Mantle was very cold.

But while that was a fact of life, it was a completely different sort of cold compared to its neighboring city counterpart. Atlas hovered many miles in the sky, well above groundside Mantle. Both were described by many as cold, with a very clear, distinct difference. Atlas was cold by choice, whereas the world made Mantle cold.

Being this close in the north did that to this city, on this continent of Solitas. Temperatures often reached in the negatives, with wind-chills reaching even lower then that. It was a miracle most anything was able to thrive here, whether civilized installations or actual inhabitants. But for the most part, the people of Mantle were a hardy bunch, if only because they were forced to be. They endured the cold snow, cold winds, cold unfeeling Grimm, and even the coldness of the city in the sky directly above them.

Yet for some people, braving these cold winds themselves was done in unique ways.

A singular figure rose through the air, straight from Mantle itself, flying straight up along one of its tall, radio towers. Against the wind, this single streak of dark blue, with trailing green light stood out brilliantly against the blackened night sky. The figure finally reached the top, hovering in place until her feet touched down upon a more solid rooftop. The massive metallic apparatus of wings on her back folded closed with a hiss, and she flexed her arms and upper muscles instinctively.

Gail Nacht dusted off the excess snow from her outfit. She was very careful in maintaining her balance atop this incredibly high place. The heavy icy winds blowing against her were doing their best to blow her away. Despite not having any fear of heights, there was always that risk she might be forced to experience uncontrolled long drops if she were not careful. Still, she had a job to do, and the sooner that was taken care of, the sooner she could return to the world below.

She pulled out her scroll, the one person she was meaning to contact already on speed-dial. A few seconds later after dialing she heard a voice on the other end.

'Steel Bird? That you? This is Ground Control; do you read? Over!' It might've been the distance she was up here, but even through the light static the person's voice sounded a little older than she knew it to be.

"P..." Gail said, pinching the bridge of her nose; leave it to her little brother to play this up bigger than it actually was, "This is not some covert operation where 'overs' are needed; and I told you before my name is not 'Steel Bird'."

"Hey Mom and Dad don't know we're out here this late; and you're the one who's flying way up there on metal wings, you know that's as good a name for you!" the voice on the other end shot back, "Anyway, now that you're up there, can you see it?" Gail looked all around where she was; the rooftop she stood upon was actually larger, flatter, and more wide-open. Here and there were some assorted AC vents that jutted out of the 'floor', while at the center of the roof was the massive radio tower itself. Everything looked largely mundane up here, nothing at all that seemed out of place.

"I... don't see anything..." she said, walking around and looking at different angles at each of the vents, "Are you... are you sure this thing is absolutely necessary?"

'Oh you can be absolutely sure!' Parker's voice eagerly replied, 'This thing, it'll... it'll personally guarantee you fly faster than ever before! Yeah, we just attach it to your flight pack, and BOOM! Just like that...!' Gail rolled her eyes and groaned at her brother's boasting. If there was one thing he excelled at, it was exaggerations.

"I'll... I'll keep looking..." she said, resuming walking around to investigate around each vent, "But I'm seriously starting to question how important this might be. Plus it's getting really late, and with that snow flurry that's supposed to come in tonight? You know how Mom and Dad always-"

'Aw, don't give up so soon, Sis! You'll find it in no time!'

"So you keep telling me-" Gail started, then cut herself short as something caught her eye, "Wait a minute... Could that be..."

'You found it?' Parker's voice on the other end spoke, a little more excited than usual, 'See? I told you it'd be there!'

"Hold on, let me see..." the girl moved closer to investigate. What caught her eye was a small, square-shaped case, extremely compact, "Um, P? I found something here: It's square shaped, really thin, and really light... and colored bright green..."

'YES! You found it!' the boy's voice at the other end practically exclaimed, before continuing in a more controlled tone, 'Gail Nacht, my dear sister, thank you so much... for finding my stolen Front-stage Fatales CD!'

"Wait, WHAT?!" Gail's eyes practically widened completely out of her head. She quickly flipped the now CD case over in her hand, only to be met by the image of the familiar all girls band, gracing the front with their... assets, "Parker...! You sent me all the way up here, for... There was nothing here at all to 'improve my flight', was there? Just your stupid girl-band CD?!"

