Mistral did have its warm days.
While it was true that autumn days in the continent of Anima were cool, attributed to cool winds blowing downward from the north, this was not always a given. On cloudless days, when the sun was allowed to cast its brilliant rays down upon Remnant, the world would actually be bathed in a gentle warmth. The heat reflected off of the ground was just enough to tip the temperature from being an entirely cool location, yet not nearly as perpetually hot as the neighboring Animan Desert.
As if to reflect this, in the changing of the seasons from summer to autumn, the majority of the trees that did not retain an almost constant rich green turned to the more warmer colors. Not all trees here abided by the unspoken assumptions of cool winds from the north. If one were to visit Mistral's forests during the autumn season, the world around them could be seen as a variety of red shades. The forests tended to be just thick enough so that any of the cool wind sometimes just barely managed to penetrate them, albeit at reduced strength. Combined with the warm heat from the ground that had little place to escape to from the trees that sheltered it from the sky, fall season was lovely in Mistral.
It was in these warm, red forests, near Kuchinashi territory that was home to something else. Refuge Academy stood, nearly hidden in a sea of deep red and orange. On some days when the sun set and cast its light upon the school, the color of the sun seemed to help the school blend in with the forest itself. The school's walls were weathered and served the purpose of shielding the school, as well as those within it. The academy itself was regarded as more introductory; educational for the aspirant who wished to pursue a career in slaying Grimm and protecting innocents from them. It did however tend to be overshadowed by the more well-known Haven Academy, at least in terms of reputation alone. The latter was known for advanced courses, while Refuge was as simple as a Huntsman school could be. Still, this is the school that many kids growing up in Anima could say that their pursuit in huntsman/huntress careers began: in Refuge.
For Eleanor Etna however, the school's namesake felt a bit... lacking...
In one of the classrooms, Eleanor Etna sat close to the nearby window while listening to the teacher drone on as he usually did. It finally reached that time of day when the bell sounded to signal the end of the day, which meant that everything he said from this point on could barely be regarded. At least that's how it was for the other students, so eager to get out and get home.
"That will be all for today," the teacher said, much to nearly everyone's joy. It was at this moment the bell could be heard, which served as their cue to leave, "Now remember, the final tests tomorrow will determine whether or not you graduate, understand? Alright, you are dismissed! Also mind your paths home, there have been reported sightings of lone Grimm in the area, so stay safe...!" The students hardly bothered to regard his official dismissal, as they were already up and leaving the room, with Eleanor herself taking her time in doing so. No other kids in the classroom stopped to wait up for her or anything, which made it a bit easier for her to leave at her own leisurely pace, unpressured. This was it, everything that she'd been working towards so far, basic studying and all that, would determine if she herself would move on to bigger and better places of education, like Haven Academy. With that, she gathered up her books into her pack, secured her own weapon upon her back as well, and exited the classroom.
She walked down the hallways, narrowly navigating the hustle and bustle of fellow students. Despite her being among the tallest of her peers, she went largely unnoticed by most everyone else. However, even as all that was, certain sounds still did not fail to reach her ears-
'Is that her...?'
'Quiet, she might hear...!'
'I hope she doesn't pass, her and her Semblance...!'
'Just ignore her...'
Passing comments softly spoken, yet could still just barely be heard. Eleanor continued to do her best to ignore them as she walked on. There was a time that what was said behind her back stung hard and hurt a lot more. Thankfully, or rather sadly, she'd grown used to it by now. She was not looked favorably upon by her classmates, who usually did their best to avoid direct interactions with her.
Why was she cursed with this life she had?!
"Stupid Overcome... Stupid Semblance..." she found herself muttering under her breath. Overcome was the name of her Semblance, her own personal power. It was the ability to channel her aura into a concentrated palm strike against solid objects, and completely obliterate them. To the average person, or rather those rowdy boys she'd known about that went to her school as well, such a power would be seen as 'awesome' or 'a totally wicked thing to be able to do!' But not only did Eleanor not share such viewpoints as a teenage boy, but there was also the circumstances surrounding Overcome. She'd first discovered it in a manner that ended up with her destroying something... Something very precious to a group of onlooking fellow children. A harmless playground toy that many of them favored at the park. That day and that moment had completely mortified her, with all those faces of shock, fear, and anger bearing down upon her younger self. Even when she then swore off ever using her Semblance again from that day forth, the damage was already done...
Now, years had passed and she was much older, no longer that scared, younger twelve year old. She was now a dedicated student at a prep school for huntresses-to-be, a goal in place to shape her into the best version of herself possible. Nothing but the best for the daughter of a decorated war colonel after all...
"Hey, there she is...!" an obnoxious voice filled her ears, and Eleanor's heart sank. That voice belonged to the one person she did not want to run into today. A glance to the side only confirmed that person in question was now walking beside her. A black haired boy, wearing a large, toothy grin aimed straight at her, "It's 'Little Miss War Elephant'! Heh, come on that was a good one, eh?"
"U-um, not really..." Eleanor stammered. Jackson Lithe was every bit obnoxious and annoying as he appeared at a glance.
"So, you on your way home now?" he pressed, "Bet you're thinking a good night sleep will be what you need for the finals tomorrow!" He gave an exaggerated sigh, as Eleanor found herself glancing in his direction to see that he was openly flexing, "Too bad it won't do you any good; I'll be moving up and on to Haven Academy, way ahead of you!"
"I'm not... I'm not competing with you..." Eleanor tried to say, "Th-this is all individually graded-"
"'Ind-dividually graded', 'I'm n-n-not c-competing with y-you," Jackson mocked her by repeating her stuttering to the point of exaggeration, "You wish! Just because you're a police chief's daughter don't think that you deserve any special treatment! Everyone else here has been putting in their all to move up in the world! Have you...?"
His last line of questioning stung a little harder; of course she was! She was a diligent study, always completing assignments when they were due, always taking useful notes, always maintaining perfect attendance! Who was he to say that she was doing any less than those around her?!
"Of course I have!" Eleanor retorted, in spite of her stammering; why did she have to sound so shy at every point? "Now, could you please leave me alone? I do have to get home..."
"Pft, whatever; me and Candelabra were getting bored anyway!" the boy said, giving an off-handed finger point to the thick staff on his back, "Smell ya later, loser!" Before Eleanor could protest, the boy had already taken off down the hallway. Curse that guy and his quick stepped movements...!
Without further encounters, she was able to exit the hallways and make her way out to the front of Refuge's main entry doors. Other students who had exited were scattering well and away from the building, all going their separate ways for the day. Some boarded the transports, some were walking, and many of them were departing in clustered groups. There weren't very many people that she herself could say she could say she was tight-knit as some of these other kids. Thus she tended to walk home by herself mostly every day. The path she chose to walk was the most open and direct route connecting Refuge to Mistral: a wide, beaten pathway, with fences on both sides acting as barriers between the path and the surrounding crimson forests.
Despite the social conditions she was afflicted with, Eleanor Etna at the very least didn't 'look' the part of someone who... deserved to be outcasted, at least in her mind. She stood at an impressive six feet, easily the tallest one in her class, and almost throughout the whole school. Her frame held muscle on her upper body, from which she attributed to the occasional workouts like push-ups and chin-ups. Only the most physically fit could ever hope to call themselves huntsmen and huntresses, as her father had once said.
Her father...
The mere mental reminder of him brought a small frown to her face, as well as some... memories...
