke.
Tomoko folded up the bi-pod and ran after Maple down the stairs, once they were down, they met up with Frenda and Beurling who were waiting for them. Once they had all linked up, they ran down a few streets to lose the handful of Grimm that might have followed them, a took cover in a house as Frenda was showing off the dice she had picked up.
"Was that it?" asked Tomoko.
"Yeah, this or coins, seems a disappointing thing to pick up." Frenda spoke as she tossed the dice in the air, before handing it to Maple.
"Why it was stuff like that?" Tomoko asked, while looking at Maple like she had the answer but Maple was just as stumped.
"Well captain cryptic over there." Frenda said will pointing at Beurling who was keeping watch by a window "Said it was good metaphor for Vacuo." Tomoko and Maple looked a little confused at Frenda who just shrugged.
"Beurling care to explain that?" Maple asked.
"Living in Vacuo is hard." Beurling spoke while keeping her eyes on the window "Lots of the country is nomadic tribes, surviving here is a mixture of experience or luck mostly the latter." Beurling bit her bottom lip at that "It's a luck of the dice or a toss of a coin if you are killed or not."
The whole room, had a sombre feeling after Beurling's talk, it almost made Tomoko forget it was so hot right now and that they needed to move.
"Well, that was happy tone." Frenda spoke.
Beurling shock her head "It's the way it is here." she spoke while lighting a new cigarette "Don't worry you keep your whit's about you and you'll be fine." Beurling spoke, Tomoko wasn't feeling all to happy now her luck was quite bad and this wasn't making her feel happier.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, turning she could see Maple smiling at her, Tomoko returned the smile, though she wasn't feeling all that happy.
"Anyway, ignoring your doom and gloom." spoke Frenda "I got 28, how many did you get?"
"28 isn't bad, still some way behind my 31 but not bad, for an Atlassian."
Frenda pouted "You, cheater, I want a rematch!"
Beurling shook her head "We've not finished yet, got to get to the hill first." Maple spoke with a glint in her eye, Frenda had a smug smile on her face "Still not going to win." said Beurling taking her cigarette out her mouth.
"Hey, why you encouraging them?" asked Tomoko.
"It keeps them motivated." answered Maple "Besides why not let them have a little fun, alright everyone be ready to go in five minutes."
Tomoko spent those five minutes checking her gun and trying to load as mush of her used magazines as she could. She glanced over at the others Maple had gone to second window to try and plan a route "Over the roofs again most likely" Tomoko thought to herself, Frenda was doing the same as her but she had used far fewer, Beurling meanwhile had gone over to Maple for a few seconds then had gone back to her original window looking out it and smoking a new cigarettes "Is she a chain smoker or something?" Tomoko thought looking at her, Beurling glanced over her shoulder looking at Tomoko, she then turned back to look out the window.
Once the five minutes were up, the group stood up and made their way back to the roof, having to help Frenda back up to it again, and then it was the usual combination of running and jumping, roof top to roof top.
"Urgh, this is getting really tiring Maple." Tomoko could hear Frenda shouting.
"It's not too far now." Maple replied.
After Jumping a few more houses they heard a screeching noise, looking up they could see a Nevermore, it wasn't that big but it was still big enough to kill them if it wanted to, the only good thing was that it was far away and if they needed to they could kill it but it would be a challenge.
"Alright girls, let's get moving."
"Aw, but I want to fight it."
"No, we have no time and besides I'd rather not have to fight that thing"
Just then the Grimm turned its head slightly before it started to turn in mid-air "Time to leave!" shouted Maple, the four started their run again, after they had jumped two houses, they heard the Grimm screech again, turning Tomoko could see it diving at them. She saw Frenda turn her hammer to try and shoot at the Grim before Maple shouted "Save it, we're at a disadvantage!" Frenda lowered the hammer before running with the rest of them.
Just as she had reached the next house, she heard Maple shout for them to take cover, she saw Maple, Beurling and Frenda took cover behind a raised wall of the roof. Tomoko had just jumped when Maple had shouted and just as she landed when she turned to see the Nevermore had fired its spear like feathers at them one was coming right at her "Oh no." she thought.
Suddenly she felt herself being shoved onto the roof face first with something laying on top of her, then the air was filled with the sound of the feathers hitting their building and the buildings around her, she then heard the Grimm fly over screeching again as it flew by.
Once it was quite the thing that had pushed and landed on Tomoko got off her, looking to her side she could see a feather had landed right where she had been, looking up she could see a hand out before her "You really need to stop making a habit of this." spoke Beurling.
When Tomoko was on her feet, she saw Frenda and Maple were busy dusting themselves off "That is one mean birdy." spoke Frenda.
"Yes, now I suggest we move before it comes back." spoke Maple.
The others agreed and made back to running over the houses without another word or incident to interrupt their exit from the settlement.
Once they had reached the hill where the teachers they had seen on the transport was waiting for them, they were pointed to another transport that was waiting for them and all four boarded, just as they had sat down its engines started up, the doors had closed and a voice came over the intercom "Ladies and Gents, this is your pilot Hannah Blau, please beware this is a no smoking transport, please buckle up and enjoy the music."