'Hey hey, calm down, sis!' the boy's voice spoke, a little more frantically, 'I-I knew you'd say no if I said something like 'Hey Gail, could you go up to the top of Mantle's radio building and find my Front-stage Fatales CD those jerks from school lifted off me'! Come on-!'

"So you thought it best to appeal to my 'best technique interests'? Those being your words, by the way?" Gail skeptically said, punctuating her point with air quotes. In between her little tirade, she could feel a light straining on her breathing, forcing her to make a concentrated effort on controlled breaths. This was not the time nor place for this to happen. A quick second later, her breaths more in control, and a wicked grin spread across her lips, "So then... what's to stop me from just leaving this up here and coming back down to solid ground...?"

'NO! Please...! Parker's voice was openly frantic now, which Gail found herself took personal delight in hearing, 'Come on, sis? You wouldn't do that? To your loving little brother, would you? I'll... I'll do whatever you want, for a week! Yeah? How's that sound?' Gail's eyebrow raised, and she fully realized that she'd gotten her brother to owe her something! This could be useful...

"Hm... alright, but I 'am' holding you to that promise..." she said, as she slipped the CD into the compartmental section of her flight pack.

'YES! Oh thank you sis! Thank you!' the little brother's voice practically gushed on the other end, 'You're the best, Gail!'

"Yes, of course you think that now... Alright, I'm coming back down-"

'Wait, hold on...' Parker's voice spoke, suddenly a completely different tone from before. He was no longer happy and giddy, but more cautious, alert, and even a little concerned, 'Um, Sis? I think there's a problem...'

"Huh? What do you mean?" Gail asked, walking back towards the roof's edge, "What's going on down there? Is there someone-"

'No, not down here...' Parker said, 'Up there, where you're at... I see something; lots of somethings actually!' Gail's eyes snapped up on as equal alert as her brother. She scanned the skies all around her visually for something, anything. At first there was nothing, and then... she saw them.

Whether from distance or from what they actually were, Gail could easily identify them. A small group of winged creatures, blacker than the night sky, heads stark-whiter than the shattered moon, with glowing red eyes. Wings propelled them forward, well above and over Mantle's great wall, and closer towards her position. Below them dangled four sets of limbs, each one possessing razor sharp claws, with jagged tails trailing behind them. There was no mistaking them for anything else; they were Grimm! Specifically, they were Griffons! Granted they appeared to be infants, much smaller than their adult forms, but no less vicious and even more unpredictable!

"Oh... no..." Gail unconsciously took a few steps back, nearly forgetting where she was in the moment. Her breathing began to tighten, knocking her back to reality. Where had they come from? Why weren't Mantle's automated defense cannons firing on them?! Were they coming straight for her-?!

The sounds of their shrieks grew louder and sharper as they barreled straight for her. Quickly, Gail turned around and ran across the length of the rooftop, pretty certain she could hear her brother's voice through her scroll. Behind her, she could hear a thudding and scratching sound, one after the other, impact the roof behind her. A quick glace over her shoulder told her they were hitting the roof, one by one, in places where she had been, a Grimm trail behind her. Yet they did not stop; even on the roof they ran towards her, claws scrapping with every step.

Gail shot her glance back forward, to where she was running; she had to focus! There was only one way she'd be getting out of this! But first...

"Parker! Get out of there, get to safety!" she quickly called out into her scroll.

'Yeah, already planning to do that!' Parker said, 'But what about you? It's you they're going after! What are you gonna do?!'

"Oh you know, show them who's the better avian...!" Gail said, hastily putting away her scroll as she finally reached the edge of the rooftop. She didn't even stop as she quickly refit her goggles back over her eyes and jumped clear off, arms raised out and away from her as she began her descent. Behind her she could hear the sounds of the Griffon infants reach the edge as well, but quickly jumped down after her.

On Gail's back, her flight pack quickly opened up and unfolded the once compacted wings. She also reached with her right hand to pull forth a single object from her belt. A small cylindrical cartridge, not that much bigger than the grip of her hand holding it. She could feel the subtle vibrations of the anti-grav Dust in her pack, now becoming the dominant force in her forward motions. She curved her body upward, and she pulled her descent into an ascent, rising up through the night air again. During flight like this her breathing became surprisingly regulated, from years of practice, and a smile began to grace her face again.

