-Surprise! Didn't think you'd see me again? Or even see me on this story of all things? Well truthfully, I hadn't expected to be back here either, but it's actually for a number of reasons.
First, let me just get this out of the way- I have NOT abandoned my Skyrim story! I'd been just taking a break from it for the moment. A break that I hope to be ending soon. Secondly, the reason I say I didn't expect to be back 'here', on this story, is because I'd expected this 'story' to be complete already. This story was to just be the character shorts, and left at that. What I'd thought I'd be doing is creating a whole new story for the 'main' content to be fit into. But the truth is, I'd been working on a full-blown RWBY story of my own creation for a while now, and I just wasn't sure if or not it was to be independent from the shorts of the characters associated with it.
In the end, I decided to just go ahead and place my story on the end of the shorts, thereby making the shorts story no longer 'completed'.
So welcome one, welcome all; this piece that I'm hoping to share with you is a new passion project of mine: a full-blown RWBY story that the CRWBY has pretty much NO involvement in themselves! I'm creating this story as a way of 'side-content', showcasing characters besides the main canon cast. On that note, two more things need to be made extremely clear- This story will NOT be featuring the main characters, at least at the forefront, and it will in fact feature multiple OCs of my own creation in the spotlight. If this sort of thing is not what you yourself fancy, you are free to leave.
For those of you who desire to stay and read however, I am very excited to share what I have been working tirelessly over the last few months on! This is the start of something I hope will be a long term project in the foreseeable future! Thus it would be very appreciated if you were to read and maybe leave your thoughts in reviews!
But anyway, I've rambled on for long enough! Please, read and enjoy!-
Over the continent of Anima, well over the ground far below, the winds were allowed to blow at their peak strength. With no 'stable' forces for them to work against, nothing could stop them from blowing unhindered across the blue skies of Remnant. They could be chaotic or peaceful, depending on how exactly they were heard from down below. A hard enough howling sound from them could signify just how much they were allowed to blow. Of course from the world below, the winds always felt merely a fraction of their strength in comparison.
Up in the domain of the sky however was a different story. Anything travelling up there might find itself fighting against the force of these gale winds. But this was not always the case. Much like sailors on the sea, these same winds up in the air could be seen as beneficial to certain things travelling them. Such as the aerial transports that were specifically designed for flight, often discounting these same gale winds as a negative factor. They could soar through the sky effortlessly as birds, whether or not the winds above was agreeable with them.
One such transport flew through the airspace over Anima. It had a schedule to meet and its pilot was not planning on letting anything stop it. Fortunately, the mighty gale winds had been reported favorable even before takeoff. All that was left to do was arrive at the destination on time. That destination?
Haven Academy for Aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses.
It was also on this transport that one person stood, patiently awaiting arrival. Gail Nacht, a girl of dark blue hair standing near one of the windows. She watched the world above pass her by, clouds changing various shapes as they disappeared and appeared in view of her. Through the viewport, the howl of the wind could be heard as a distinct tonal sound. It was consistent, yet subtle rising and falling in pitch. These sounds reminded her of very similar sounds she herself used to produce on her own instrument, so long ago...
"Ah..." she said with a sigh, giving a subtle pat against her pocket where one of her beloved items was stored, "Maybe one of these days... I guess it's a good thing I brought you with me still..." A melancholic yet peaceful reminder was brought to her mind again.
"Go on, get outta here!" a boy's voice suddenly shouted from the back, causing Gail to turn her head on instinct.
"Alright alright, man. I'll go over here then, 'away' from you...!" another voice was heard. Gail had turned her head in time to catch sight of a girl moving forward from the back. Upon first glance, the initial appearance of this girl made her stomach turn a little. She was wearing a dark purple, even mauve colored hoodie, that was hardly enough to cover her overly spikey green hair that spilled out the front. She was also sporting some elbow and kneepads, which made more sense upon seeing what looked like a flat board being held in her arms. Despite the annoyed tone she'd heard in her voice just now, the expression she had now suggested a cheeky demeanor, "Honestly... Hey, I'm gonna stand over here, hope that's alright."
