The air inside the arena was cool and dry. I would have thought it would be hot with all the light beating down on it but it was a pleasant temperature. Across from us stood a team from Vacuo smirking at us. They were fit and tan in an array of sand colors and bright blues; an interesting contrast to our silver and black.
Team TCNO (Techno). An interesting choice. I observed the three males and the one female with an assessing eye. Elise, Elin and Peyton did the same.
The girl wore open metalwork gauntlets that tipped her fingers in wicked claws, the tall boy next to her carried what looked like two black cymbal with razor edges. The two boys next to them reminded me of Sun a lot, one carrying a set of cards and one carried two short swords.
"Hey there." The guy with two black cymbals said jovially. I nodded at him but remained silent. Their smiles grew wider.
"Our next match of the day is between team TCNO of Shade Academy and team DEEP of Beacon Academy! Oh, this will be an interesting match to be sure!" Professor Port boomed as the screens began to mix and match our terrain.
After going for a moment, all four settled on urban wasteland. I sucked in a quiet breath and sighed. "Home field advantage." I murmured and everyone nodded sadly. "Can we…" Peyton whispered, just barely reaching my ears.
"Oh yes, we can." I said, tipping my chin down. Elise gripped Serenity and slid the massive blade off her back. "3…"
Tech Slash's blades popped out of the sides, gleaming in the light.
"2…
Lightning and Strike uncoiled to the floor. Relaxing into an even stance, I let the pain flow through me, filling me with pure energy.
"1…"
I smiled.
"Fight!" Port boomed and Elin struck first. He lashed Strike out causing a wall of fire to hide us as we vanished into the broken terrain. Team TCNO raced forward as the fire dissipated only to find no trace of us.
I hid beneath a slab of concrete held up by a decapitated pillar. I could feel Elise, Elin and Peyton moving stealthily through the landscape to surround the unsuspecting team from Shade. They would have been more at home in a desert and they stuck together, surrounding the one girl on three sides.
Now why are they protecting you? I wondered, staring at the girl with the impassioned eyes of a predator. She wasn't weak but… perhaps she was their trump card.
I slid from shadow to shadow till I felt myself in the right place. Smiling I leapt from my hiding place and landed before the team. All of them faced me warily and the girl stared at me with surprise. She hadn't known I was there.
TCNO turned to fight me, advancing quickly, only to be caught in a trap when Elise and Peyton attacked from the back flanks. I started in on them, turning Orchid into a double ended bladed staff.
"What a sneak attack! Did you even see them move?" Oobleck asked Port.
My adrenaline was pumping through me and I could taste victory on my tongue. Then the young man with the two swords yelled. "Teesha! Now!" And the girl with the clawed gauntlets flung her hands out and made a grabbing motion.
Suddenly, I couldn't move.
My brain was telling my body to move or do something but it had lost all control of my body. A painful buzzing built beneath my skin. A similar phenomena was attacking Elise and Peyton. Pain twisted on Elise's face and her limbs began contorting strangely.
"Bring them down." The boy with the two short swords said gently. Teesha, obviously the girl who was attacking began to bring her outstretched arms down. Jerking spasmodically I began to sink down.
"Goodness gracious what's happening?" Oobleck called. "Well, my friend, it would seem that Teesha Reven has team DEEP in the grip of her Semblance!" My eyes jerked around in their sockets. My whole body was going haywire but I refused to drop my weapon.
"Teesha Reven of Shade, has the ability to control the electrical impulses inside the human body. Once she has you, you no longer have a say in what your body does." Port said and I grimaced. I stretched out a thread to Elin and wished I could laugh.
Elin was untouched! Teesha couldn't find him so he was unaffected by her Semblance. He had blend in with the background and was slowly sneaking closer to a prime spot.
Peyton's breath hissed between his teeth as the body with the two swords approached him. That's a bad idea. Then the boy with the strange cymbals started walking towards Elise. The boy with the deck of cards guarded the girl.
Perhaps it was the feeling of helplessness as I watched the enemy move toward my friends. Perhaps it was the adrenaline pumping through my body, heightening my battle sense. Perhaps I just wanted to win.
I jerked the hand with Orchid into the air and forced myself to click Orchid second trigger. Teesha, seeing me resist, focused down on me and the buzzing in my body became unbearable. I had to give in. So I smiled as I released my muscles and allowed Teesha to slam my arm down.
