"Why don't you use your weapons in combat?" Rhia asked Sin as they along with their teammates returned to their dorm room.
Sin had just finished an exhibition match against another student, "The Twins would make it too easy" he answered.
"It wasn't already easy?" Rhia asked him, "He never laid a hand on you, you dodged everything perfectly."
Sin grinned, "Oh, well that's my semblance at work beautiful. When it's active I see everything moving slower giving me more time to react, it's pretty useful."
"So you see in slow motion?" Rhia summed up to which Sin nodded, "With an ability like that is it even possible for you to lose?"
"Of course it is" Sin told her dropping to a sitting position, "I'm not invincible" he shrugged, "Well not yet. I obviously can't evade an attack coming from a blind spot unless I already know it's coming and if my opponent outclasses me enough I can still be overwhelmed which is why I rely on my speed to outmaneuver others."
Rhia glanced over her shoulder, "What about you Brick? What's your semblance?"
The titan of a Faunus met her eyes, "Fortificazion" his accent heavy. "Mein aura regenerades vile mein schtrength und enturance increazes. Zin vould descripe me as ein mopile moundain."
Rhia's gaze moved forward again, "It's hard to decipher his accent sometimes."
"He becomes a walking mountain" Sin translated, "His aura regenerates and he becomes twice as strong and tough. I'm not exaggerating when I call him a tank" he flashes his friend a grin, "I love you buddy."
A silent nod as a reply and Sin returned his attention to Rhia, "So what about you my love? What's your semblance?"
Sitting at the edge of her bed Rhia's lips curved as she smiled and a clone of her appeared next to her mirroring her movements, "I can create an illusionary copy of myself, a decoy if you will. I can have it mimic my movements or act independently of me, but" she pauses to swing her arm at the clone which vanishes upon contact, "They are only illusions. They can't hurt anyone, but they can be useful as distractions. I mostly prefer to use them in close combat, summoning one with a foot of myself. My enemy will end up striking that one leaving them open for me to strike with my tonfa or shotgun, which you can imagine at close range can be devastating."
Sin rested his chin against his fist, "Smart is sexy Rhia."
The fox Faunus looked away, her cheeks brightening and her smile running away, "I…well I."
Her sister spoke up, "If you're done flirting with my sister we have studying to do."
"You're right" Sin said turning to Alena as she sat at her desk, "But first, how about your semblance?"
A forfeiting sigh escaped Alena's mouth, "My semblance let's me track someone's aura. The more familiar with someone I am the more clearly and further away I can sense them."
"That's pretty cool actually" Sin admitted, "If any of us were to ever be separated during a mission you could find us."
"If I want to" Alena said more as a correction than a response, "I might decide to leave you wherever you are."
"Careful" Sin smirked, "If you get any colder you just might drop the temperature in the room."
Alena retorted, "Maybe I'll get lucky and you'll freeze to death."
Sin pretended to shiver, "Yeah there it is" he quickly turned his attention back to Rhia, "Maybe we could keep each other warm."
Throwing a textbook at him a rosy tint once again colored Rhia's cheeks, "Study first."
Sin rubbed his chest after the book hit him, "Fine, but before that tell me how you unlocked your semblance. We've known each other for almost a year and have been a team for a month and we still don't know much about each other."
"Well" Rhia began thinking back to the day she first used her semblance, "I actually discovered mine after we enrolled at the Desert Mast. I went out to train alone and a King Taijitu appeared and attacked me."
Sin's thumb darted over his shoulder to Brick sitting in the far corner, "Brick there discovered his not long after I met him. The two of us got into a street fight with some other lowlifes. They had weapons we didn't and it didn't matter."
Rhia shifted on her bed setting her back against the wall and opening her text book, "Alena discovered hers before we left Atlas. We got separated and she panicked."
"I would to if I lost sight of you" Sin admitted finally opening his own text book, "I unlocked my semblance during a fight."
"Is that all you did?" Alena asked him, "Get in one fight after the other?"
Sin shrugged, "That's what happens when you grow up on the streets, one day everyone just started moving slower. Of course it took a while before I was able to do it whenever I wanted."
Alena asked, "And how long will it be before we can study without you talking?"
Sin shrugged, "I like the sound of my own voice I will not apologize for that" his eyes darted to Rhia again, "Of course I like the sound of your angelic voice even more."