She pulled sharply up to loop inwards, and was now on a set pathway towards a group of angry, snarling Griffon infants, soaring ever closer to her. She held out the cartridge in her right hand, pressed its side button, and the air filled with a harmonious trill as a clear, thin, white blade grew out of the now hilt, shaped like a saber's blade. The Cadenza's sounds altered and differed slightly as she re-angled the other end inwards so that she could insert something else into it. The small, red Dust crystals slid in easily, and in turn the Cadenza's blade changed from white to a fiery red color. She pulled her arm to the slide and proceeded make two separate slashes at the air towards her incoming opponents. All at once, lines of glowing red burst out horizontally at two of the Griffon infants off the side from the main pack. The energy made short work in piercing through them completely and incinerating them.

Gail then held her Cadenza off to the side of her body, and began to barrel roll as she shot forward. The world around her was spinning and starting to make her dizzy, so she quickly closed her eyes. Her whole form became a horizontal cyclone of fiery lacerations, easily carving straight through the bulk of the initial Grimm and leaving them slashed and burned. Despite her eyes closed, she could feel through her arm the Grimm that were being successfully hit, each one keeping her small smile growing ever bigger. When the number of hits being felt was reducing, she opened her eyes and reduced her own spinning speed. She was still barreling forward, but thankfully no more Griffons were directly before her.

She pulled her feet forward to halt her forward movement and hover in the air. Her lungs felt clear, no signs of compression; this was good, but she wasn't done yet. She spun herself around, the sight still not bringing her complete satisfaction. Her cyclone attack had reduced their numbers, but a small few had managed to evade her entirely. They were now snarling, saliva dripping from their maws as they eyed her. Slowly they flapped back towards her to swipe at her.

This time Gail allowed herself to be defensive by hovering in place out of range of their swipe attempts. Each slash they launched at her was accompanied by a high-pitched shriek of their own, about what an infant would do out of frustration. Occasionally, Gail would parry an attack with Cadenza. Her evasions were holding well, but the Griffons' attacks themselves were becoming more and more frequent, with less breathing room in between.

Suddenly, one of the Griffon infants lashed out a clawed slash towards her midsection. Her lurching herself backward and out of the way managed to literally save her skin, but not the front of her clothing. Also unfortunately, the claw had ripped away a pocket on her front, and a single object was loosed and left to gravity's mercy.

Gail caught sight of this object falling, and her eyes widened; pure, absolute horror gripped her very being, as accompanied by her lungs tightening within-

Her beloved harmonica, Sona-Tina!


Gail was ten years old, and she was already with a hobby, besides dreams and aspirations of a Huntress. True she had the potential technique for blade-work, and even the means to learn more. But there was something else, another thing she loved from the bottom of her heart to do: to fill the air with beautiful music, as only this harmonica could do.

A present given to her by her mother, June Nacht, admittedly a last-minute present for her tenth birthday. As a member of the Mantle Council she was late to a meeting that day, and was forced to not only miss her daughter's birthday, but find a last-minute gift in addition. Many children would likely have been very upset by lack of effort put into what their parents give them for such occasions. However, all it took was a single note blown from this miniscule instrument, and Gail was completely hooked. The precise sound it made on its own, the way she altered that sound with her very breath and lungs in different ways. She was a composer, and this harmonica, which she named Sona-Tina, was her one instrument band.

Of course, she didn't start off perfect; most people after discovering something that they decide they love never do . Her brother and even her parents had sometimes referred to her playing as 'amateur level'. Those criticisms did sting upon her, but at the same time, served as a valuable wake-up call. If music made with Sona-Tina was considered amateur in their ears, imagine if she could get them to think differently? In a family with an insomniac scientist father, Mantle's council-woman mother, and a flashy, not to mention annoying little brother, impressing them would be quite the challenge indeed.

So she practiced, day in and day out. In between her learning blade-work lessons and even initial Aura study, she practiced with Sona-Tina. Practice with her small instrument was different from Huntress training; with that she had instructors to teach her blade work and Aura Study in Mantle's prep school. There was no one around that could play harmonica; she was on her own with that.