She smirked and the boy with the two swords raised them up to strike Peyton. He was met with resistance.
Peyton's arm went up and blocked the attack. Peyton's smile was devastating gentle as he punched the poor boy square in the chest. He flew high in the air and landed hard. The boy with the deck looked at Peyton surprised when I advanced on him.
Teesha was still recovering from taking three knives to her face. Her aura protected her from the blades but the forced had knocked her concentration and her Semblance stopped. "Elin!" I called as the card user squared up to take me on.
There was a swish and a whistle before Elin's whip coiled sharply around Teesha's waist. She gasped as Elin pulled her into the urban wasteland. "Teesha!" The boys called out, but they were quickly fighting for their own lives.
Peyton faced the boy wielding the two swords once he stood. "Noro! Be careful!" The boy who faced Elise called back before facing off with the short girl, his cymbals looking ominous.
"Oh and it looks like Teesha Reven is out of commission by ring out! It's now a three on four match! How will TNCO recover?" Port called as the young leader of team TCNO was flung out of the wasteland into the force field surrounding the arena. Elin did quick work. "Yes, well, team DEEP is one of Beacon's Elite teams who have complementary styles and Semblances. Their leader, Dahlia, has a Healing Semblance so if any team wants to win against them, they have to take her out first or she'll just keep healing herself and her team..." The card user grinned at me and I just winked at him.
"Unfortunately for Mr. Oneel Jenkins, Ms. Derivalle is also one of the most ferocious fighters to step on a battlefield."
Go big or go home, Dahlia. I split Orchid into four blades and zigzagged towards the card user who barely had time to fire his razor edged cards at me before I was on him. My beautiful silver blades split his cards in half. I was on him, whirling, kicking and striking so fast that he couldn't begin to figure out how to defend himself, draining his aura.
I didn't want the fight over too soon so smiling darkly I put Orchid back together into a simply double bladed staff and kneed Oneel in the stomach before disappearing back into the urban terrain. Peyton watched and followed suite. Elise thwacked the boy with the sharpened cymbals in the backs of his knees and knocked him down before she too vanished.
Then all was very quiet except for the three boy's harsh breathing.
I do have a slight flare for the dramatic.
I could feel the crowd before the arena. They were on the edge of their seats in anticipation. Fear and awe shrouded them. Where had we gone? Their eyes searched the terrain for a sign of our shadows moving among the broken buildings and cracked concrete.
They wouldn't find us though.
I met around Elin who smiled at me crazily. "Having fun, aren't we?" Peyton chuckled. "It's a performance, my dears. Let's shake them up a bit, shall we? Elin, you take lead on this. You've got the range. I'll jump them up with rifle shots. Keep them on their toes till you can lure them into the terrain. And make them vanish. Then throw them to the ring." Elise nodded grinning wildly.
Yes, it was a performance. The arena was our stage.
"Showtime." I said before crawling like a spider from shadow to shadow around the terrain. When I looked next, the three boys were back to back looking fiercely for us. A few times Oneel would shoot cards at a random place.
Shake them up.
I shot at Noro's foot twice and Oneel returned fire but I was no longer there. Elin's whip flicked out a just barely kissed the back of the boy with the cymbals calf. "Corbdin, behind you!"
When they turned, I fired at them from my new position and added up the time in my head. This game would begin to bore if used too long and Elise would get frustrated.
A little longer then.
I passed behind Peyton. "Tell Elise, wait for the signal and then attack from the north side. Force them towards me." He nodded and went to tell the others. Elin toyed with them and I kept them on their toes
When I was opposite to Elin and the others, I flashed Orchids blade into the eyes of the sword boy, Corbdin. "There!" He called, turning Oneel my direction. Cards raced by me and I waited and watched.
Then I heard them yell. Peeking around I saw Peyton go to hit Noro, who's swords just couldn't get up fast enough. Suddenly there was a black hole that he ran through and it vanished behind him, opening up not too far from the fight, closer to me. Interesting Semblance…
"Noro Velacrux portaled out of the way just in time!" Port called excitedly. Now Elise faced Corbdin with his strange cymbals again. His aura was already low from her strikes but I could see that she was waiting for a big finale.
