A/N: I return! There was a bit of a wait on this one while cause I been working a ton of overtime at work. I am pretty happy with how this one turned out, especially with the fight scene. I'm glad I at least got this out shortly after the volume 6 premiere! I really hope you guys like what I've done, and if ya do, feel free to leave some feedback! It's what keeps me coming back!
"Hm, well that was fast. It appears we have our first pair." Glynda said as she observed her Scroll.
"Oh? And who might that be?" Ozpin inquired, sipping from his mug.
"...Mr. Dylan Wave and Ms. Ravyn Nightengale." Glynda answered. "An interesting pair, to say the least. I do hope the girl's disability will not drag Mr. Wave down."
"-UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" Dylan continued to scream as he was dragged down by Ravyn, right up to the moment he crashed to the ground, with the girl landing feet first on his back. "Gaaaaaah... My spine..."
Ravyn quickly retracted her whips, forming her weapons back into daggers. "Stop complaining. I'm half your weight."
Dylan rose to from his laying position to now being on his hands and knees, glaring at the girl, who was wearing an asymmetrical outfit with one long right sleeve and one full left leg on her pants, as well as a white skirt and white pair of boots. "You just plucked me out of the sky and landed on my back after falling 500 feet! … Speaking of which, WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT!?"
The girl waved a hand in front of her blindfolded face. "I can't exactly see anything in the air."
"Yeah, well, I still don't understand how you see anything, apparently being blind as a bat." Dylan said, climbing to his feet.
"Semblance." She replied bluntly.
"Alright, stop right there. You can't just say Semblance and expect me to understand. What the hell IS your Semblance? Cause right now, I'm not so sure Cynthia wasn't right about the witch thing."
"Hmm..." Ravyn stopped and thought for a moment. "Well, perhaps it would be easier to show you." The girl walked to a nearby tree and pointed at the forest floor. "Do you see the shadow this tree is casting?"
Dylan nodded, crossing his arms. "Yeah. Gonna get to how YOU can see it?"
"Just watch." Ravyn stepped into the shadow cast by the tree... And soon began dissappearing into the ground.
"W-What the-!"
Ravyn soon vanished completely from sight, leaving Dylan staring wide-eyed where the girl had been standing only moments before.
"My Semblance-"
"GAH!" Dylan jumped back as he heard Ravyn's voice right in his ear, spinning around to see the girl standing right behind him.
"-is Shadow Sneak. I can sink into the shadows cast by anything and use them to maneuver around the battlefield." Ravyn went on to explain, pulling out her weapons and firing them into the shadow of the same tree she had indicated earlier. The dagger-whips disappeared into the shadow and reappeared from the trunk of another tree before vanishing into a another one. This continued for some time, the long whips of her weapons forming a spider web between the trunks of the trees. "I can also transfer this ability to anything, or anyone, I want."
"Holy crap... That's some ability... Wait, so, how does that help you see?" Dylan asked.
Ravyn retracted her whips before sheathing her daggers again. "My Semblance gives me a connection to the shadows. How they overlap and intersect. Using this connection, I can form a mental image in my head of exactly what my surroundings look like. If something casts a shadow, I can see it. I even have a vague idea of what you look like." The girl walked past him, now standing at his back. "However, my connection only works when my feet are on the ground. When I jump or am propelled into the air, I have only my own memory to go by."
"So, the reason you grabbed onto me was because you had a vague idea of where I'd be in the air, right?" Dylan turned around to face the girl.
Ravyn nodded. "Having lived the way I have for so long, my mind can work very quickly. I had to run math through my head, but I knew approximately where you'd be. Had I simply been launched like everyone else, I likely would have smashed into a tree."
"Gods... Maybe warn someone before you use them as a landing cushion next time?"
"I'll consider it. Now, we should be moving." Ravyn commented.
"True." Dylan walked past the girl in search of the Forest Temple.
"Not that way." Ravyn suddenly said.
"What?"
"The only thing that way is a pack of Beowolves. She raised her right hand and pointed. "We need to go this way. We'll find a path."
Dylan stared confusedly at the girl for a moment before throwing his hands up in defeat. "Alright. Guess I'll be relying on you to be my compass." And with that, he began to follow behind Ravyn.
Athena slashed at a thicket of vines before her with her blade, carving a path for herself as she searched for the forest temple.
She'd been walking for about 30 minutes now, and had yet to come across anyone. She figured Dylan being her partner was out the window, as she hadn't even seen where he'd fallen. She wasn't too concerned with who her partner would be, so long as she didn't wind up with Weiss or...
"That annoying, high-pitched, pink-" Athena swung her blade at another thicket of vines to cut them away.
"...Oh, you have got-"
"To be-"
"KIDDING MEEEEEEE!"
"And that's another pair. Ms. Athena Solaris and Ms. Cynthia Selene. Honestly, I'm not sure what you saw in a girl who would openly try to steal your wallet, Headmaster." Glynda said to Ozpin, who stood on the edge of the cliff overlooking the forest.
"Hm..." Ozpin hummed to himself, deep in thought as the trial of the Emerald Forest unfolded.