Her tenacity grew more and more, in addition to the songs she learned to play through it. She continued to polish playing them, in between her usual duties, until eventually even her family started to notice the slight improvement in how she sounded. Parker was... well, 'Parker' about it, blowing it off and only annoying her further. But her parents, they were marginally impressed by how she sounded, her father especially. He had once said that how she sounded was so beautiful and soothing, it became one of the main things he looked forward to hearing whenever he did come home from work.

At some point Gail made the decision to carry Sona-Tina on her at all times, not simply leave it at home where she might lose it. Her outfit had a pocket on her front that she could slip Sona-Tina into, for complete easy access. While it was out of the way, she could focus on other things going on in her life...


"NO-!" Gail shrieked. In response, the Grimm surrounding her perked their heads slightly. Could it be they felt that spike of terror in her just now? Whatever it was, they all moved in on her from all sides. But Gail had no cause to be worried about that, not when there was a more pressing priority before her. Or rather, falling below her...

A quick parry of a Griffon's claw with Cadenza, and she slipped past the bulk of the Grimm mass. She then pointed herself straight down and shot forward. With the speed in which Sona-Tina was falling, she had to put in extra strength to her anti-grav dust as well as tuck her arms and legs close together to propel faster. The air rushing past her felt even more icy, and she was reminded of that snow flurry that she herself reminded Parker of a few minutes ago. Roars and shrieks could be heard at a consistent volume behind her, telling her that the Griffon infants had to be soaring after her by now. She couldn't focus on them right now; Sona-Tina had to be saved!

The small harmonica tumbled downward through the air, slowly getting bigger as Gail drew closer. Unfortunately, the soft glow of Mantle's lighted buildings was also growing brighter. If she didn't hurry, one or both of them would hit the ground hard, and she'd never forgive herself should either happen. She reached her left hand out, fingers outstretched, Sona-Tina growing closer to her grasp...

"Come on..." Gail said through gritted teeth. The world was much brighter now, lights reflecting off the snow making it even brighter. Her fingers almost had it...

They clamped shut, and Sona-Tina was literally back in hand! Gail's smile of relief was short-lived as she forced herself to pull up and avoid colliding headfirst with the ground. She swooped upwards, a glance over her shoulder telling her the Griffon infants were following her same flight path and ignoring the lower world completely. That could only mean there was really no one else around for the Grimm to be attracted to! This could be good then; no one else would both get in danger nor report her for being out so-

Her line of thought was abruptly cut short from the sound of alarms suddenly blaring. Mantle's local security system was engaging! Only now though, with Grimm actually in the city? Maybe earlier before they'd crossed over the wall would've been nice? Gail quickly shook her head of these thoughts, while behind her the group of Grimm had actually paused in midair as well, likely caught off-guard by the sudden alarms.

Movement was suddenly seen to Gail's side, and she glanced over to see small circular platforms rise from the lower roofs, the ones level to her current hovering height. Her eyes widened in alarm; Mantle's local turret defenses were activating! They were programmed to destroy any Grimm in their close vicinity, but she still did not to take any chances when they went off. She quickly pulled herself to shoot towards the ground. Her feet touched down, wings closed up, and she spun around to look back up. Thank the Brothers the Grimm hadn't followed after her, and their hesitation costed them as the turrets began to lay out steady streams of automated fire upon them. The Griffon infants were quickly run through, one by one disintegrating into black dust, the black specks mixing with the white specks of falling snow. The few remaining were no match for them, and were eventually completely destroyed. When there were no more Grimm remaining, the turrets finally ceased their onslaught, shrank back into their respective roof compartments, and the blaring alarm was silenced as well.

Gail had nervously watched on, hoping that none of these Grimm had caught sight of her retreating form. She was relieved to find they hadn't, and furthermore when Mantle's defenses completely cut them down. For the first time in this long span of a few minutes, she allowed herself to take deep breaths. Or at least, as substantial breaths as her lungs would allow. Her right hand dispelled Cadenza's blade back into its hilt and placed it back on her belt, while her left hand held out her harmonica before her. She frowned as she remembered; that Grimm had nearly caused her to lose it! Was it actually a mistake to keep in on her person? She'd have to deal with that later...