So caught up in studying her, Gail almost didn't register what was just told to her. Upon realizing it though, she managed a nod. The girl placed an edge of her board down at her feet, supported by one hand. She made a huff sound as she looked back over her shoulder, looking towards where she had come from.
"Seriously, I didn't even do anything to that guy, and he's all like 'Get away from me, gaaah!' the girl mockingly waved her hands and spoke with an equally mocking tone.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Gail said, absently glancing over at where she was looking as well, "I guess just ignore him...?"
"Eh, it's whatever, I've dealt with his type before..." the girl shrugged, turning her head back around. As she did, she suddenly cast a look at Gail herself, much to her surprise, "Say, that's a nice coat you have there!"
"Oh, er- thanks?" Gail said. Her response only seemed to put a smile on the girl's face.
"Seriously, it looks expensive...!" the girl said. The way this girl spoke made Gail's eyes narrow a little. It didn't cost 'that' much, and was suitable enough to ward off Mantle's usual cold, but that wasn't what Gail found herself focusing on. The girl's tone sounded a little on the immature side, combined of course with her own state of dress. She very much pegged her for much younger than she appeared to be. Almost like... Dear Brothers...
A female of her own younger brother, Parker!
"Aw what the heck- I'm Reese!" the girl suddenly stuck her hand out. Gail in her surprise hesitated, but still shook the girl's, 'Reese's' hand.
"Gail..." she said.
"Gail... that's also a nice name," Reese said, taking her hand back. The dark haired girl almost found herself flushing a little, until the other girl's sudden action of pointing past her, "Eh, what is that...?"
"What-?" Gail said, looking over her shoulder. She looked past to where she saw Reese was pointing, only to see the viewport and familiar view of clouds rushing by, "What is what?"
"No, not that far!" Reese said with a small laugh, "I mean what's that other thing you're wearing? On your back?"
"Oh-! My back..." Gail said, "Well, that's... my flight-pack." The surprise that was in Reese's eyes before drastically changed. They nearly widened, bugging straight out her head.
"F-f-flight-pack?!" she barely kept herself from exclaiming, "You can fly?!"
"Ah, yes... yes I can," Gail replied. This was a little strange to talk about, as she'd been used to people already knowing about her wings and her ability for flight, "It's... something I'm rather good at, actually."
"No kidding? That must be so awesome to do that!" Reese said, "Just fly around where ever you want? Why would you even bother taking a transport like this? You could just fly alongside it!" Gail's lips pursed a little, yet the corners tugged into the faintest of smiles. Yep, she was definitely like her own brother...
"Man, if only my McFly here could take me to such high places..." Reese gave a quick pat to the the tall, flat object she held in her other hand, "That's what I'd definitely do if I could..." Gail looked down at this object in Reese's hand, studying it closer. Upon closer inspection, it was teal, rectangular-shaped, had smoothed off corners, and reached about as long as her hip down the length of her legs. The precise decals upon this board drew her curiosity even more, causing her to tilt her head a little.
"That's a hoverboard...?" she asked, to which Reese nodded, "Why do I feel like I've... Wait a minute-! That's the newest model isn't it?"
"Yep, sure is!" Reese declared. She then took the time to drop the board flat towards the ground, instantly demonstrating its hovering ability, and hopped both feet upon it. She held her arms out to balance herself, then glanced back at Gail, "Among the things this baby can do! I think you're the first who's ever pointed out that it's the newest model!"
"I just remember seeing that; only that one shop in Mantle sells that kind, doesn't it? They're supposed to be really expensive too..." It was then that Reese stopped her display of stationary hovering and dismounted her board. The smile she was sporting before was a bit reduced in intensity compared to before as she looked back at Gail.
"Yeah, yeah all that..." she said, rubbing the back of her hoodie-covered head with her free hand, "Well it was... it was definitely not easy, I can say that... All I know is that me and McFly here? We're going places! Heh, I guess literally too-!" Gail listened to this girl talk. This really strange, outrageously dressed girl, that somehow had her hands on an efficient piece of sporting equipment off of Mantle's high-tech shelves! A part of her mind could not shake that small feeling of envy. While her own wings granted her great flight, it still left her legs largely useless in regards to what they could do. To have a device like Reese's McFly to not only travel around on, but use her legs for? Wouldn't that have been something? Plus this girl must be from a good family in order to afford such an expensive hoverboard?