"Y-you wanted to see me, Father...?" A young Eleanor stood in the study of her room, a place she very rarely went to herself. It functioned just as much as a massive library, with countless books lining dozens of shelves all across the walls. The sight alone was intimidating to the young girl, almost as much as being in this very room itself. She had been scolded by her stern father on more than one occasion to not be caught playing in this room, his most important room of all.
The man in question was also there, sitting behind a large mahogany desk. Even dressed in the leisure of his own home, Harvey Etna still maintained an impeccable state of dress. His clothing materials were tailor-made, still appearing the crisp image of the military man he once was, so long ago. That was also evident in his facial expressions, with the lines underneath his eyes and along his cheeks, and the salt-and-peppering that the edge of his hair had. He was a man who was no stranger to conflict, having forever marked him. Even without saying anything, nor even regarding her directly, Eleanor always managed to be intimidated by her own father.
He had been calmly writing something down in pen on a piece of paper before him, probably another police commission, when he'd heard her enter.
"Mm, daughter," he spoke, "yes I did." He placed his pen down and looked up at her, "How are your studies coming along?"
"Ah- I'm doing very well! In all my subjects, Father," Eleanor spoke. That was not untrue; she had been studying hard, making certain to not fall behind in anything. As much as she wanted to think doing so was largely of her own choice, that in itself was what wasn't true here. An Etna strives for Excellence, as Father had instilled in her.
"Stand up straight please," Harvey said simply, causing her to nearly jolt up and at attention.
"Y-yes sir!" Eleanor quickly spoke, "All of my instructors have told me of h-how impressed with me they were..."
"Yet I was never made aware...?" Harvey spoke, though softly and under his breath. The girl felt the hair on the back of her neck bristle at that harsh comment, "Oh well; That was actually not the only thing I wished to speak with you about..." He slowly stood up from his chair, and walked around to the side of his desk, "How is your weapons training?"
"Weapon-?" the girl blinked, then shook her head to quickly understand, "Ah th-that is going... good as well, Father!" She reached behind her with an extremely careful hand to bring something before her. An axe-shaped weapon, colored a rough texture of stark white. It reached about two thirds the length of her entire body, and was just about as heavy. By now her calloused hands and arms had built enough strength that she could lift the weapon with ease, yet still took additional care that was due such a weapon, "I-it's really... working well for me, Father..."
"Hm..." Harvey slowly made his way from the desk and before her. He traced his hands along the weapon as she presented it. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she could see the little smiles that he so rarely displayed, much less before anyone. Seeing this filled her with a little comfort as well; her father was smiling about something, which in turn made her feel good as well. However, that feeling quickly faded as she suddenly saw him frown, "You haven't been maintaining it properly, have you?"
"H-huh?" Eleanor said, not expecting the sudden shift, "W-what... I've been t-taking good c-care of it-"
"The finish hasn't been maintained with polish, I can clearly tell from how rough it feels," Harvey cut in, "And goodness sakes, stop stuttering whenever you talk!"
"Yes, s-sir!" the girl quickly said, "I'm... sorry that I... I hadn't known I was supposed to keep it clean... like that..."
"Any weapon is only as good as the condition it is kept in," the older man instructed, "That was something my time in the army taught myself and my fellow servicemen. Well-kept equipment can save a man's life just as easily as the fellow man next to him." Eleanor found herself frowning this time. There went her father again, making reference to his 'glory days' in the army. It was little secret to anyone that lived in her town that her father not only served in the army, but was a famous human commander. Colonel Harvey Etna, the 'war-elephant' he was called by both friend and foe alike. A name like that certainly came with notoriety from the deeds he no doubt had to perform. As such, this wasn't a topic Eleanor much enjoyed speaking of, nor being spoken to about, since she had a good idea of these acts.
"I understand, Father," she quickly tried to assure him, "I-I will make sure the Ivorashu is in perfect condition from here on. I'll make sure it's clean on the outside, as well as the inside, like the barrel here..." She finished off by indicating to the end of the weapon's shaft.
"Hm... see that you do," Harvey said, pulling his hands back. There was hesitation between them, which Eleanor almost took as a sign that she was dismissed, until he spoke again, "I may have passed this weapon on to you... But, have I ever told you about its history...?"
"I... don't think so...?" Eleanor said, looking down to study the weapon in hand, "At least, I don't remember if you did..." Eleanor felt her lips purse suddenly; What if he had told her, and she had foolishly forgotten? Eleanor felt herself shudder at the thought.
"No, I don't think I have..." Harvey said, earning a silent sigh of relief from the girl, "This weapon belonged to my own father, David Etna."
"G-grandfather?" Eleanor said, "The Ivorashu... it belonged to him?"
"Yes," Harvey nodded, "After all these years, I still remember that story he told me of how he got it. Supposedly, he was said to have been one of the few huntsman in all of Remnant to successfully kill a Goliath Grimm, one of the most dangerous types one could ever encounter. But it does go further than that; he not only killed it, but he was able to sever one of its tusks before its death!" The young girl's eyes were widened now, even after Harvey gave a subtle gesture with his eyes to the Ivorashu. Eleanor looked back down upon the weapon she held in her hands. This thing- it actually 'came' from a Grimm?!
"But... how? Sh-shouldn't the tusk have faded as well, like any Grimm's body would?"
"Well admittedly, it's a mystery even to this day how that was managed," Harvey said, "I remember thinking to myself back then how superfluous his methods were as well. Nonetheless, he did tell me though that in light of this- obtaining a 'trophy', he worked tirelessly to fashion it into something else. Eventually, he reshaped it into the weapon that he wielded in battle, which he then passed on to me," He looked back at Eleanor, "And I had bequeathed to you."
"I... I see," Eleanor spoke softly. That was quite a lot to take in! Grandfather David had made this weapon? And out Grimm parts themselves?! That had to have explained how the axe-blade felt so continuously sharp, with hardly any signs of dulling at all. All those times she'd ran the edge across a sharpening stone and never seemed to notice any change in the sharpness; it was already incredibly sharp!
"However, it's important you not forget the words that come with this weapon being passed to you," Harvey's previously stern tone returned as he continued, "The same words that my father told me when he did the same. This weapon and its mere existence serve as a point being proven: Enemies may seem invincible, at least until their own assets are used against them. And in that moment, they cease to be invincible, but in turn are less than that."
"I... I understand..." the girl said. However, Harvey tilted his head with a raised eyebrow at her response.
"Eleanor... you really should work on that shyness factor you have about you..." he said, which only drew a harsh flush of red to Eleanor's face, "Have... are there children at Refuge who are not respectful to you?"
"Oh- n-no no, no!" the girl hastily waved a hand in front of her; For the sake of avoiding further embarrassment, there was no way THIS topic was to be brought up in conversation, "D-definitely not! No one around is... bullying me...!"
"Hmmm..." the older man said. After a moment's hesitation, he stepped back to return to his desk. In this moment, Eleanor took it as the sign to holster Ivorashu onto her back and leave, at least until she heard her father speak again, "I'd like you to meet me outdoors in five minutes. I have a few more commissions to fill out still, but I would like to see how your form in coming along in actually handling the Ivorashu. You may go." Not waiting for any confirmation from her, he looked back down upon his desk to resume writing.
"Yes, Father..." Eleanor said, turning towards the door to leave the room. Here she went again; leaving his presence with her feeling like one of his soldiers, rather than his daughter...