For now, she slipped it into her side pocket and stepped out of the alley she'd taken refuge in. From the looks of the surrounding buildings... home was a mere five minute's walk away if she hurried. Or rather, her flying there would greatly reduce that traveling time. But wait, what about-

"Gail! Hey, sis...!" the girl turned straight around to see the familiar form of her brother, jogging towards her from opposite the direction their home was. In response, she casually walked forward to meet up with him. His attire could be seen clearer as he drew nearer: His hair was the same shade of very dark blue as her own, except those accents he'd applied to it somehow made the blue appear richer in color. The coat he wore was multi-colored with light brown fur trim, while the blue snow-repellant pants had flakes of snow sticking to them to make them appear lighter in color. Everything about his appearance practically screamed 'show-off', something Gail was all too aware of, having known him most of his life. Always trying to impress visually, with... mixed results.

He finally made it to her, stopping to catch his own breath first, "Whew! Hey, you got rid of them! The way you slashed away at them in midair, setting them on fire like they were nothing! Only you could do that, eh...?" His tone was flattering her, definitely laying it on heavy, "S-so um... you still have my CD with you, don't you...?" Gail reached behind her back, slipped a hand into her pack's storage compartment, and fished forth that girl-band CD, holding between her and him, "Ah, you do! Thanks again for getting it for me! Now, could you just-" His hand reached out to grab it, but she jerked her wrist back. At the same time her other wrist reached out to grab him by his shirt collar and pull him in close. He thrashed a little as her best stern face was put on before him.

"You owe me, big time..." she spoke lowly. She released his shirt, putting space between them, then shoved his CD case into his chest, further pushing him back. With a huff she spun around and began her own trek home. Behind her, she could hear his footsteps rapidly making crunching sounds in the snow as he tried to follow her, "Come on, hopefully we can get back before we're missed..."

"Ah y-yeah, right...!" Parker said behind her, "And like I said, whatever you want, it's yours!"


No one could've foreseen the accident.

One of Mantle's fuel trucks was making its usual supply routes along the main road when it hit a patch of black ice. Swerving out of control, the massive tanker finally came to a crashing halt by colliding its side with a nearby building. The sound of impact could be heard for miles. Thankfully no one was hurt by the crash, no pedestrians, not the driver, no one. However, it wasn't the crash people had to worry about.

It was the explosion.

As this was a tanker carrying fuel, sparks that must have been created from the initial impact, combined with a puncture in the tank's side igniting exposed petrol, the resulting explosion far outdid the crash in terms of sheer force. Most surrounding pedestrians and onlookers were lucky to have gotten away and clear of the blast. But some were not so lucky, like the driver who ended up tragically perishing, or even those who couldn't escape the blast quick enough.

That was the day that changed Gail's life, for good...

Nothing was out of the ordinary for her usual walk home from blade training. Her private tutor afforded one-on-one lessons for her, training her to better use a cutlass-style blade. She had left her trainer's dojo that day feeling better with herself in the way she was progressing, even her trainer had thought so as well! She was feeling good today, so much that she felt the urge to rush straight home and tell her parents-!

Gail's entire world was soon engulfed in a haze; at first there was a burst of something dark blue, flashing before her eyes, and vanishing just as quickly under the effect of 'shattering'. What then followed was haze of fog, deafening noise, and heat. She didn't know what was happening, where she was, where anyone was. All she knew was that everything felt like it was suffocating her. Or was that, from just trying to breathe...? What was...

The haze was briefly broken by moments of what felt like clarity. Her eyes opened and closed over and over, each time they opened, she could swear she saw her father. Professor Turner Nacht of Biometrics and Cybernetic Augmentations stood there, his usually tired complexion was replaced with complete worry and fear as he looked straight at her. His mouth opened a few times, like he was saying something, but Gail couldn't for the life of her make it out. She instinctively reached for him, or at least she felt like she was reaching. Her arm just felt so heavy...

However much time may or may not have passed when finally came a point where Gail had woken up truly. She was still alive, a miracle in itself, but not one without cost. Her entire family was now present this time as Turner relayed to her exactly what had happened... and what was to happen...