Rhia turned away from him, "Enough, we have a test in two days we need to study."
Sin pouted and moaned, "I don't wanna."
Alena groaned, "And I don't want to listen to you talk every ten seconds."
Sin corrected, "Seven seconds" he leaned back as Alena threw a pen at him, "Hey" he called pointing at her, "Hostile work environment."
"Enough" Rhia told them, "Come on can't you two go one day without getting on each other's nerves."
Sin looked at her, "But it's fun."
Alena sighed pinching the bridge of her nose, "I'm going to shoot him."
Rhia opened a notebook, "Later Alena we have work to do" she began taking notes, "Here's what we'll do. We each take notes on a different chapter and compile them for final study tomorrow, sound good."
Sin finally settled down and opened his textbook, "I really loathe studying, it's so boring."
"Just do it" Rhia ordered.
Sin saluted with his pen, "By your command milady."
Rhia shook her head as the room settled into silence, though she enjoyed Sin's sometimes excessive enthusiasm she often found herself wishing he would devote that energy into their school work instead of flirting with her or antagonizing Alena. She risked a glance at her teammate who had finally quieted down, his pen dancing across the pages of his notebook, despite his antics he was a diligent student when he was focused and awake. Since she had met him and Brick she had taken note of the extreme contrast in their personalities, Brick perpetually calm and quiet while Sin when awake was nearly always rambunctious and open especially when making his flirtatious comments to her.
The Faunus girl felt her cheeks heat up again, one of the first things Sin said to her when they first met was asking her out, "Does he actually like me?" she asked herself, "He's been like that since we met, always flirting in some way or another. We honestly don't know each other that well, I mean who does that, who asks someone out while only knowing their name?"
Her attention returned to her study material, "There's no denying he's nice if a bit wild at times, he's funny and even a little charming, but he's a Human and I'm a Faunus, why would he be interested in me?"
"For the record" Sin began shattering the silence in the room.
Alena sighed again, "Called it, he can't go more than a few minutes without talking."
"As I was saying" Sin continued, "The only reason I'm doing this is to help you three, I prefer to roll the dice and see where I end up, but as a teammate and friend I will pitch in and help. Despite how maddening and boring this whole studying thing is."
Rhia forced another smile back keeping her focus on her studies, "We thank you for your sacrifice."
She had expected him to make another comment, another kittenish remark as he always did, but instead he fell silent again the textbook in front of him obtaining his attention once more. He was serious, despite his desire to continue goofing around he wanted to help his team in any way he could. He told them that he and Brick grew up on the streets in the more unruly parts of Mistral often getting into fights with other urchins and lowlifes, but she couldn't imagine that being the case, they were too nice Sin and Brick both they couldn't have lived like that, but why would they lie if they didn't?
Rhia's eyes moved to her sister she was sitting at the corner desk her chair at an outward facing angle, Rhia knew she was sitting like that to keep Sin in her peripheral. Alena still didn't fully trust their teammates especially Sin, not that Rhia blamed her considering their past as well as their own, but if they were to make it as a team then they needed to be able to trust each other. Alena had always been protective of her little sister even more so since their parents died and they escaped the mining facility, but since those days her sister had come to hate Humans for what they did to them, to their parents. Rhia always knew Alena was cautious in order to keep themselves safe, but the way she regarded Sin the way she speaks to him the way she looks at him, did she not like him because of his upbringing in Mistral or did she not like him because he was Human? She didn't want to believe it for a long time, but she knew Alena hated Humans even those with respectable positions like Captain Shamrock and even the hotel owner that let them stay there in exchange for light labor while they attended Combat School.
"I can't blame her" Rhia admitted to herself, "Humans are to blame for both of our parents dying, our lives being miserable. Not all Humans are bad though, Captain Shamrock, Crimson, Professor Eden and Sin, they're not bad people. It's hard to not be nervous around them after everything we've been through, but to hate them just for being the same species, I can't do that."
She shook her head and rubbed her eyes the hours of studying taking its toll. Setting her textbook to the side she raised her arms upward, stretching as she puffed out her chest with a yawn.
"I need to ask you to not do that" Sin said from the floor next to his bed.