"Why does he always have to be like... that...?" she said to herself, "Every time it's... he's always so strict when talking to me..." A single hand absently reached behind her to pull the Ivorashu in front of her. This pristine weapon in its flawless design should have been pleasing to the eyes, but instead served as a bitter reminder of where exactly it had come from.
She had made doubly sure to treat the finish upon this weapon this time, both before leaving for school and during her time there. Now it at least appeared to have its pristine shine in the light. It looked every bit as clean and well-kept as when it was when it was first given to her. A small part of her did feel some sense of pride in that fact alone; this was an impressive weapon, it was only right that it look as good.
The blade part of the axe still retained its sharpness. The gleam along the flat and along the edge both gave a sharp shine. The way it shined almost seemed... intimidating in a way. This blade must have been sharpened countless times before. She dare not move her own skin fingers close to it, something she definitely didn't even need her father to warn her about either. And yet, she still needed to take care in avoiding accidental cuts from the blade, considering its other function.
The shaft of the axe itself was actually its long, thick barrel. The 'head' of the axe was held into her shoulder tightly as it was aimed, with her left hand supporting the length, and the right hand gripping the trigger and guard at the base of the blade. It was all in all a dangerous set-up, even with the suitable shoulder-pad on the very top of the head to reduce the impact of the 'kick'. Rounds fired from the Ivorashu were capable of blowing holes straight through the strongest trees, and even rocks. Such power was almost worth the drawbacks, even if the explosive sounds could be too loud at times...
"This thing... He's always talking to me about how easily I can kill Grimm with you..." she said to herself, while still looking down at the stark white weapon, "I wonder when that will be though...?"
"Hey, look there!" Eleanor's head snapped up, not expecting to hear someone's voice call out just now. Who was that? On instinct, she replaced her Ivorashu onto her back. She didn't need to look very far, as a small group of five fellow kids could be seen walking with each other in the same direction she was going. They were walking a good distance in front of her, yet one of them must have noticed her.
Upon seeing who they were, Eleanor's heart sank. As if dealing with people like Jackson Lithe weren't enough, now it seemed like she'd have to deal with him as well as the additional four people he was with. She couldn't remember what any of their names were for the life of her, not that she tried to.
"Who is that?" she heard one of them, a girl, speak.
"That's... no one special I don't think..." Jackson's voice could be heard, "Daughter of some big time military dude? Who knows..."
"Wait, I remember her; she's that one that playground toy with her Semblance, isn't she?"
"I know her- well, I know who her father is..." another girl's voice could be heard saying, a heavy tone of disdain was present in her speech, "Ugh, we shouldn't talk to her. Let's just go...!"
"Yeah, she's probably a faunus-hater like him..." Eleanor felt something within her. Almost like her very being just tightened up in an instant, like a rope being pulled hard on by both sides. That last comment put her on alert, but also put her off a great deal. Her eyes narrowed hard as she leveled them at the group. They were walking away from her right now, hardly paying her mind in light of the comment they'd just spoke about her. Suddenly, she felt her lips part, and words burst from her mouth before she even realized they were leaving,
"I am not a faunus-hater!" She found herself recoiling from the almost unfamiliar voice that came from her own mouth. It must have been so rarely that she ever did something like this. She loosely moved her free hand close to her mouth, despite knowing that what just happened could not be undone.
The eyes of the five other kids were drawn to her as well. She felt herself warming up not only in the face, but strangely from within as well. Her quick spark of anger was quickly replaced by embarrassment. For a brief moment, she almost forgot why it was that she had even spoken out like that in the first place. That is, until one of the girls spoke again.
"Did you say something?"
"You're Colonel Harvey Etna's daughter, aren't you?" another one said.
"You've got that Semblance for destruction, don't you?" the other male said, who was also a faunus of some kind, "Figures you and him have something in common with-"
"Stop it!" Eleanor cried out again. Her timidity she was feeling just now was fading fast; these people were pushing one too many buttons with her, and now they were starting to go too far, calling out her father like that, "D-don't talk bad about my father!"
"H-hey, come on guys..." Eleanor was vaguely aware that it was Jackson who had spoken, an arm held out before his group to try and possibly steer them away, "We were just going this way, weren't we? We don't wanna miss the-"
"No no wait- now's as good a time for this anyway...!" the male faunus kid cut in. He broke away from his group to reposition himself between his friends and where Eleanor stood. At closer distance, she could clearly see this boy was a rhino faunus from those strange patches of contrasting grey skin seen on his arms. The boy may have been a few inches shorter than her in height, but his frame was definitely of a heavier build than hers. And the way he held a cross face towards her... Eleanor quickly glanced all around, hoping to find someone, anyone else around. But her heart sank as she realized she had already walked a great distance away from the school. They were walking the main roads that would lead into the city of Mistral, fences blocking off the thick red forests on either side of them.
"So, you denying what he did?" the boy challenged, "That Colonel Etna is a killer! My father lost his life in the last war at his hands!"
"He is not a k-killer!" Eleanor protested, "I... don't know what happened exactly... back then, but I won't l-let you talk bad about him-"
"D-d-d-d-d-!" the male faunus mocked her stutter, like Jackson had done earlier. It was much different with him however, whereas Jackson exaggerated it to the point of absurdity, this one seemed to do so purely to spite how she was and how she spoke, "It's all true and you can't deny it! My father died in- oh my... he died to that...!" His eyes suddenly turned dark and dangerous as he stopped his tirade short after discovering something. He slowly pointed a finger a little past Eleanor, which the girl quickly picked up that he was indicating to the Ivorashu. Her head twitched towards looking over a shoulder for a quick second, and her surprised eyes returned to the faunus.
"Victor! Hey Vic, come on man!" Jackson could be heard behind them, "It's not worth it; let's just go!"
"No way; you Etna's may be 'untouchable', but that weapon isn't..." His tone carried a dangerous edge to it this time. He reached a right hand to his waist to draw forth something; a long, cone-shaped dagger, colored a more faded white compared to the Ivorashu, "The Ivorashu; that was very thing that that killed Otto Rataxes in the war! A piece of Grimm itself it's even said!"
Within Eleanor's very being was a hurricane of emotions by now. There was surprise at this sudden turn of events, there was confusion and pity that the Etna name was being associated with a committed atrocity, but there was also anger that her father's name was being besmirched by someone. She did feel that she never completely got along with him, nor quite saw eye to eye, there was no denying that. But at the same time, she in no way hated him; he was her father, and she loved him deeply for everything he's done for her.
Such as entrusting her with something that he himself held dearly.
Slowly her hand reached behind her to pull the Ivorashu back out and before her. However, this was no time for hostile encounters, at least for her it wasn't. Thus, she instead held the precious weapon close to her, as if protecting it. That however did not stop the evening sun from casting its light upon its edge again. The sharp gleam drew all eyes to it as effectively as any loud voice would have done. While Eleanor was still a mix of anger and fear, Victor's initial surprise was replaced by sadistic glee.
"Yeah..." he breathed, "Give that thing up; I owe this to Dad...!"
"N-no!" Eleanor clutched the weapon closer to her body, "I-I won't let you...!"
"Is this really happening?!" one of the girls could be heard saying.
"Seriously Victor, this is going too far now!" Jackson added.
"This'll be exciting- whoa, wait..." Another girl started, but stopped suddenly. She could be seen suddenly turning her head off to the side. She was looking at the forest line at a different direction from where Refuge Academy was located. The look on her face now was curiosity mixed with worry, "Guys...? What was that sound...?" In her worried state, Eleanor found herself listening to what was being said by that girl. A part of her attention was directed to the forest that she was looking towards. While maintaining her distance between Victor, she focused her hearing; the sound of gentle wind, a warm breeze, leaves rustling, and... growling?