Professor Nacht told her that it was right before the blast, Gail's own Aura had awoken, thus shielding her from the absolute worst of the blaze. However, that in itself was not enough to even qualify as 'unscathed'; both of her legs were broken and in need of reinforcements from within to stabilize the healing process to the bones, if she were to ever walk properly again. Due to the delicate nature of leg bones healing, it was possible the strain that her recent blade training might be too much on them, meaning her blades training would have to be put on hold. While that in itself wasn't what Gail was hoping to hear, the news only got more dire. The explosion she had been firsthand witness to had nearly engulfed her lungs, doing more than simply enflaming them, but nearly jeopardizing her respiratory system. Unlike her legs, there was little that could be done to 'save' her lungs from such burns. Thus came the part that Gail never wanted to hear, nor Turner probably never wanted to tell. If there was ever a chance to not have Gail perpetually shackled to a massive breathing machine, limited to only as far as the room itself would allow, her lungs would need to be removed, replaced with experimental, yet fully functional mechanical facsimiles. The entire Nacht family openly displayed varying levels of sadness, horror, and sheer grief upon hearing this. It was too much for Gail to process, and the last thing she remembered thinking before going back out was...

Would she play her harmonica ever again...?


Days past. Weeks past. Every little passing minute she was aware of was pure agony. The operation to restore her proper breathing would take a longer course than healing her legs, meaning that would be a lasting process. Also meaning that she'd have to be under for most of the duration. But there were brief moments where her unconsciousness was broken, she could only remember dull pain, mixed with searing hot pain all over.

Weeks past. A couple months went by.

Eventually, after a long and grueling operation, no more procedures were needed. Gail Nacht was completely healed; or, as healed as the word could accurately be applied here. Surgery scars now adorned the fronts of her legs, which she took great lengths to keep concealed. Walking upon them felt wobbly at first, even after being let out of the wheelchair and using a walker for the duration of the recovery period. They felt so... stiff, like walking on stilts, legs that weren't really hers.

However, her lungs were a different story...

Every breath she took felt... hollow, for lack of better word. She could no longer take in deep breaths, nor exhale those breaths as well as she once could, possibly forever. She tried though, the first few days of recovery, but she quickly had to refrain from doing that, as it resulted in a heavy coughing fit afterwards. This all filled her with a horrible sense of a realization: her lungs were false, mechanical echoes of their former selves. Her breathing was false, right down to it being completely artificial! And what was worse... She was in fact crippled from playing Sona-Tina as well as before.

She could resume life as a Huntress, even as a person, but her visions as a musician would be put on hold...


Gail stood waiting at the air-bus station. Today was the day, the day that had been coming for a long time; they next step in her journey of Huntress training. Having graduated Mantle's beginning prep school and learning the basics, it was time for her to officially move out and on her own, the future as a Huntress open before her, slayer of Grimm and protector of Remnant's people.

Three years had passed since that fateful day, when the course of her life was altered by that... accident. It was a harrowing time for her, both during and after. It had given her many things, while taken just as many away from her. And though it pained her to admit it, her own father played a huge part in the things given to her. As Mantle's resident scientist in the field of biotics and cybernetic augmentations, it came as little surprise to anyone that he would head the operation to save the life of is own daughter after she'd been horribly crippled.

However, as the saying went, time healed all wounds. Maybe the more accurate phrase would be that time lessened the pain...

Here she stood, a sixteen year old girl, dark blue neck-length hair, artificial breath-boxes for lungs, and a robotic winged flight-pack to compensate for her less-than-ideal leg recovery, courtesy of Professor Nacht's colleague Pietro Polendina. This was among the more stranger types of candidates to be considered for a Huntress, much less a Huntress in training. And yet completely in spite of the odds, Gail held her resolve through out prep school, studying hard, enduring the pain and hardship. More than once she was called upon for her 'weird' and 'freakish' new way of living that her new lungs afforded her. Many times she was even bullied for it. Still, in spite of all that, she continued her studies and passed with flying colors. As a reward post graduation for doing so remarkably, her mother offered that she could choose whatever Huntsman school she desired to pursue her career.

Which led her to this moment, waiting at the air-bus station for passage to such a Huntsman school. But not Atlas Academy, no; instead, she held secretive desire to get away from her bullying classmates. she opted for someplace much warmer, yet still close by to her home city. That next option? Haven Academy in Mistral. It was a respectable place for equal parts Grimm-hunting as it was for general knowledge and study. The official documents were filled, assisted by June Nacht of the Mantle Council no less, and Gail was taking the first steps towards the next stage of her life.