"So, where are you-" Their two voices suddenly spoke in unison.
"Oh sorry, go ahead," Gail tried to say.
"No no, it's okay," Reese quickly cut in, "I actually thought from seeing your strange looking backpack there... You going to Mistral too?" The dark haired girl's eyes lit up a little.
"Y-yes! I'm on my way to Haven Academy, to become a huntress!" she spoke rather quickly.
"Aw that's cool," Reese blinked one eye closed, then gave her a single thumbs up, "Bet you'll have no problem killing Grimm by flying around them, would you?"
"Yes, that's what I'm hoping for as well..." Gail replied.
"Look, there it is!" a voice from inside the transport exclaimed. Following that, the clamoring voices of fellow passengers grew more as they rushed towards one side of the air-ship. Gail and Reese also made their way to one of the unoccupied view-ports and gazed out. The sight that greeted them was a sight to behold.
The clouds cleared all at once in a magnificent moment of clarity, revealing the world below. Vibrant plant-life of forests, some green and some even red in color, stood out greatly in the continent of Anima. From this distance up in the sky, a number of settlements neighbored each other, which gave a real sense of great distance that had to be between them. And of course, the largest of these settlements by far, was none other than Mistral itself.
A smile grew upon Gail's lips as she watched from above. So this really was Mistral? She had never seen so much... green, practically her whole life growing up! Mantle was cold, snowy, and industrially bleak, while this new land looked every bit the opposite! She faintly wondered what the air would be like once she stepped off? Hopefully not choked with the smell of snowy winds and smoke. And those buildings, their designs were so much different in terms of architecture! These seemed like their made from a blend of stone and wood, which made them more aesthetically pleasing to the eyes.
"Man, look at that place down there...!" Reese could be heard saying, "Tell you what, if I could just step out there and not feel so cold for once? I could die happy I swear!"
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Gail replied. The sound of static cut through the airspace of the transport. Both of the girls, as well as the other passengers looked forward to see a screen suddenly flicker to life. The image of static broke to reveal clarity, as well as the image of someone. A man stood within the frame of the screen, wearing a red long-sleeved top, with bronze-colored armor patches adorning the arms at various points. Despite the armor upon his top, the facial expression he wore was a complete juxtaposition. He wore a simple smile, honest and caring.
"Greetings to you all. I do hope you are enjoying this fine day!" the man spoke.
"Whoa, who's that?" Reese said.
"Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Roger Rohan, a professor of Haven Academy for Aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses," the man continued.
"Oh, heh-heh, right," the green-haired girl chuckled, earning her a look from Gail. The dark-blue haired girl looked back up at the screen at this man. Incredible, her first glimpse of an actual teacher from Haven Academy! And the way he was speaking; so calm and soothing! Were all teachers there like him? Gail certainly hoped so. This decision to come here was looking better and better!
"If you find yourself fortunate to be viewing this message, then allow me to extend my personal congratulations to you," he continued, "You have been given the great honor of attending the finest academy in Mistral! While this is a grand moment for you to be sure, you need not feel alone. The person standing next to you is largely doing the same! Thus your fellow journeymen shares this once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is through shared moments like these that we all become neighbors; people of differing roots, yet united in our minds, and in our hearts."
"-we all become neighbors; people of differing roots, yet united-" *BEEP*
A girl stopped watching the 'welcome to Haven video' upon her scroll, turning it silent in the process. Putting it away, she looked up at what now stood before her. After a healthy amount of walking she'd put in today, Liz Viridian had finally arrived. The building complex of Haven Academy itself stood before her, in all of its alleged glory with its doors below completely opened and inviting!
"Wow... this is actually it, isn't it?"
The complex stood upon elevated ground compared to where she stood From the initial view the building could be seen as having at least two stories to it. The lower floor's outer walls were colored a rich shade of dark brown, while the upper level's outer walls were colored a more cream white. At the very top of the building stood a golden image of Haven's primary symbol, with its rod sticking straight up towards the sky. It was probably a good thing that image was there to mark this building; it really didn't help that the way this building was designed had it blend in with its neighboring architectural buildings. Her own home she had grown up in managed to differ in appearance from other residential houses as others did, but the same could not be said for Mistral's more commercial buildings.