"Guys...? Guys-!" the girl exclaimed, jumping back and away from the forest's edge. She ran back to rejoin Jackson and the other two girls, with Victor barely glancing a single eye towards what the commotion was about. The others were in panic by now as something could be seen from the trees. Black forms, accented by patches stark white and red leapt straight out and over the fence, into the opening! A small pack of sabyr Grimm slowly stalked towards the group, some of them branching out to approach from different angles. Their sharpened claws dug into the ground with each step they took. Their maws snapped open and closed, with obscenely large canines hanging out and over their lower jaws whenever they did. Their growling became snarls as they eyed the children.
"Grimm!" another of the girls cried out, "They just jumped clean over the fence!"
"Oh boy..." Jackson said.
"Huh...?" Even Victor found himself turning to face the fray. Eleanor herself was free to do the same, but what she saw did not make her feel any less fearful. Grimm were here, from out of nowhere! Where did they come from? And how did they go undetected by the Mistrali police, or any of the seasoned huntsmen or huntresses that should be patrolling these grounds?! Could they- could they have bested them? Both of her hands found themselves gripping tightly upon her Ivorashu, even as she took tentative steps back away from the stalking sabyrs.
"This is not good, there's too many here," one of the girls said, "Jackson, you should go and get help!"
"W-what?" the lone male human said. There was no longer any jerkish tone in his voice from before, but nervousness and fear, "I don't think I can-"
"Yes, you can!" the same girl said, "You're the fastest and quickest one out of us! We can cover you and keep them occupied while you slip away and call the police or something!"
"Yeah, we can give you the time you need," another of the girls added, before quickly looking at Victor, "Right Vic...?"
"Hmph, fine," the male faunus shifted his own body to fully face the aggressive sabyrs, "Just do what you need to do; we'll do the same here...!"
"Ah- alright then-!" Jackson relented. There was still uncertainty on his face, but he nonetheless held his Candelabra staff in his arm as he bent low to the ground. Suddenly, the boy was bounding off in the direction that Eleanor and the other kids were initially on their way towards; the way towards Mistral city itself. Each step he took kicked up loose dark red leaves in the soft wind, "Here I go...!"
The sabyrs saw this quick action and wasted little time in pursuing the most immediate movement before them. Each one let out quick snarling roars as they lunged for him. But with each lunge attempt, Jackson deftly curved and bobbed his whole body out of the way, narrowly avoiding their sharpened teeth and claws. One final sabyr tried to jump him from directly in front. In response, Jackson quickly lodged one end of Candelabra into the ground, directly before the sabyr, and vaulted clean over it. The combined leap of both Jackson and the sabyr only increased the distance between them, even as the boy came to a graceful landing on his own two feet.
Finally clear of immediate Grimm hostiles, he ran straight down the pathway towards Mistral. The other sabyrs behind him appeared to run after him, until a few gunshots behind them drew their attention. The remaining Refuge students stood before them, challenging them with weapons and stances at the ready.
"Hey, Grimm!" one of the girls called out, "Yeah, come and get us! Here!" She hardly needed to finish her sentence, as the sabyrs were already running straight for them instead. Sharpened claws dug into the dirt of the ground with every leaping step they took, while their opened maws let forth a flurry of snarls and growls. Two of the three girls maintained their nervous looks about them even as they held their ground, while the third, taller girl's face was purely determined. She knelt down and placed both flattened palms against the ground. A set of the sabyrs had finally made their huge leap with the pure intent of eviscerating the trio of girls on contact... or at least would have had it not been for the massive form of Victor crashing into the front sabyr with his own shoulders.
"GGGRRAAAAHHHH!" he exclaimed. The sabyr his body slammed against was sent flying a good ten feet away until it skidded against the dirt ground, kicking up ample dust as well.
"V-Victor...?" one of the girls spoke. The boy simply cast a look behind him of annoyance.
"Don't just stand there, make yourself useful!" he reprimanded them. Quickly turning back, he moved to bury the sharpened white dagger of his into the body of another sabyr that dared to get too close to him. While his attention was focused on that one at his side, he neglected to even noticed the second sabyr that made to swipe at him with its claws.
However, that one was also caught off guard by something else. Without warning, sections of the ground burst open to allow straight lines of plant-like roots to shoot up. They completely wrapped themselves around the sabyr, starting from the outstretched paw all the way to its main body. The other girls were yet again broken from their surprised state to turn to the ducked third girl next to them, who looked back up at them with an annoyed look of her own.
"He's right, you know! Use your Semblances as best you can!" she said.
"O-okay, Margret-!" one of the girls said.
Eleanor on the other hand remained separated from the group of her fellow students. She was separated from them, but she was far from alone. At least two of the sabyrs were stalking all around her, daring her to do something.
The girl held her Ivorashu tightly with both hands. Her face maintained an outward look of calm, but inside she was intensely worried. Or, was she scared? Whatever it was, it hardly seemed to matter; the sabyrs seemed plenty attracted to her regardless! One of the sabyrs on her left quickly leapt out towards her. She quickly swung the Ivorashu wide, catching the Grimm in midair and bisecting it cleanly in half. She then wasted no time in changing swinging direction towards the other way and cleaving straight through the other sabyr as it tried to do the same thing. Both remains of the sabyrs' bodies disintegrated into black specks that fluttered away on the wind.
Eleanor let out a huff of relief. Those two sabyrs were the most immediate threat to her. By destroying them, there were no more of them that were as close to attacking her this time. She then took the time to look back up to survey the situation. The majority of the sabyrs were either encircling Victor and the three girls or individually making leaps towards them. Each one was repelled in various ways. Victor was practically able to muscle them away with well placed body-slams, hardly even needing to use his own weapon.
The girls on the other hand utilized less than physical methods. The one named Margret's hands were still pressed flat into the ground, while... roots had shot out of the ground and entangled some of them? The smaller girl was now riding on the back of something; a transparent, light blue image of some creature. It very much resembled an Ursa, but without any of those armored carapaces or markings that usually came with. This 'image' swiped at any sabyrs that came to close, claws of its own scratching hard into Grimm bodies and lacerating them deeply. The girl was seen on this projection's back, gripping it tightly, as if afraid she'd slip off easily. The third girl... wait, where was that third one? There were three girls there, weren't there?
Her question was immediately answered when said girl suddenly reappeared alongside a sabyr that was close to flanking the astral projection's side. Her hands held a coiled up whip-like weapon that she had wrapped completely around the sabyr's head, held hard against thrashing, and wrestled it straight to the ground. She maneuvered herself to the side of its back to avoid the sabyrs swiping claws and held her arms tightly around its neck. The growls that came out of its mouth became more and more choked, and its movement began to slow down as well. Suddenly, the girl twitched her arms in a sharp motion, and the Grimm jerked in response. In that moment, Eleanor felt glad that she could neither see the girl's face nor even the Grimm's as she'd done that. It may have been a pure monster, but that action was one thing she did not desire to see in its entirety.
She shook her head, clearing such thoughts, and allowing her mind to reassess the situation. At the moment, Grimm sabyrs still outnumbered them by a good margin. Victor, the trio of girls, and herself were doing well so far in repelling any of them that tried to attack them. Well, perhaps staying alive was a more accurate term here; there were so many sabyrs, but they could handle them, couldn't they...?