Corbdin struck his cymbals together and suddenly Serenity was jerking out of Elise's hand. For a moment, they stood there like that: Corbdin with his cymbals facing outward, pulling Serenity forward and Elise gripping Serenity's handle, pulling back.
At his time, Elin engaged Oneel with his cards and were fairly evenly matched. Elin looked quite incredible with his coat flapping behind him and his shadowed and contoured face, all serious and beautiful. His boyfriend in turn was purely terrifying. I never realized how intimidating Peyton could be!
He was huge and dressed in black and silver gave him the appearance of being much bigger. His manly chiseled features were hard and his face was entirely devoid of expression. His hair flung behind him like a flag on a massive flagpole. For a second I felt bad for Oneel.
I think Doctor Oobleck was wrong. I wasn't the most ferocious on the battlefield. My team was ferocious.
With Elise like thinking, I watched Elise smile evilly before letting go of Serenity. I'm positive that the metal on her body was being pulled forward as well which made the result even more impressive.
Serenity hurtled point first toward Corbdin, who turned very pale, and close behind was little Elise. Many only thought that her arms were strong. They couldn't realize how wrong they were till the saw Elise push off from something. Her legs were just as powerful as her arms.
Add to that the pull of the magnetic cymbals and Elise covered ground fast.
Corbdin dropped the cymbals down and tried to drop into a counterattack stance so that he could wield the edges of his weapon but it was already too late.
Elise's hand closed around her Serenity, pivoting on her right foot, she spun in a wide arc and used Serenity like a baseball bat. The wide flat blade connected with the boy with so much power behind it, I was glad his aura wasn't completely drained because after that attack, it was gone and so was he. He hit the opposite ring wall hard enough to knock him unconscious. "Oh my! Elise Thayet has concussed Corbdin Riddle out of the arena and depleted his aura and he is now out for the game. Medical officials are on their way to check on him. It's two on four now folks and team DEEP isn't letting up!" Oobleck called followed by Professor Port.
"It would seem that the two left have forgotten what is hiding inside the wasteland." He said ominously and I smiled. Port had a flare too.
Noro had Oneel following behind him and they were portaling away from Elise, Elin and Peyton, who followed behind them closely, herding them to their doom till they were well within the urban terrain, then they too vanished. And I bid my time, waiting for the opportune moment.
Orchid's blades scraped the ground behind me, throwing up sparks. It was time to finish this fight.
Elin came up next to me. I held up a fist before him. "Wait…"
They came a little closer. "Wait…"
I could hear their labored breathing. Elin smiled. "Almost…"
They ran by the short concrete tunnel we hid beneath and threw down my fist. Lightning and Strike flung out and caught the two boys and with a mighty pull of his arms, the boys vanished into the darkness. There were gasps around the stadium and all eyes went to the aura board where quite suddenly, the boys aura's fell.
My attacks were quick and precise, before I took a step back and allowed Peyton and Elise to pick one boy up and throw him out of the ring.
The buzzer rang. "Team DEEP has won! A double knock out! What a fight! Team DEEP will be moving onto the doubles round! They look unstoppable folks!" We came from the shadows and into the light, the roars of thousands of people surrounding us.
I saw us on the screen and my chest nearly burst with pride. We looked amazing and we had won!
Victory was heady liquor. I wanted to dance, to sing, to sleep, and to find Oz and celebrate properly. But instead, I put a fist in the air and listened to the crowds cheer for us. Elise hugged me, then Elin and then Peyton picked all of us up in a bear hug.
"P-Peyton…" I gasped. "Oh sorry." He said blushing and setting us down.
We walked out of the arena with our heads held high and when we were greeted by our sister teams I almost cried I was so happy. I hadn't felt this way in ages. Blake jumped into my arms. "That was incredible!" She yelled in an unexpected outburst. I laughed and caught her tight. The babble I was surrounded with for once didn't frighten me. At least not at first.
I got stressed for a little and I begged off going to Raindance to celebrate so that I could go check on team TCNO. Elise and the lovebirds decided to follow me. Team TCNO had been worthy opponents and I wanted to acknowledge their fight.
Down in the healing rooms, I found them lounging around with ice bags on their formidable bruises. When I walked in they looked around alarmed till I held my hands up, clinging to Orchid. "Fights over." I said smiling. They looked at each other unsure. Teesha recovered first. "Congrats. You guys were really good." She said, testing out the tone.