Rhia rolled her head and shoulders, "What?" she asked massaging the kink in her neck, "Yawning?"
"No" Sin answered, "Well that to, but no" he pointed his pen at her while keeping his attention on his studies, "The way you stretch and push your chest out. It's…distracting."
Realization dawning on her Rhia's face turned a deep red as she reached for her textbook and used it to cover herself, "You're the worst."
Returning his pen to his notebook Sin continued, "I can't help it if you're beauty holds such power over me."
Rhia turned away hiding her face, her lips curving, "Just, stop talking" she told him, "Anyway I'm done with my chapter so hurry up, I want to get to bed."
Sin grinned, "I could tuck you in if you like" he leaned to the side as Rhia flung her textbook at him missing him by an inch.
Their day over the academy students turning in for the night, Remnant's partially shattered moon hovering in the darkened sky casting its spectral light across the desert in shrouds of silver. Waiting for his teammates to fall asleep Sin rose from his bed and silent as a ghost crept from his dorm his team's study notes in hand. Entering the empty library he walked across the large octagonal room his footsteps echoing back to him until he stood in front of the row of printers. Setting their notes in a single printer each he made four copies of each sheet, three to complete the set for his team and himself and a fourth as backup for the future. The hum of the machines filled the room sending him back to Mistral and another one of his father's jobs.
The generator hummed as he approached it, him and one of his father's associates. The sky split as the lightning cracked across the sky and the roar of thunder following, the storm had knocked out power to the clinic thankfully their generator kept the power on. The rain outside pounded against the walls and door as Sin and his partner waited for the go ahead, the unventilated room had a musty smell and the dust from the untouched shelves and tools made it hard to breathe.
The clinic had received a shipment of high-end pharmaceuticals and they where here to take them. The plan was simple, the clinic was already closed for the night, but there was a late patient and the doctor and guard remained. The plan was to disable the generator and move in securing the doctor and patient before moving toward the pharmaceuticals, the guard wouldn't be a problem, he was on the payroll and would fight back and allow himself to be overpowered and knocked out, easy in and easy out.
The lightning flashed again trailed by thunder and Sin's partner turned toward the generator and raised his foot and kicked. The generator sputtered at first before the lights began flashing and a loud metal clank rattled from inside it before it died entirely. Telling Sin it was time to move they silently opened the door for the electrical room to the inside of the clinic, their faces covered their hands gloved and their bags secured tightly over their shoulders they crept through the powerless clinic a pair of voices echoing from down the hall.
"Ready boy?" his father's associate asked him.
Without a word Sin nodded and they continued down the hall stopping when they heard footsteps and saw the flashlight dancing across the walls and floor. When the guard approached the corner Sin's partner moved first leaping out from cover and tackling him, the noise startling the doctor and her patient. With the guard busy pretending to fight back Sin moved into the examination room his gun raised and moving between the doctor and her patient, tossing each of them a pair of handcuffs he told them to cuff themselves to the edge of the table and not to move.
"Whatever you want, just please don't hurt us" the doctor said slowly reaching for the cuffs.
"I don't plan to unless you do something stupid" Sin told her hearing the fake fight with the guard wrap up, his partner yelling as he knocked him out.
With the guard out old and the doctor and patient restrained Sin backed out of the room and followed his partner toward the back where they kept the drugs in coolers and began filling their bags. The pharmaceuticals were in plastic containers each containing forty-two vials each with a street value of two hundred and sixty lien and then there were the pills with a street value of a hundred and ninety each. The drugs collected and their bags zipped the two headed for the front entrance only to see that the doctor had slipped her restraints and had called the police.
"Bad move bitch" Sin's partner said aiming his weapon at her.
"Enough" Sin yelled pushing his arm down, "We've got what we came for let's go."
He pushed Sin away, "After I teach her a lesson."
Again Sin grabbed his arm, "Hey! Theft or murder which do you want to deal with? Now let's go."
His partner glared at him and then back to the doctor, "Give me your wallet" he demanded, grinning as the terrified doctor reached into her pockets and threw her wallet to him.
Sin punched his arm, "If I have to tell you again I will shoot you now let's go" he looked at the cowering doctor, "You got lucky."
As his partner turned around Sin moved his leg tripping him quickly reaching into his jacket as he moved to catch him retrieving the stolen wallet.