Victor brought down another sabyr with purely his arm, burying his thick dagger into the creature's neck for good measure. The dying sabyr let out a pained, high-pitched growl. It was then however, that the same high-pitched growl seemed to sound deeper, somehow. This was something both Victor, and all the other human girls took note of as well.
"Um, what was that...?" In spite of the surrounding sabyrs, the air and forest around them felt eerily quiet all of a sudden. The five students sensed the faint feeling of vibrations through the ground they stood on. They were felt one right after the other, almost like... steps. Even the other sabyrs in that moment had momentarily ceased their assault and had backed away, as if they were waiting for something.
"I've a feeling something bad is..." the girl who could turn invisible spoke. She never finished her sentence however, as something broke off her line of speech. The fence-line itself practically exploded, with the sound of screeching steel filling the air. Another Grimm leapt into the clearing on four legs, with a heavy roar bursting from its mouth. It was easily four times the size of the surrounding sabyrs, while also possessing overly enlarged canines that hung clear out of its mouth, yet never cleared its mouth-line enough when its mouth was opened wide.
"It's... it's an Alpha Sabyr!" the girl riding the astral projection exclaimed. Her avatar almost gave the impression of roaring in response as well. The massive Grimm eyed the students with hungry eyes, occasionally glancing back and forth between them and Eleanor herself.
The isolated girl in question gazed upon this massive monster with genuine fear now. Her eyes widened as she studied every inch of it. In truth, she was terrified; the only Grimm she'd ever encountered, much less seen, was around as tall as her waist. These smaller sabyrs were even pushing it as far as how big she'd seen them get. But this?! This... 'alpha' sabyr; it stood at least three times her own height, with at least five times the body-mass to boot!
"How... how can..." she muttered to herself, "Can that... thing, even be stopped...?!"
"Olena, Sophia! Get back!" Margret's voice rang out and cut through her own line of thinking. She watched as she forced her hands back into the ground, face scrunched up in harder concentration this time. As the alpha sabyr tried to move in on this perceived aggressive action, the ground below rumbled with not only its own footsteps, but something else as well. Long, thick roots suddenly burst from the ground and wrapped themselves around the giant creature, doing their part to quickly immobilize it.
"M-Margret... you got it!" the voice belonging to this Olena girl could be heard. It was then that the girl in question also appeared to rematerialize back into a physical form. Was that what her Semblance was- Invisibility?
"Yes, I do-!" Margret said through gritted teeth, "B-but I can't hold it forever!" It was true; the alpha sabyr grunted and growled along with each hard tug in every direction. Each strain it made broke away a tiny strand of root that held it, with tinier ones quickly rushing up from the ground to hold it strong, "Keep the others off of me-!"
"Oh- right!" Sophia said. She turned her projected creature around, just in time to have it swipe at a sabyr that had almost snuck up on her. These creatures only seemed to increase their aggressive actions after Margret had immobilized their alpha.
"Come on Sophia, you gotta stay focused here, or these things will get us!" Victor managed to say in between his stabs of the sabyr currently before him. It was then that his head suddenly turned in Eleanor's direction, catching her off-guard, "And you; you're still here?" That backhanded compliment filled her with self-consciousness and anxiety than anything else. She was doing just fine so far, so why should she care what he said about how she was doing? In fact, would it really be 'that' necessary to come to his aid, especially if he-
"Oh crap-!" Her thoughts were cut short yet again as the harder sound of snapping filled the air. Before them, the alpha sabyr let forth a mighty grunt as it tugged hard, thus breaking off a majority of the roots that restrained it. With the new slack that just opened up, it wasted little time in pulling harder again to snap more loose. At this rate it would be completely free!
"Margret?" the smaller Sophia said.
"Olena, Sophia! Get clear, now!" The alpha sabyr finally flexed its body one last time to free itself entirely. It turned its head, strangely to look down at Margret specifically. The older girl met its gaze and almost seemed to freeze in place. She hardly made much effort to move even as the alpha raised its paw up to swipe at her.
"LOOK OUT!" Victor's voice rang out. He quickly bolted forward and jumped in the path of the clawed attack. His own dagger was held out to completely embed itself into the flat of the paw, with the claws themselves just barely managing to scratch his own skin. In response, the alpha sabyr let out a cry of pain as Victor's weapon was completely lodged into its appendage. The strength of the swipe itself was enough to budge him, yet he still managed to hold his stance enough to not be knocked over.
"Victor-?" Margret muttered as Olena rushed forward to move her out of the way of immediate danger.
"Grrgh-!" the rhino faunus grunted. His feet were well-spaced apart, desperate to hold his stance against the overwhelming force literally weighing down upon him, "I can... take you...!"
"Victor...!" Sophia said, pointing her finger out, "It's going to attack you!" It was true; the alpha sabyr was raising its other paw up, poised and ready to strike at his completely unguarded and occupied body!
In that moment, Eleanor's body moved of its own accord.
She rushed forward, feet kicking up dust in a similar manner to how these sabyrs kicked up dust with their own feet. She could easily close the distance between herself and them, if she hurried! From both sides, two other lesser sabyrs were running towards her and preparing to pounce upon her. In between her running she repositioned Ivorashu so that she pointed its barrel at each one and blew them away with powerful blasts. Strangely, the rounds fired off didn't sound as loud this time. All she remembered was that faint ringing sound in her ears, occurring at the same time the sabyrs' bodies disintegrated upon the wind. She would deal with that later, whatever there was to deal with; for now, she had to do the right thing here!
The alpha sabyr brought its paw down, only to be caught upon Eleanor's equally solid grip of Ivorashu. The impact itself caused her feet to skid a few inches across the dirt, until she finally held her ground herself.
In that moment, both paws of the massive alpha sabyr were held at bay by the strongest students of the group. The massive Grimm looked back and forth between these two 'obstructions', while uttering a sound completely different from those it had made before. It was guttural sounding, mixed with a strange sense of... annoyance.
"You... you both got it held in place?!" Olena could be heard uttering.
"Look out, those other sabyrs-!" Sophia cried out. Eleanor looked to her side, only for her heart to sink. Sure enough, another couple of sabyrs were poised to pounce upon her. Except this time, she'd be completely unable to defend herself and stop them from striking her. Perhaps this was not too bad of a way to go out-
"I've got you!" Margret exclaimed. In an instant, roots burst from the ground again and completely entangled the sabyr pair before they were allowed to do major harm to the Etna.
"Heh, impressive, Etna!" Olena's voice could be heard. Eleanor felt herself wince in response. Or wait, was that from how hard she was straining against the enlarged Grimm appendage pressing down hard upon her? She did have a first name, would it have killed her to have made mention of it just now?!
Both hands held fast and firm on the Ivorashu, the only suitable item that kept the massive paw from bearing down upon herself completely. It was only one leg of this creature, and yet there was still such force behind it! With gritted teeth and through partially squinted eyes, she glimpsed the alpha sabyr itself shift its own head back and forth between the two humanoids beneath its front paws. It continued to growl, almost consistent with the strength it was exhibiting!
Still, it was not able to move any closer forward, thanks to the suitable holding of the line that she and Victor were doing. Maybe this wasn't for nothing, and the girls that were behind them would remain out of relative danger for the moment. Or wait, there were still those alpha sabyrs to be contend with! Could they hold them off of themselves just as easily...!?