Elise grinned. "Thanks. You guys were great too." I nodded. "Definitely put us in a pinch a time or two. We were wondering if you'd like to come grab some food with us." Noro glared at us. "We don't need your pity." He growled, and inside he was full of resentment. Teesha gave him a slashing look but said nothing.
I looked at Noro coolly. "Pity? This isn't pity. You were worthy opponents on the battlefield and I'm trying to show my appreciation for your skills." The boy looked away from me. Oneel half smiled. "Noro's just a sore loser." I cast a baleful look at Elise. "I understand that all too well." Elise pouted at me. "Hey!"
TCNO chuckled. Teesha's smile was warm. "We'd love to get some food with you. Definitely worked up an appetite, I'll tell you!" Right at that moment, Elise's stomach growled, sounding like an angry Ursa. Corbdin, with an icepack laying on his forehead grinned and tried to sit up. Elise had knocked him good.
He grew woozy and sighed. "You guys go ahead. I can't get up yet at the moment. Just bring me back something." He was disappointed and I could tell Noro was going to back out of going to dinner with us. It was my turn to grin. "I can fix that." I said, limping to the boy's side.
I could feel the other three team members trying to match up the image of me fighting and me walking and they weren't making any sense of it. I didn't say anything and left it to their imaginations. Let them think they wounded me or something.
Placing a hand on Corbdin's forehead, I Healed the concussion and swept away the symptoms in moments. I knew where the trauma had come from so it was simple to fix it. After that, he sat up and shook his head.
"Awesome." His grin reminded me strongly of Sun and I wished the monkey boy was with me. He would have related much better to these kids than I would.
The eight of us moved out of the room and headed for the fairgrounds, chatting about the fight and Semblances. Teesha and Elise hit it off and Corbdin tried to keep up with the conversation. Oneel was listening to Peyton rattle on about coding and technobabble while Elin translated. Only Noro remained aloof and I walked with him, easing the sting in his pride.
At the booth Medro was running, he finally opened up and talked to us, even cracking a few jokes. He leaned very close to Teesha and discussed sharpening methods with Elise.
I was content. I had completed my objective. TNCO would not think of us in fear outside of the arena. I never wanted that. Inside the ring, yes, I wanted people to respect and fear our abilities. Outside? No. Too much of my life has been colored with fear in every aspect of it for me to want it outside the arena. Team DEEP was quirky and funny and playful. That's what I wanted to show TCNO.
Seeing and feeling them relax filled me with untarnished pleasure.
I wanted to be respected. Not feared.
So when we parted ways after dinner and team TCNO promised to cheer for us with sincerity and Elise hooked her arm around my waist I wasn't surprised to hear her say. "Very clever, Mommy Quicksilver. Take the defeated out to dinner, show them the nice side to us and gain supporters as well as backers and friends. I like your style."
It made me laugh. "Is Daren here?" Elise smiled happily and nodded at another tent. Daren was there indeed, waiting for Elise no doubt but my heart thudded when I saw who he was conversing with.
As we approached, both Daren and Mykel stood up from their chairs. "Excellent fight, my friends!" Daren said jovially, sweeping around to steal Elise from me. I relinquished her regretfully but I faced Mykel with a smile on my face. "What a fight, Ms. Dahlia. It gave me… chills." Goosebumps ran up my arms and down my back. Mykel's smile widened. His eyes traveled up and down me quickly enough to be considered courteous. "You look fantastic. Mr. Thayet has an eye for artwork." Elin blushed happily but Peyton's eyes narrowed and his face remained blank.
"I'm sure you will continue to prove that Beacon is the superlative Huntsman academy. I look forward to seeing you more." His gray eyes gazed at me like he was searching for something. "Thank you, Mykel." I replied back just as gentle as he. "Are you competing?" He shook his head and his thick hair swish pleasantly. "No. I prefer for whoever I fight in the future to be unaware of my full battle potential." My smile was now very wolfish. It was… fun to go back and forth with Mykel. He didn't scare me nearly as much anymore. "It would be someone's great regret to think that my team's potential can be measured in a friendly competition." I played with the claw on my Grimm necklace, reminding him that my team has already been tested in combat.