"You have no idea where we're going, do you?" Athena groaned at Cynthia as the duo wandered aimlessly through the forest.
"Of course I do! Faunus senses are way better than a human's." Cynthia boasted, her voice coming out as a half growl as she snapped at the girl. Which she had been doing for the last 20 minutes.
"Oh really? Because I've been leaving notches in the trees we pass." Athena placed a hand on the side of the nearest tree. "And we've passed Leafa here three times."
"Tch." Cynthia turned to face the redhead. "Well, if you think you're such a great navigator, why don't YOU take the lead?!"
Athena put her hands on her hips and got eye level with the pint-sized girl. "Oh, is that an option? Because I seem to remember something being said along the lines of 'Shut the hell up and follow me.'"
"Grrr... What is your problem!?" Cynthia snapped.
"MY problem?" Athena put a hand on her chest, indicating herself. "Last I checked, I wasn't the one lobbing half-eaten apples at people!"
"Hah! Seriously? You're still on about that? What, did I mess up little miss Big Buck's favorite dress?" Cynthia mocked. "At least I don't go around laughing at people because of how they look!"
Athena was taken aback. "H-How the hell do you even know I come from money."
"Well..." Cynthia walked up to Athena, brushing a hand across her cheek as she circled around, causing Athena to freeze up. "Soft, smooth, skin..." She played with the redhead's ponytail. "beautiful, silky smooth hair..." And she finally tugged on the girl's vest before spinning around behind Athena. "And really nice, expensive clothes. Please, you REEK of money. And that's not even mentioning your last name AND that you're friends with Little Miss Schnee."
Athena spun around. "So, what? You hate me because my family is rich?!"
"Close. I hate you because 1: You take one look at the tiny pink girl and laugh. And 2: You wouldn't know a hard life if it bit you in the ass." Cynthia tugged on her jacket. "See this outfit? Drug it out of a dumpster when I was 13. Too big then, but I finally grew into it. I've busted my ass to get to where I am. And you? How much did your family shell out to get Daddy's Little Girl into her dream school?"
Athena froze and clenched a fist at the last comment.
"No answer? That's all the answer I need." Cynthia shoved her way past the girl and continued walking.
"So you think I've just had it easy?" Athena said, her face pointed at the ground and her fists clenched.
Cynthia stopped in her tracks. "Finally find your voice, Daddy's Girl? Yeah, I think you got everything you ever wanted. Just like all you rich snobs."
Athena clenched her fist tighter. "Stop calling me that."
However, Cynthia persisted, acting scared and speaking in a mocking voice. "Oh daddy! Please, come save me! I'm cold and scared and there aren't enough 0's in my BANK ACCOUNT!"
Athena gritted her teeth and glared at the girl, finally truly snapping. "SO I GOT IT EASY, HUH? WELL, WHAT ABOUT YOU? BASED ON WHAT I HEARD, YOU GOT IN AFTER TRYING TO SWIPE OZPIN'S WALLET! WHO GOT THE FREE RIDE AGAIN?"
Cynthia stood frozen for a moment, only staring at the ground. Finally she walked up to Athena and punched her right in the face with a right hook.
Athena was sent reeling and held her cheek as she nearly tumbled to the ground. "...Can't even handle the truth, huh? You just resort to lashing out." The girl curled her hand into a fist and drove it straight into Cynthia's gut, sending the Faunus girl sliding across the ground. "Well, that's fine by me. I've got some anger to work out anyway."
"Ghh..." Cynthia held a hand to her gut, that hit knocking some wind out of her. Then, out of nowhere, the girl smiled. "Heh... The number of times I've taken a hit like that..." The Faunus reached to her back and pulled out her weapon, splitting it in two and shifting them into their tonfa-pistol mode. She bounced on her feet, ready for a fight. "What's your Semblance, girl? C'mon, gimme a little taste!" She held her weapons in front of her, pulling the triggers with her pinkies, and shot two fire bullets at Athena.
Athena stood her ground and took the hits like they were nothing, the burning projectiles not even singing her clothes. The redhead extended the blade of her weapon. "If you wanna fight, come get in close and see what I can really do."
Cynthia gritted her teeth and charged in. "Don't mind if I do!" She rushed in with a right handed swipe, aiming at Athena's face, but Athena blocked it with her blade and knocked her arm back, taking the chance to swing at Cynthia's face with her left hand, landing a strong punch on her cheek and dazing the girl for a moment.
Cynthia found her bearings quickly though and got back into the fray, clashing blades with Athena. But Athena was quick, blocking and dodging each strike, all with a stoic look on her face.
Realizing she was making no progress, Cynthia changed up her tactic. With each swipe she took at Athena, at the perfect moment, she pulled the triggers of her weapons and shot a fire bullet right at her face.
However, she quickly realized this was a mistake, as not only did the shots seem to leave no mark on the girl, she appeared to be getting even faster.
Suddenly, Athena swept Cynthia's legs out from underneath her by ducking down low to dodge an attack and delivering a sweep kick. She followed up by grabbing Cynthia by the face and tossing her against a tree, quickly retracting her blade and firing an ice bullet at her, instantly freezing the Faunus to the tree.