"Huh... not where I thought I'd see... an Etna..." Victor's voice could be heard. Eleanor turned her head and opened her eyes completely, now looking straight at the rhino faunus. The boy, was also holding his own against the alpha sabyr's paw, though appeared to be showing off slightly less effort compared to her in doing so, "Is this thing... gonna kill you, here...? Cause it ain't... killing me...!" Slowly, but surely, Eleanor Etna felt her eyes narrow with each word he managed to force out. Was he serious? Was he actually serious right now?! He was still thinking about that grudge and how he didn't like her and her family name! Seriously, just how much was this guy worth?! She could just as easily-
In her mind, time seemed to halt to a standstill. She could. She could very well just leave them to the sabyrs. They really hadn't done anything good for her; no one had! All that had happened to her was she'd been mistreated by people like them! She'd been picked on for her height, her family name, her Semblance, her shyness, and in Victor's case- called out for her own weapon! By the Gods, all she'd ever wanted was to simply have a good person to talk with, not someone that bullied her for things out of her control! And yet...
She glanced back and behind her, and saw the three girls. Those same girls... wait, were they sisters? Those same sisters... they were among those who made fun of her as well. She remembered seeing those sneering faces while passing them in Refuge's hallways... But those looks she'd remembered seeing, they were not upon their faces right then. Instead, there were faces of fear, anxiety, determination, effort... they were vulnerable. In that moment, they were humbled. No longer were they above anything, but instead on the same level as her, or anyone else in the world! They were people; the kind of people that must live on in spite of Grimm! Much like these sabyr Grimm that were encircling and attacking them!
Like the massive alpha sabyr Grimm that she herself was defending them against!
Eleanor closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. There was... one thing she could do. It was something she hadn't done in years... could it still work? Even after all this time... it had to. It just had to!
"V-Victor...!" she forced out in between her strains, "I've... got an idea...!"
"Huh? Idea?" the boy looked at her, almost as if amazed to have heard her speak to him at all, "What are you talking about?!"
"I can... use my Semblance against this thing!" Eleanor managed, "You know, my Semblance that I was... ridiculed for having...?!" There was a pause in between what she'd said and Victor's response, causing the girl to glance over to him. The face he was giving was completely different this time. No longer was he looking at her with any sort of disdain, but this time, one of thought... which slowly turned into one of... admiration?
"I think... I get it now-!" he said, stopping short when the alpha sabyr suddenly pressed hard against his out-pressed strength, "I'll be... that could be what's needed right now...! Fine, do it!" His words uttered, Eleanor felt a strange feeling within herself. Was that praise, coming from Victor Rataxes of all people?!
She closed her eyes, then carefully shifted one hand to the center of the Ivorashu. Once that was in place, she had a better stance to allow one hand to be taken loose. She then allowed as much of her Aura to be transferred into the very center of her palm, more memory flashes entering her mind as she did so...
She stood with a much bigger and taller build than her classmates...
The fact that her name was connected to one dipped in bad war history...
How she was chronically shy, not very adept at making friends...
And that her Semblance was in itself so destructive...
These were all great obstacles in her life; but through one way, or another, they would be-
"OVERCOME!" Eleanor cried out her Semblance name as she thrust the flat of her palm straight up against the flat of the alpha sabyr's body. The effect itself was almost immediate; the massive body of the Grimm practically exploded backwards, yelping as it sailed back towards the tree-line. Both Eleanor and Victor nearly lurched and fell forward as they felt the pressuring force that had bore down upon them from the front immediately vanish. They watched as the alpha sabyr finally crashed its back against one of the thicker trees and hit the ground.
Suddenly, Eleanor found herself huffing hard, almost as if she'd forgotten to breathe in the moment. She put a hand to her chest, and was acutely aware of the somehow 'weaker' state she was feeling. Her Aura... it was weakened too! Had it really been so long since she'd used Overcome? Or did her Semblance really take that much of a toll on her Aura reserves?
She lowered her free hand from her chest, while also getting her breathing under control in the moment. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad. The alpha sabyr was incapacitated by her, and while there were still many of the lesser sabyrs around them, none of her fellows were in any grave danger at the moment. If they stuck together, they could definitely make it through this!
"Whoa! Incredible!" the younger Sophia's voice could be heard. A quick head turn to the side and Eleanor could see the three other girls join back up with her and Victor, "That's your Semblance?! You just blasted that alpha back like it was nothing!"
"Th-thanks..." Eleanor said, a light flushing on her face. That was entirely new to her; never in her life did she ever think she'd hear 'praise' for her Semblance of Overcome!
"Huh, yeah; that was... something..." Victor could also be heard saying, "But... no..." Following his gaze, the alpha sabyr was no longer yelping in pain as it was before while flailing its limbs before it. By now, it had regained its feet, shook itself from dirt, and was now moving slowly back towards the humanoids. As it moved, the tree behind it could be seen as having a noticeably huge dent in its side. An indent outlined with splintering wood chips outlined where exactly the alpha sabyr's body had hit this tree. As for the other sabyrs, most of them had moved up to rejoin their alpha at its side.
"That's nuts!" Olena cried out, "How does that thing just get up from that?!"
"It doesn't matter now-!" Margret said, preparing to press her palms into the ground again, "We just need to try and stop them again...!" Victor could be heard huffing in frustration as he hefted his dagger in hand, ready to attack again. Eleanor herself did the same, although was strangely aware of how slightly heavier Ivorashu felt in her hands. It felt just a tad bit harder to keep held up. But for the sake of herself, and her fellow classmates she was with, she'd have to bear with the effort-
"MOVE IN!" A entirely new voice rang out. Every one of the kids flinched from having heard it, completely unprepared for this sudden noise to be heard. Even the sabyrs crooked their heads in different directions from having heard it as well. A few of them even let out a few snarling growls in the kids' general direction, unlike what they had done before. Eleanor and the others spun their heads around to find out what had made that call just now...
There behind them, advancing from the direction of Mistral, stood a man. He was dressed in the professional garb of the Mistrali Police and armed with a rifle. The expression on his face was his familiar sternness, but also a hint of concern, especially when Eleanor was in his direct line of sight. He was not alone though, as a multitude of similarly dressed Mistrali police men and women quickly advanced forward. Unlike the chief himself, they all wore a policeman's helmet on, thus obscuring what each one's upper head looked like underneath.
Which made it all the more easier to spot the one obvious kid among their ranks; Jackson Lithe could also be seen, if a bit further in the back and away from the front of the officers. But from what could be seen of him, his eyes were wide, but the emotion on his face couldn't quite be seen.
"It's Jackson! He brought the Mistrali police!" Sophia exclaimed.
"Huh, took him long enough..." Olena added.
"F-father...?" Eleanor muttered to herself.
"First wave, form a defensive line between the children and the Grimm!" Colonel Harvey called out, "Second wave, secure and protect the children!" Instantly, the surrounding policemen scrambled to perform their tasks. Eleanor found herself almost not knowing what was going on. Everything was happening so fast! A handful of policemen rushed around and close to her and the other kids, while another larger group of policemen rearranged themselves in a line, separating them from the Grimm. They moved swiftly and efficiently, even with care as they urged them to move backwards and away from the fray.
From the tops of the police officers' helmets, the Grimm could be seen snarling and growling with renewed vigor. Weapons trained upon them did nothing to ease their aggression. Thus, all it took was one single lesser sabyr to launch itself forward before the first of shots rang out. Immediately following, the overwhelming sound of gun-blasts filled the air until it was absolutely deafening. Eleanor and the other students watched on with widened eyes, some of the girls even clamping their hands over their ears. In between the shots, the sounds of bullets penetrating Grimm flesh as well as Grimm cries of pain could be heard as well, if just barely.