He took my hand and kissed it long, pressing all his lips to my knuckles. "I'm very sure that you are correct, Ms. Dahlia. Have a pleasant night." As he walked away I fought down the urge to go after him and either hug him or kill him and I caught Peyton's eye. He struggled with the same concept but I believe without the hugging part. He looked at Mykel Dionard like a hound looks at a rattlesnake in his path.
"That one bears keeping a keen eye on." He murmured and I nodded, Elin missing the exchange as he watched Elise melt happily into Daren's arms. Brother instincts struggled in him and Peyton fixed that by pulling the shorter boy in for a passionate kiss.
After that, Elin was quite happy to forget his sister's canoodling.
I entered Oz's office in high spirits. He sat at his desk with holo screens projected before him, sipping his coffee; waiting for me.
Knowing that no one would be coming, I boldly strode up and sat on his lap and gave him a kiss. "Hello, darling." He said with laughter in his voice. "Hello, my love. So, did you see me?" He set his coffee down and wrapped his arms around me. "You think I would miss my lover fighting for the honor of my school in the tournament? Especially looking like this?" He chuckled, tracing the straps of my outfit. "I have it recorded."
It popped up and I watched the fight from a different perspective. Truly, it was a performance. I knew that we could have beaten them in moments just from watching. "It was mean of you to play with them, but most impressive." It was sort of creepy when you watched. We were there then gone and not even a shadow could be found, since it was the shadows in which we hid.
Black and silver. Team DEEP was beautiful and terrifying. It was also strange to here Professor Port warn the opposing team of 'what was hiding within the wasteland' with such a portentous tone. "You were positively magnificent."
The kiss I gave him left him gasping.
"Truly you are ferocious in battle. Be it arms or tongues." He murmured, leaning back in his strange chair. I nuzzled his left cheek with my nose and he smiled, sighing contently. Happiness flowed between us. Then I yawned.
"Come on. Up." He said, prodding me up. I groaned and stood up, watching him turn his desk to its dormant mode. I pulled the lever and hobbled up the stairs in front of him. I had practically moved into his room.
A second set of my toiletries was already in his bathroom, changes of my clothes were tucked in his dresser, my spare boots were by his bookshelf, my herbs, teas and tinctures were all in his kitchen and my scent was sufficiently melded to the room that any other Faunus would know that his room was mine.
We began to change and I quickly haphazardly threw on the white button up that I had claimed and settled to watch him change. Gods, I loved the way he moved.
Playfulness crept into me as he was pulling his undershirt off over his head and I ducked in real quick and gently nipped his hip bone. He jumped but only looked at me. I did this again several times, licking or gently nipping any sensitive exposed skin but he plain refused the invitation. He kept his emotions well in check and kept getting ready to sleep.
He must be really tired, I thought wonderingly. Oz never refused an invitation, not since I had come back from Mountain Glenn. I shrugged it off, knowing I would get him later. I stood and hobbled to water the plants before we went to sleep. He had kept the beautiful Orchids flowering since I had known him. I suspected either magic or more likely a dust compound.
But before I could touch the watering can, I was suddenly pressed up against the cold glass. I gasped at the chill that ran through my body when the cold seeped through my thin nightgown across the sensitive skin of my breasts. It was a wonderful contrast to the warm body pressed against my back. A gentle hand wound itself in my hair and tugged slightly.
"Did you really think you were going to get off that easy?" A very husky voice murmured in my ear. Excitement raced through me and I was no longer cold at all.
He turned me around and the hand that held my hair then cupped the back of my head gently and the arm that had pinned me was wrapped around my lower back. He kissed me and I saw the fire in his loving brown eyes. "Oh, I hoped I wouldn't." He smiled and kissed me again before picking me up, letting me wrap my legs around his waist, and carrying me to the bed.
We made love; he kissed me goodnight and then promptly fell deep asleep. The adrenaline had carried me far but I was tired. I had a wonderful day full of excitement and victory and love. So when I read the message that beeped on my scroll at three in the morning I knew that I had to cherish the memory of that day.
I fell asleep, my arms wrapped tightly around Oz, wondering why General Ironwood had messaged me.
Ms. Derivalle, congratulations on your triumph today. If you and your team would please meet me on my command ship tomorrow at noon, I would be much obliged. I may have an assignment that requires team DEEP's skills and knowledge. Respectfully, James Ironwood