"Man, this air-bus is sure taking its sweet time..." her brother complained, beside her.

"You really had to be here with me...?" Gail said, slightly irritated.

"Aw come on, you're not still hung up about last night, are you?" Parker said, "You got in some serious air-combat practice up there, you got my CD back for me, AND we both got back home without either folks even knowing we were gone! I'd say those are three pretty big wins...!"

"How do you manage to miss the point by so much?!" Gail said, spinning to face her brother, "You tricked me into going out there in the cold, nearly got me killed when those Grimm showed up, and there's no way we weren't caught by Dad last night with that racket you were making trying to get in, even if he never said anything...!"

"Man, you are such a downer sis..." Parker said, crossing his arms, "It's not like Mom or Dad would've kept you from leaving for Haven Academy today if they'd found out about last night..." After a pause he shook his head with a sigh, changing his tone, "Still can't believe it, you're actually leaving, off to be an awesome Huntress! I wish that could be me someday..."

This earned him a look from Gail, a look of pity. It was a bit of a sore subject these days, Parker Nacht and the trade of becoming a Huntsman himself. Unlike Gail who took her studies school-related and huntress-related seriously, Parker lacked similar conviction. Always the fun-lover, rarely the responsible type, with incomplete and failed assignments to show for it. Needless to say, this caused a fair deal of friction between him and his family, especially with his Huntress-in-training sister. The resentments ranged from barely speaking to her to jealous brush-off remarks for a large portion of his adolescent life.

"You know exactly what it is you need to do," Gail said, softening her tone in return, "If you'd just focused on your school work instead of goofing around, you'll be on your way to a huntsman school as well!"

"Yeah, sure..." Parker said, hardly sounding convinced, "Still, I guess it won't be all bad; with you out of the house, no more screaming at me in the night to turn down my Front-stage Fatales music!" And just like that, Gail's face frowned in disapproval again.

"P... you really don't need that sort of stuff rotting your brain..." she said, "If you were interested in girls, like a girlfriend... you could've just came to me; I'd give you some helpful advice!"

"What?! No way I'd ever do that!" Parker said in disgust, "Dating advice from your sister?! And besides, what all could you help me with? You've never even had a boyfriend!"

"Urgh- that's...!" Gail stammered in embarrassment, that accusation catching her completely off-guard, "Fine, you've just turned down helpful advice I could've given; now let's see where it gets you...!" she crossed her arms in dramatic finality.

It was around now that the familiar sound of hissing air could be heard before them; the transcontinental air-bus had finally arrived. The massive aerial transport came to a stop in its resting spot, with doors on all sides opening with accompanying chimes. Gail's grip on the handle of her suitcase tightened.

"Well, I guess this is it..." she looked back towards her brother, "Joking aside... I'll miss you, P."

"Yeah well..." Parker said, "I guess I'll miss you too..."

"I'll write home every chance I get," she added, "So you know just how your big sister is handling the Big Leagues-!"

"Gail? And Parker...?" The dark-blue haired girl's head perked, eyes narrowing at the realization. She turned her head to see a fancy-looking car pull up close to the parking space close to where she and Parker stood. One look was all she needed to flush with embarrassment; what was 'he' doing here, especially now...?

Professor Turner Nacht exited his vehicle, dressed still in his lab coat and thin-wired glasses that did little to hide the bags under his eyes. He was still wearing his white lab-coat, probably having forgotten to take it off even when he wasn't even working at the moment.

"Dad?" Gail said, "What are you doing here?" That question was rhetorical; she had a good idea what he was doing here.

"Well... I just wanted to see my girl off... It's not every day your own kid finally grows up and moves out on her own..." Turner's voice still sounded strained and tired. Gail couldn't say she was surprised, her father always sounded like everything was taking excessive effort to do when it was daytime.

"Really? I'm surprised you actually made the time," Gail remarked.

"Gail..." Turner sounded like he would retort, but his words died in his throat. Gail watched the man's tired eyes behind his glasses eye her, with plenty of sadness behind them as well. In a brief moment, she swore she felt pity for her father as well, "You know... you know I try to make as much time as I can for you; for both of you," he indicated to both his children with both his arms.