Just as the transport pulled away Tomoko could hear a music she had never heard before playing, she had just relaxed when she heard Frenda speak "Hey, Beurling, you going to be ok with the no smoking rule." this caused a small amount of giggling among the girls "I'll be fine, besides I still beat you remember" Frenda scowled and retorted "I won't lose next time." Beurling retorted in kind with a "Promises."
Looking over at the others in the seating area Maple and Frenda we sat at the far end seats attached to the wall, Beurling sitting by herself in the middle and she was sat on the opposite wall and diagonal from Maple and Frenda.
Tomoko had just let out a breath when she saw Beurling stand up and move to other side of the central seats and stand next to the closest seat to her and facing her, Tomoko felt a little uncomfortable having Beurling staring at her, just as she was about to ask what she was staring at Beurling asked her a question.
"You ok if I sit here?" Beurling asked.
Tomoko was a bit stunned to have Beurling ask her something seeing as Beurling had pretty much throughout the whole time they were in the settlement hardly spoken to her "Erm, yeah." she eventually replied.
Beurling sat down, she looked a bit uncomfortable to Tomoko, Beurling then sighed before speaking "Look, I just wanted to say thanks for helping me" Tomoko was a little stunned she hadn't expected that, she was so stunned she dropped her gun, which hit her foot and the floor with a clatter "OW!" she exclaimed "That really hurt."
Beurling got out her seat, kneeled in front of Tomoko and picked up the foot, which caught Tomoko by surprise again, Beurling then unlaced the boot before taking it off the foot. Before Beurling started feeling the foot and her toes.
"Erm what are you…?"
"Checking nothing is broken"
Tomoko was about to ask why the sudden concern, till she noticed something on Beurling's neck, that was revealed by Beurling's jumper moving slightly, Tomoko involuntary moved her hand to what appeared to be a scar, she'd just touched it when Beurling grabbed her wrist to move the hand off her.
"Beurling your neck it's…"
"It's personal" she said looking away, Beurling then looked back, her eyes seemed that have changed they looked softer now, almost like they belonged to a girl Beurling's age, not the dull aged eyes she had first seen, Tomoko thought, Beurling then asked "Can you not tell them?" Beurling indicated to Maple and Frenda "I just don't want to talk about it ok?" Beurling asked looking rather humble and if Tomoko had to put a word to how else she looked it would be scared.
Tomoko nodded, Beurling then spoke again "Thanks."
Tomoko smiled a little, she'd actually had Beurling talking to her "Maybe we can work together." she thought, letting go of the frustration and mild anger she had from Beurling's behaviour to her before.
Beurling bit her lip, looking a little embarrassed, before she spoke again "And, sorry for before as well."
"Erm, no it's ok, I'm sure you had your reasons" she spoke, a little embarrassed herself but she couldn't think why, as she put her boot back on.
"Aw, you making a move there Tomoko, that's bold of you." Tomoko could hear Frenda shout out.
"Wait, what, no, it was nothing like that." Tomoko shouted back, feeling her cheek blush.
"Oh, so what were you doing getting all touchy with Beurling's neck for huh?"
"Why don't you mind your own business?" Beurling retorted, while she stood up, placing herself between Tomoko and Frenda in an almost defensive posture.
"Where did this come from anyway?" Tomoko asked though regretted it immediately.
"Well Beurling did say she was picking you up a lot, and she kept defending you like a knight," Frenda said with a grin on her face "Then theirs her getting all touchy with your foot Tomoko."
"Ok, enough." Maple cut in quietly be sternly before things escalated "Frenda leave them alone."
"Ok, it was just a little teasing, no need to get so embarrassed about it."
Beurling sat down back on the seat, Tomoko had her face buried in her hands trying to hide her face, till she heard Beurling speak again "Hey, Tomoko?" Beurling asked, Tomoko shot her head up that was the first time she had heard Beurling use her name "Yes?" she asked.
"Look, I know we haven't really had a good start to our relationship, but we're partners now so how about we start over and I'll try to be less cold to you, ok?" Beurling put her hand out "That ok partner?"
Tomoko swallowed, and she couldn't help her tail wagging with nerves "Yeah, that's ok, partner." she said with a smile she couldn't help. Beurling also smiled a little before dropping her head back to rest a bit.
Tomoko did the same, she was exhausted, looking over she could see Maple and Frenda had done the same "Guess it's been a long day." she thought as she closed her eyes.
Maple Haida is based quite heavily inspired by Canadian Culture and Military History.
Her first name is obviously form the maple leaf.
Her second name is from her Ceremonial Flag ship of the Canadian Navy the HCMS Haida a tribal class Destroyer which is also a tribe of Indian or first nations people as i have read recently they are being called so i thought i would use this for a bit more of her character her head band is based off a flag i found on the internet for the Haida people.
Her fighting style of a scout was based off how the British and French used the all the native tribes in the seven years war, as scouts and skirmishers which gave me the idea for her Semblance. Now she was going to be given a sub-machine gun but then i heard the song Ghost in the Trenches by Sabaton about the Sniper Francis Pegahmagabow and i felt i couldn't not use that after hearing the song so she became a Sniper and fitted better now that i think on it.
I hope you liked this.