The shooting carried on for a solid thirty seconds at least, until finally an order for ceasefire was declared. The students watched as the officers shuffled to lower their weapons. This prompted Eleanor to look up and over as best she could past them. What she saw... was nothing. There were absolutely no more Grimm present, nor could the familiar sound of their growls be heard. It was really over; where once the Grimm's numbers seemed overly-stacked against them, there were now none!
"Yeah! That's what you get!" a familiar voice rang out from behind. Eleanor and the other kids turned around to see Jackson, standing within the crowd of disciplined Mistrali policemen making air punches and vocally taunting the once-Grimm, "What'chu all got, huh?! You try to mess with us Mistralians, you get that! That's right!" In spite of the tense feeling from just a moment ago, Victor and the three girls openly dead-panned from this completely immature display. Even Eleanor found herself smiling ever so slightly as the tension was broken.
"Freaking Jackson...!" Margret said, shaking her head.
The hours that followed were nothing short of hectic.
To say that Police Chief Harvey Etna was not pleased would be a complete understatement. After all, children were not only attacked by a pack of Grimm, but his own daughter was among them. And so close to Refuge Academy? The place that was supposed to be as secure as its namesake suggested? His anger was made well-known even before he took decisive action. What was done immediately was was a quick sweep of the forests' edge-line and a little further inwards, all to make sure there were absolutely no more Grimm to be spotted anywhere close by. Combined with a heavy perimeter established right at the forest's edge as a second line of defense, all ensuring that a repeat assault would not be happening anytime soon.
Harvey himself had set off for Refuge Academy, intent on having a few words with the school's headmaster about safety to the student body and future precautions. Not the least of which was a more secure barrier to secure the pathway from any future Grimm trying to emerge from the forests. The previous fence had been so pitiful in its design after all. The parents and guardians of the children in question were thus notified, as well that they were completely safe. The mother of the three girls was the first to arrive on the scene, and wasted no time in taking her daughters straight home.
Victor on the other hand... he had been strangely silent ever since the Mistrali police had shown up. Or maybe... it was from when he had first glimpsed Harvey Etna himself arrive on the scene to secure them. Whatever the exact reasoning, he kept himself firmly separated from anyone and everyone still present.
Which of course just left Eleanor and Jackson, sitting nearby in the midst of Mistrali police hustling and bustling around them. The girl could see the slight nervousness in his eyes every time one of them met his own glance, causing him to quickly avert his own gaze. She herself was quite used to the presence of police officers. Since her own father was one himself and had even given her tour of his work place once or twice when she was younger. She was fairly used to being exposed to the presence of authority figures. If she were to guess, probably more so than Jackson here.
"Huh, there sure were a lot of them that came running, eh?" he spoke, uncharacteristically softly.
"But, you brought them here, didn't you?" Eleanor pointed out. Jackson looked at her this time.
"Well, yeah but... I actually just found two officers when I got into town," he said, "And... I guess the chief himself was also there, and overheard me. All I said was 'Eleanor and the others were about to be shredded by Grimm!', and he just went nuts! Practically brought the whole police force with him!"
"Huh, y-yeah..." Eleanor admitted, looking down at the ground, "If there's one thing Father likes to do, it's make sure any problem is cleaned up thoroughly..."
"He definitely did that... kinda seemed like overkill..." Eleanor found herself chuckling once at his comment. He wasn't wrong, but she still almost surprised herself by her sudden vocal response. The boy seemed to notice as he glanced once in her direction, "Speaking of overkill... that was also impressive."
"Huh?" Eleanor looked straight at him this time, "What was?"
"You," Jackson clarified, "I was maybe a few miles down the road from you and the others when... I saw you just 'slap' that giant Grimm away!" He swiped his palm away from his body for dramatic effect, and Eleanor found herself flushing a little at the comment. She brought her hands to her cheeks in a vain attempt to conceal the reddening. There was no hiding it, was there? He already knew...
"I... used my Semblance, 'Overcome'..." she spoke softly at first, then hastily following up with, "B-but, the alpha sabyr- I was just trying to save us-!"
"And looked totally awesome doing it!" Jackson exclaimed. This earned him a look from Eleanor, "Come on, 'that's' what your Semblance does? Why would you hide it?! It's definitely more useful than mine..."
"N-no, that's not true!" Eleanor said, "Mine's so... destructive! You have a much better Semblance; you got to Fa- er, the Mistral police quick enough, and brought them back with you to save us-! Oh, and I, um... thank you for that, by the way..."
"Huh? Oh yeah, no problem... I'd have done that for anyone..." Jackson's reply was softer than his tone was before, which lead to a small silence between the two, Their gazes shifted everywhere, occasionally looking at each other before they quickly turned away. What was happening right now? Eleanor couldn't remember the last time she'd held an actually meaningful conversation with someone, her own age no less, that didn't involve herself being almost ripped into! What could she say? What was there to say next?!
"Say um... can I... confess something, to you...?" Jackson spoke up again.
"H-huh?" Eleanor's head shot up at attention,.
"I'm... actually not very good at... well, 'this' sort of stuff, but..." Jackson himself stuttered, then turned his eyes to partially look at her, "I guess, I just wanted to say... I'm sorry." Eleanor's widened eyes squinted a little, narrowed in confusion.
"Sorry? F-for what?"
"The way I act towards you; you know, the way I give you a hard time, like in the hallways...?" the boy clarified, "It's just... I may hang out with Victor a lot, but... I never really had any hatred for you like he had. Heck I never even knew it was that bad until today...!" Jackson paused and then sighed, "I dunno... guess I'm trying to say 'I'm sorry' and 'no hard feelings'?" The girl looked at her fellow classmate and blinked. The same boy who she had always thought was obnoxious to her at every opportunity he'd gotten. But now, he was really admitting it was just a way to keep up appearances? And with a certain crowd of people? Eleanor knew in her gut this feeling to be distrustful to this type of admission; after all, if this were a few days ago, she'd have written this off as such. However, after all that she and her classmates had been through just recently...
"I guess... It's fine," she said simply, "I... forgive you..."
"Great! Thanks; glad that's cleared up...!" Jackson said with a smile. His head suddenly perked up when he turned and faced forward. He could see someone, as could Eleanor when she looked towards where he looked. In the distance, a woman could be seen approaching the site of battle, navigating her way through the mass of Mistral policemen. She was unfamiliar to Eleanor, but Jackson on the other hand was already rising to his feet, by pulling himself with Candelabra no less, "Aaand that's my cue; I'd rather her embarrass me over there than right here..." He proceeded to take a few steps out towards her, but slowed down as he glanced back over his shoulder towards her, "You know, we should talk more in the hallways; I mean, not in those 'I rip on you' kinda ways..." He finished his proposition with a small smile, which Eleanor couldn't help but give a small smile and a nod in response. With that, Jackson Lithe departed completely, leaving Eleanor completely alone again. Only this time, it was no longer a sense of isolation that gripped her. In just a short while, that gripping feeling of loneliness felt smaller and smaller to her somehow. Some good had definitely come from this experience after all...
The familiar sounds of her father's voice could be heard from behind her. Incidentally, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck to prickle a little. Slowly turning her head, she felt a small sense of relief when while she did see her father, he was not immediately upon her. Rather, he was turned facing a different direction, and talking with... with... who was that?