"Hah... Hah... Hah... Heh... You're Semblance... Has to do with fire, doesn't it?" Cynthia said, unable to move.
Athena charged at the girl quickly, delivering a series of blows to her face before smashing her fist through the ice and punching Cynthia directly in the gut, the sheer force of the attack snapping the tree in half and sending Cynthia flying.
"That's right." Was Athena's only reply as she stood, glaring at the girl now on the forest floor as steam rose from her body.
"Good... To know..." Cynthia got to her feet, still ready to fight.
"Learn when you've lost, already. We've got more important things to worry about."
"I'll stop when I'm good and ready!" Cynthia ducked low and slammed her weapons into the ground, firing explosive rounds at the dirt and kicking up a dust cloud.
"W-What the-"
"Aw, what's wrong, Daddy's girl?" Cynthia's voice rang out from somewhere around Athena, but where from she couldn't tell. "Can't see with those human eyes of yours?"
"Gah!" Athena cried out as she was hit with two icy cold bullets. "You little... Fight fair!" She yelled as she spun the Dust selector of her weapon and extended the blade, now burning with a bright flame.
"Hey, this is fair, princess! I'm just using my surroundings!"
"AH!" Another two shards hit Athena, weakening her further.
"HAAAAAAAH!" Cynthia suddenly dove at the girl from above, but Athena just managed to block the attack, clashing blades with the girl.
"G-Ghhhh... W-What the hell.. Is your problem with me?"
"You rich bastards are all the same! You never have to work for anything, and you never think to use all that Lien to help others! You see the cold, starving Faunus on the streets and you turn up your nose!" Cynthia was fuming now, pressing against Athena's fiery blade with all her might trying to overpower the girl.
"Hah... You're one to talk about other people being handed things! I don't care what the hell kind of life you've had! You don't know a damn thing about me! You just assume everything's been given to me!" Athena pressed even harder against Cynthia tonfas, her hand against the burning point of her own blade. "HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED MAYBE SOMETHING WAS TAKEN FROM ME!?" The girl suddenly lost her footing, sliding over a tree root, and losing the power struggle against Cynthia as the girl's tonfa slid past her defenses and gliding along her left cheek. "AH!"
Athena stumbled back, holding her cheek, but Cynthia wasted no time and kicked the girl to the ground, pressing a foot to her chest and aiming her weapons at the girl. "What the hell would you know about having something taken from you!? I've had everything taken! My home, my family, my damn dignity!" She leaned closer, the muzzles of her guns now only inches from Athena's face. "WHAT THE HELL COULD SOMEONE HAVE TAKEN FROM YOU!?"
"G-Ghhhh..." Athena struggled against Cynthia's foot crushing her chest, her teeth gritted and now on the verge of tears. "P-Please..."
"Please what!?"
Athena stopped struggling and looked up at the girl, her eyes pleading and tears threatening to fall. "Please... Don't make me relive it..."
Cynthia glared at the girl for moment longer as her request sank in. Finally, she sighed. "Kicking an opponent while they're down..." She put her weapons back into one sword and sheathed them quickly, holding out a hand to Athena. "I won't make you tell me, alright."
Athena batted the girls hand away and stood her feet, walking forward a few feet before hissing in pain and leaning against a tree. She reached into one of the pouches of her belt and pulled out a vial of ice Dust, holding it against the cheek Cynthia had cut.
Cynthia stood behind her, her arms crossed and a grin on her face. "I hit pretty hard, don't I?"
Athena pocketed the Dust again as the pain of her newly formed scar numbed. "You hit like a rabid monkey..." She then turned around to face the girl. "Look, I'm sorry you've had a rough life. And I'm sorry I laughed at you yesterday. But you still had no right to make so many assumptions about me. I'm here because I earned it. I don't even have access to my mother's money, because she doesn't want to support me being a Huntress."
Cynthia jammed her hands into the pockets of her hoodie. "And I'm sorry I;ve been such a bitch. You gotta understand, I used to live on the streets begging, and the ones that gave were never the ones that were wearing the latest fashion trends or who were late for brunch."
"Look... Let's just... Start over." Athena held a hand out to the girl. "Athena Solaris."
Cynthia stared at the hand for a moment before reaching out and taking it in a handshake. "Cynthia Selene."
Just as the two were making amends, however, Athena looked up into the treetops as a shadow loomed over them, her eyes going wide. She quickly leapt forward and tackled Cynthia to the ground. "Look out!"
"Whoa! Buy me a drink first at least!" Cynthia cracked, just as a massive crashing sound echoed through the forest from right behind them.
Both girls looked and found themselves looking at a VERY hungry and VERY massive Arachne, a tarantula-like spider Grimm.
"O-Oh crap..." Athena said to herself as they both stood to their feet.
"Damn, guess I'm so sexy, I'm even attracting spiders now!" Cynthia cracked again, apparently having no concept of 'not the time.'
Athena grabbed the girl by the wrist and began running through the trees. "Run, you idiot!"
Cynthia simply laughed and ran ahead. "Last one there's a rotten egg!"