Or perhaps finding it wouldn't be that hard, today of all days. Liz was not the only student attempting to find this place it would seem. All around her the clamoring of numerous fellow children could be heard as they walked towards this same building. There were a few students like herself who were choosing to walk solitary to the academy. However the majority of newly arrivals were making their appearance more widely known, such as arriving in larger, clustered groups. Other students could even be seen arriving in various transports. A nearby ground transport could be seen with a tall girl exiting out of the back side door, with the loud noise of what sounded like their parent calling out to them. While to the other side, sets of air-buses could also be seen docking on the nearby bullhead.
As Liz herself walked forward across the academy's large courtyard, she casually watched as one docked air-bus opened its doors to allow its children off. Each student she watched she counted a mental blessing for each faunus she could see. There weren't that many, but it was still better than nothing. There'd definitely be somebody she could talk to if that were the case.
She watched as two more girls exited that air-bus; one of them had dark blue hair and wore a strange pack on her back, while the other one had crazy, green-colored hair spilling out from under a hoodie. In a flash, that girl had thrown down some flat object and... she was floating? Liz's head almost turned completely to see that; this girl was riding away on some board, some 'hover'-board, heading straight towards the Mistral doors themselves! A new applicant? Dressed like that? Was she even a faunus? Liz couldn't quite tell from that distance and all that the girl's hoodie covered.
"Alright alright, enough sight-seeing, I guess," she said to herself while shaking her head, "I guess the orientation part of this is where... all those other kids are going-"
"Move runt." Liz barely had time to register a voice she heard before she felt herself being violently shoved. Her body stumbled to the side she struggled to reorient herself physically. What just happened? Was she being attacked, by some human bully already?! Once she regained her footing, she shot her head around to look back at her assailant.
"Hey! What's the idea?!" she exclaimed. She could see clearly who the other one was; a boy of strong arms and upper body build. But it was doubtful 'he' could see her, as he wasn't even looking backward as he walked forward himself. What's more, and most shocking of all, the boy was not a human... but a faunus! As a lizard faunus herself she could easily spot a fellow faunus in a crowd, and that boy was definitely one! Was it a rhino or a hippo, she couldn't exactly tell, especially from the way he continued to stalk forward.
And collide with someone else's side in the process!
Liz's widened eyes widened even wider as she witnessed it all unfold before her. Possibly the first of a race she'd seen at a school she feared she'd be alone at had committed a type of bullying tactic that humans were known to do to her! Twice! This time when collided with someone else; from initial glance it appeared to be a round shell with legs walking forward, until the sound of a girl's yelp could be heard. As the boy continued to trot on, the girl could be seen spilling to the ground and landing flat on... well, the flat of that massive shell that was on her back. If not for the context of this situation, Liz might've only thought that this whole thing was hilarious.
Especially since the girl was also a human.
It was true; as opposed to the the faunus boy, the girl in question had dark skin, short light-colored hair, and a face with the open emotion of terror, surprise, and absolute protest as she flailed her arms and legs around. She had on wraps of clothing that wrapped on top of a more skin-tight clothing that concealed most of her skin. But of course the most striking feature about her was the massive curved object on her back, effectively shielding her from the ground itself.
In a momentary flash, Liz almost didn't know what happened nor what to do. However the reality of the situation quickly sank in. This human girl had literally fallen to on her back after being shoved to the side by a faunus kid. There were few other students around the area, which meant that this incident was relatively isolated. However that didn't stop a few distant students from pointing and laughing even as they continued to walk towards the academy's doors. For another moment, Liz actually considered walking past and leaving the human be... Until she found herself rushing to the struggling girl's side anyway.
"Here, I gotcha..." she started, reaching her hands out to grab onto one of the girl's arms. The girl locked eyes with her and ceased her struggles instantly. The look on her face suggested she was feeling shyer at someone making contact with her. Nonetheless, she was silently as she allowed Liz to finally pull her to her feet, "There, there you go..."