She shifted herself to stand up again, getting a better look, and her eyes widened. It was Victor! Victor Rataxes was talking with her father! Her mind was quickly reminded of all the things he'd said to her; the hardly subtle accusations leveled against her, all for what her father had done! If the vitriol aimed at her was any indication, than him talking to her father now could only lead to something even worse happening! Before she was even completely aware of her own actions, she was already fully to her feet and advancing towards them.
The two voices couldn't be heard well enough from the distance she was currently at. Plus there was also the factor of the surrounding people as well. There were still a large number of Mistral police officers walking around, carrying out various tasks and taking them from place to place. Thus Eleanor was forced to navigate around them as she slowly made her way forward. She reached about halfway the distance from where she was and they were before she could finally make out words, spoken by her father no less.
"Rest assured, reparations will be made, entirely in full." The girl's eyes narrowed; reparations? What was he talking about?
"Tch, whatever..." was the only sound she'd heard emerge from Victor's mouth, before the boy shifted to walk away from the man, and turn towards her direction. Eleanor froze in place, eyes glued to the faunus boy as he started walking towards her. The look on his face was that same scowl from before that he'd leveled at her. There was definitely a sense that there would be heavy conflict about to arise, Eleanor could just feel it... Until she watched as Victor walked straight past her, disappearing into the thick of police offiicers. What? The faunus boy had some semblance of a civilized conversation with her father, the man he blamed for the death of his own father, and didn't even make an attempt to snatch at her Ivorashu? What had happened?
She quickly turned back towards where her father stood. Harvey Etna continued to stand in place, as if completely unaffected by the absolute rude display of someone walking away from him in dismissal. His head then turned to face her direction, with his body following. Those eyes still held the look of a hardened man, unyielding to whatever the world could through at him. Those same eyes looked at her, and for a moment Eleanor feared she was to be reprimanded for something she had done at some point.
However, that stern visage he held slowly produced change; the corners of his lips pulling back into the faintest of smiles. Her father, Colonel Harvey Etna, was actually smiling at her! Eleanor could almost feel her own heart soaring at the sight. It only felt more powerful when the man slowly opened his arms, wide enough for the implication to be as clear as day. Slowly, but surely, she continued walking forward until she reached him, returning his hug with one of her own.
"Father..." she spoke, or tried to speak clearly without sounding muffled through his clothes, "I-I promise you, I did as best I could! The Grimm, they just appeared and-"
"I've already had a lengthy 'discussion' with Refuge's headmaster regarding security on the passageway from this school to Mistral, ensuring this won't happen again. Goodness knows what would've happened if any 'aerial Grimm' were to have appeared as well..."" After a few moments, the two finally broke apart, "And... Just as well... I am glad to hear that you are safe, of course." The sudden slipping back into handling things professionally had Eleanor's heart sinking a little. Could he not spare just a little bit more joy in his daughter surviving this? She almost had a mind to speak such thoughts, against better judgement, when another voice could be heard calling out.
"ELLIE!"
The two looked to their side to see an excited woman approach; a very familiar, excited woman. She practically dodged and weaved through the police officers, not letting a single one slow her down as she rushed closer to them. A few of the on-lookers gave her passing looks of curious wonder at her energetic behavior, but paid her little mind beyond that. Eleanor herself watched her approach closer, with only one word managing to escape her lips-
"Mom-?"
Her mother finally reached the two and wasted no time in capturing her daughter in an embrace of her own. Hers was a much more massive and showy display of affection than Harvey's was, just a few moments ago. She practically swung her daughter around in a circle while gripping her for dear life.
"M-mom! Please-!" Eleanor squirmed, her words more muffled now than before "You're squeezing too hard...!"
"Stella! Would you kindly refrain from such over the top actions...?" Harvey sternly whispered as best he could, "And, why are you even here right now? Should you not be at work?"
"Oh my baby! My sweet little girl-!" Stella Rossa-Etna exclaimed, completely ignoring her husband's comments. She finally ceased her spinning action and allowed the poor girl to be set down before her, though not before patting the outsides of her body in every place she could, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?! Did any of those Grimm put so much as a scratch on you-?!"
"Mom-! I'm fine, really-!" Eleanor protested. Her flush from earlier had returned in force, and she was extremely glad that none of the other kids from school were around to see this complete embarrassment.
"I swear, when I heard the news from the Winery, I quickly jumped to get out here as fast as I could!" she shot her husband a look that could only be described as 'energetically not-caring', "Are there still Grimm out there? Nothing else that could jump and surprise you?! I don't think I could handle another scare...!"
"Wait, you've 'skipped' out on your work?" Harvey asked incredulously and with narrowed eyes, "Are you trying to tarnish your reputation before that faunus employer of yours with a display of-"
"Oh save it Harv, I'm perfectly fine! Even if the whole 'my daughter was almost killed by Grimm' excuse wasn't good enough, I'd have still come!" She hugged her daughter a little tighter to her own body with a single arm, much to the chagrin of the girl, "And now, I intend to see my little girl safely home, 'without' any further attacks!"
"No no NO, Mom please...!"
"Stella, that is really not necessary-" Both Harvey and Eleanor laid out their protests to the suggestion at the exact same time.
"No objections? Then it's settled!" she spun her daughter around and with an arm snaked around her waist proceeded to walk side-by-side towards the city of Mistral. The sun ducked from midway past the horizon's edge providing just enough light for them. As they walked out, Stella cast a look over her shoulder towards her husband, "I'll see you at home when you're all finished up here, Harv!" Not waiting for a response from the man, she continued walking with her mortified daughter literally in hand.
From the 'captivity' of her mother, Eleanor was simply forced to walk beside her on the path laid out before her, while also listening to her mother level question after question at her. To have both a stern father and an overwhelmingly energetic and nosy mother, it was no wonder she turned out as shy as she was. And even then, in spite of the way things were for her, she had managed to do something she'd never dreamed of! She had managed to get people to like her! Well... maybe 'liked' wasn't quite the correct word (especially in the case of Victor), but at the very least... they respected her! They now respected what she could do, and perhaps in Jackson's case... they might come around to respecting her as a person! A powerful revelation like that simply left the tall girl nervous at the prospect. Something she had desired her whole life, ever since her huntress education first began, now possibly being on the verge of coming to fruition! It was completely nerve-wracking... But at the same time, exciting!
For the first time in her life, Eleanor didn't fear the warm possibilities the future held for her, but now looked forward to it. There would be obstacles, sure; but like any others, they would be overcome as well!
-There once lived an elephant, whose only desire was to make friends. It visited the monkey and asked "Will you be my friend?" The monkey said to the elephant, "You are too big, you cannot swing from trees like me." The elephant visited a rabbit and asked, "Will you be my friend?" The rabbit said, "You are too big, you cannot burrow into the ground like me." The elephant visited the frog and asked, "Will you be my friend?" The frog said, "You are too big, you cannot leap like I can." With each denial, the elephant grew more and more sad. One day, the other animals were seen running for their lives. A ferocious tiger had appeared, intent on slaughtering every living creature it could manage. The elephant confronted the tiger saying, "Please tiger, do not kill these animals." But the tiger did not listen to the elephant, instead saying, "Mind your own business!" Seeing no other choice, the elephant gave the tiger a mighty kick, thus frightening and sending it fleeing for its life. For this act, the other animals all around thanked the elephant while saying, "You are just the right size to be our friend."-