"But, you hardly ever do..." Gail spoke in a low tone, her eyes becoming slightly downcast, "You say you'll always be there for us, but 'work for Ironwood is imperative' is always what happens-!"

"Gail..." the girl felt a hand on her shoulder. Gail looked at her brother, finding his face matching the more somber tone that he was currently speaking in, "I don't think now's the time for that. I mean, Dad's here now, for you; isn't that enough?" Her eyes narrowed at him, almost in surprise. She looked back at her father, those same sad, tired eyes looking back down at her.

For the first time, Gail was aware of the tightly clenched fist she was holding at her side. When had that happened? She opened it, flexing her fingers, and took a deep sighing breath.

"A-alright..." she spoke, softer this time, "You're here now... so... thanks, for being here... I guess...?" For the first time since first arriving, Turner smiled, corners of his lips stretching out a little. He then looked up and past her, reminded that there was an airbus behind them, waiting to accept travelers.

"Well, I guess you better get going..." he said, "Although... did you remember everything? Like Cadenza?"

"Dad..." Gail said, holding up the familiar hilt in her hands.

"And what about... your munitions?" His questioning earned him a groan from his daughter.

"Yes, Dad, of course I remembered my..." Gail still made an absent motion towards her waist, content to know said munitions were there. Her eyes widened suddenly as she felt nothing, and her eyes shot down to her waist, "Wait, what?! Where are they?! I don't have my-" A clearing of one's throat drew her back. Looking back up she found a two-fold embarrassing sight- Turner Nacht holding up a belt with many colored Dust Crystals loaded within, and Parker Nacht holding a hand to his mouth, obviously stifling a laugh. One hand rushed to her own face to hide her raging flush, while the other one reached out to grab for her Dust belt. As she grabbed it, she felt a pressure pulling her in. Her eyes widened and her flush only grew stronger as she realized her father had pulled her in to embrace her, his chin felt on the top of her head.

"You know I'm going to miss you honey... my little Songbird..." he could be heard saying softly. From this close proximity, she could hear it in his voice that it was almost breaking, like he was trying to keep it together. Songbird? That name... When she was younger, when she played songs on Sona-Tina, Turner would sometimes mention he liked how it sounded, calling her a 'Songbird'. Of course, those were moments when he was actually there, not away, and loving her as his daughter...

Her free hand, the one not grabbing her weapon belt, found its way around her father's back, returning his embrace. Even if she wouldn't miss how things were, she'd miss how things used to be, how they should've been, with her parents...

The hug broke and the two gave each other space. Gail now had her Dust belt in hand and proceeded to fasten it around her waist. She took this opportunity of physical work to rub her eyes real quick. Hopefully neither her father nor brother noticed that too much. Her belt in place, she took hold of her suitcase handle again, and boarded the airbus. Turner and Parker watched as their Huntress in training took a seat next to one of the windows, sparing them one last look as the doors closed. The transport lifted off the ground, steam columns accompanying it with great hisses, their forms growing smaller and smaller down below. She could see them moving towards Turner's car as they disappeared completely from view.

Gail then looked down towards her lap, towards her same belt with necessary utilities upon it. Both of her hands came to rest upon two important items; both small enough to fit in the entire length of her hand. One was cylindrical, the other was rectangular. Gail smiled to herself, as she looked upon Cadenza and Sona-Tina in each hand. Even if they wouldn't be seeing equal usage, just having them on her diminished her anxieties and filled her with great comfort. The life and world she was about to enter into was a undoubtedly cruel, but she was a composer, of both song and as a huntress; nothing would stop her!


-There existed once a bird called 'the Nightingale', who possessed a singing voice so beautiful, it captivated any and all whom heard it. An Emperor of China was so taken by its music that it had the bird stay on with him in his court. One day, a jeweled, mechanical facsimile of the creature was constructed. The Emperor soon took more interest in the copy than the real version, which in turn returned to the world. The Emperor eventually became deathly ill, and only the familiar tune of a nightingale could heal him. Unfortunately, the mechanical copy could not match the powers of the original, and even broke down, leaving the Emperor to risk dying. The real nightingale heard of the Emperor's imminent death, and returned to him to sing. The song it sung then was so beautiful and soothing that Death itself was moved by it, thus allowing the Emperor to live.-