"Um... ow..." the other girl quietly thanked. She looked back in the direction that other boy had gone, with Liz looking out there as well.
"What the heck... what was that guy's problem...?" she spoke aloud, "He bumped into me too, but he was a faunus! Why would he do that to someone who's-" As she spoke her gaze drifted back in the girl's direction, and she trailed off. The girl it seemed had taken to slipping away as well towards the academy's doors. Due to the massive thing on her back, she couldn't tell what was going on with her; what she was thinking, what she was feeling, she doubted she could've even heard her say anything, if she had.
Needless to say, this left Liz in her dumbfounded state, again. This was her first day of Haven Academy- no, not even then! It wasn't even an official start to her years here, and already things weren't starting off quite right! This was supposed to be a glorious new beginning for her, with hopefully some people of her own kind she could take comfort in knowing she could be friends with.
So far, much was left to be desired...
Despite being unusually tall for her age, Eleanor Etna did not feel so huge anymore upon standing where she stood.
Through Haven Academy's main doors she stood within a massively large entryway. The length of this room alone easily spanned the length of how wide it appeared to be from the outside, judging from the exterior walls. The interior walls themselves were designed in that very distinct Mistrali style, with a thin appearance to match.
As an entryway it most certainly lived up to what it was made for; it could more than accommodate the space for a gathering of so many newly arrived soon-to-be students, with plenty of space still remaining. The spacing between these newly arrivals was decent enough that a multitude of them could stand with at least a two foot distance between them and a conversation could still be held and maintained between any who wished to talk.
At the very far end of the room against the back wall was an elevated section, with sets of stairs leading up each side. These two stairs were both located on opposite sides of a single statue in the center of the wooden platform rise. The statue itself was a stone image of a woman, donning a flowing dress and flowing long hair, and lit on both sides by two separate lights. She gave off the appearance of supporting the rise of a section the wooden balcony by its own arms.
Since the building itself supported at least a second story, there was also a wooden pillar-supported balcony at one end of the room itself with a number of doors upon that end as well. At the central sections of this upper balcony four separate paintings could be seen, on different sides of a single door in the center of the wall.
Eleanor let her gaze wander up. A genuine sense of awe and wonder filled her being as she did so. The architectural designs of these walls paid reference to the rich history laid out upon them. It was probably no doubt what those paintings entailed as well. Eleanor's house was big to be sure, but this initial entry-room alone was possibly enough to fit her entire house inside it alone!
And her own home was certainly never this crowded before. Everywhere else she turned her head she could see someone standing there. They all faced the general direction of the statue itself, with the exception of a few who opted instead to conversely softly amongst their own groups.
The same could not be said true of Eleanor herself though. As she'd come to expect, she found herself standing by herself, with no one around conversing with her. It's not as if this were a surprise; a number of factors contributed to her growing up with a less than preferred social life. At an impressive six feet, she stood as the tallest among her peers, especially at her old school, Refuge Academy. Her arms also held a healthy amount of muscle on them from the upper body workout exercises she'd done growing up. The weapon on her back, the Ivorashu, weighed a great deal, and just as well took strong yet careful hands to wield it, as her father was so keen to remind her.
That was another factor; her parents. Eleanor was an Etna, a name which carried it's own great weight in the land of Mistral. It was a name that belonged to her father, Harvey Etna; known during the last great human-faunus skirmish as the 'war-elephant', now the head commissioner for the Mistrali police. He was a man renowned for his undaunting endeavors to see all tasks carried out to completion, no matter what they might have entailed. Life in the army had molded him into a stern man, having little patience for many things, something Eleanor was all-too familiar with. He was a man praised her as rarely as he smiled. As for the nickname, the irony was not lost on him; to be called a 'war-elephant', yet he himself being a human...
Her mother on the other could not have been more opposite than her father. Stella Rossa-Etna worked as a receptionist for Jeremiah's Winery, located right here in Mistral. She was a completely eccentric, over-bearing woman who loved her daughter more than anything in the world. She made it exceedingly clear how much Eleanor meant to her, though often in the worst embarrassing ways. Just recently, when she had both dropped her off to Haven Academy herself in their own transport, she had practically cry-screamed how much she would miss her. Fortunately Eleanor had managed to break away from that before the mortification would be too much for her. She loved her parents, of course, but at the same time, maybe some time away might even be better for her...