"Dammit watch where you're going" his partner growled.
"Go idiot" Sin told him pushing him out the door before quickly turning and flinging the doctor's wallet across the floor back to her.
Sin shook the memory from his mind, it was in the past, he kept the doctor from being harmed that was all that mattered. Gathering the copies he made he organized them before turning to leave the library not realizing that he was moving rather quickly, the memory of that night and the silent library jarring his nerves. Closing the door behind him he leaned back against the hard wood to catch his breath, he couldn't take it anymore it wasn't just that night, but all the times he had gone to rob a place or fight in the basement of a club or bar or worst of all being brought along on a job meant to eliminate someone.
Inhaling a deep breath he expelled it and hung his head he was getting anxious over nothing, it was all in the past all the way in Mistral on Anima another continent he was as far away as he was going to get.
"Mr. Saber?" a female voice softly spoke startling Sin.
In front of him stood a Faunus in short sand-brown shorts and an off the shoulder red crop a light jacket as brown as her pants hanging from her shoulder covered her left side.
Iris Ritter, the teacher in charge of Grimm Studies. Judging from the grey and brown bushy tail coming from her backside Sin believed her to be a wolf Faunus, one of the more common ones he had seen. A soft-spoken teacher, observant and calm yet strict with her students, she studied the Creatures of Grimm before she became a Huntress taking observational notes about their behavior and social status amongst their respective packs as well as their habits. She once claimed to have tracked a lone Beowolf for three weeks before it rejoined with its pack, as a Huntress she wanted to keep people safe from the monsters of the world, but someone who was curious about the ancient monsters dedicated her life to studying them to learn how to better protect the world from them.
Intelligent, polite and alluring Sin always had to actively fight back his inherent urge to hit on every woman he met, but after his thoughts drifted to that night in the clinic he found he didn't have the energy to devote to such an act.
"Professor Ritter" he nodded in a quiet voice.
She frowned at him, "How many times do I have to ask you students to call me Iris? I'm not fond of titles."
Sin gave her a fatigued smile and nodded an apology, "What are you doing out here so late?" she asked him.
"Studying" he told her keeping his voice level, "I decided to come here and finish the last chapter of notes so I could make copies for my team" he flashed the stack of papers in his hand as proof.
"I see" she answered, "You just seem, uneasy."
"A bit tired" he replied, a half-truth, "Studying is pretty boring, takes a lot out of me, but anything for my teammates."
Iris nodded, "An admirable notion" she turned to leave, "Be sure to return to your dorm and get some sleep. Late studying or not I won't go easy on you if you fall asleep in my class."
"You can be as rough as you want with me" Sin thought as he watched her walk away.
Deciding not to voice his thought he took the professor's advice and returned to his dorm, entering just as silently as when he left only to find Rhia sitting at the corner desk awake and reading a book.
"Hey" he whispered closing the door behind him.
Keeping her voice just as low she set her book down, "Where have you been?"
"Couldn't sleep" Sin told her, "I went to the library" he handed her the papers, "Made copies of all our notes, saves us a bit of time tomorrow."
Taking the papers from him she glanced over them and offered him a smile, "Thanks."
Even though he could hardly see Rhia he could tell from her tone that she was smiling, "You're welcome."
Rhia set the papers on the desk next to her closed book a soft chuckle escaping her throat, "I can't wait to see Alena's reaction when I tell her you did this."
Sin shrugged, "I know I goof off a lot, but I'm serious about this I wouldn't do anything to drag the three of you down, we're a team and well…I like you."
They both fell quiet, uncounted seconds passing before either of them moved. She was unsure if meant you as in their team or if he was referring exclusively to her. As a Faunus she could see in the dark and even though she knew Sin could only make out her silhouette in the dark room she still felt as if he was looking into her eyes.
Finally looking away she thanked him again and wished him a good night before returning to her bed and pulling the blanket over herself.
Saying good night to her as well Sin slowly felt his way back to his bed sensing Brick's large sleeping form at the foot of the bed as he sat against the wall. Silently sitting back on his bed he turned onto his side and folded the corner of his pillow inward for extra support before sliding his hand underneath it and closing his eyes. Aside from their exam the day after tomorrow they would have another mission at the end of the month, one that was meant to test their abilities in the field.