Even if it meant she was where she found herself now: standing within a massive greeting hall of the finest Academy in all of Mistral. All around her she was surrounded by souls who she never met before at all, yet could potentially make friends of. Well... that was not entirely true. There was one person she had caught sight of before she herself had entered the building; someone who in all honesty she was not that eager to see. Her old bully from Refuge- Victor Rataxes! Thankfully he had not seen her, instead almost causing a scene when he had shoved his way past two other students on his way into the building! Why was he still like that, even with that supposed reparation he was said to be receiving...?
Perhaps some things just don't ever change. If she could just do her best to avoid him, things could possibly be all good for her. Anyone and everyone else coming to this school would be far more important for her to consider.
"Um, h-hey there," she heard a voice to her side. It wasn't any sharp voice or demanding voice, but a softly spoken voice. It had a bit of nervousness in it. Eleanor looked to her side to find a boy standing next to her. Immediately, the most striking feature about this boy was the patch of pink hair upon his head, "So, I guess you're coming to this school too, huh?"
"Uh, y-yes, I am..." Eleanor softly replied.
"Right right, I figured that," the boy gave a nervous smile, "I just figure we're gonna be studying together, and... killing Grimm together. You know, 'side-by-side' and all that..."
"Yeah, I guess we will be..." Eleanor said.
"Well anyway, I guess we'll want to know each others' names," the boy then held his hand out and to his side, "My name is Nadir. Nadir Shiko." Eleanor looked at the hand extended before her, almost not knowing what to do immediately. She mentally snapped herself out of her frozen state and shook his hand.
"Eleanor. E-Etna," she said.
"Eleanor... right; good to meet ya...!" the boy, Nadir, spoke with a slight chipper in his voice. The more she heard him speak, the more Eleanor could feel her own anxiety melting. It seemed someone else was as nervous as she was. That was good, in a way she guessed, "Uh yeah, hey; name's Nadir...!" The pink haired boy had turned to look in the direction opposite where Eleanor stood. Another boy stood on his other side, with strands of messy black hair, adorned in a yellow robe with black trim, large round beaded necklace around his neck, and a staff in one hand. He looked to Nadir to see his hand extended towards him. He stared at it for a handful of seconds before looking back up to meet Nadir's eyes, his hand completely ignored.
"Bolin... Hori..." he said quietly. His tone was different from both Eleanor's and Nadir's; he sounded almost... bored. He then looked past Nadir and up at Eleanor, "You said your name was Etna?"
"Um, yes... that is my last name- Eleanor Etna," the tall girl clarified.
"The same Etna as the Mistral police commissioner? Colonel Harvey Etna- the War Elephant?" Bolin asked, to which Eleanor simply nodded, "That man was renowned for his both his strategic planning in battle, as well as his combat prowess. If you're related to him, perhaps that is to be expected of you as well..." His words left Eleanor in a momentary confused state. The words he was telling her sounded like they were complimenting her, but from the way he sounded so aloof, she was quite puzzled as to if he actually meant what he said. But before she could try and get a word in, Bolin was already talking again, "But you- Nadir 'Shiko'? I don't recognize that name. Are you of renowned heritage yourself?"
"Am I? Um, renowned heritage..." Nadir said, trailing off as he struggled to find words to speak himself, "Well... my mother owns the local flower shop here in Mistral, though not really a fighter herself..."
"I see..." Bolin said, his tone oddly hinting at disappointment, "Well then, I'm sure you must have had an excellent teacher with your father..."
"Actually, I never really knew my dad..." Nadir said, his eyes looking down and away, "He died when I was really young... Just my mom raised me."
"Huh?" Bolin's voice now held genuine confusion in it, combined with the genuinely puzzled facial expression he wore as well, "I... I'm not understanding something here. It's not making sense."
"Um, what's not making sense...?" Eleanor spoke up with a raised eyebrow and a tilted head. She heard the yellow-robed boy speak this whole time, and the things he was saying plus the way way he spoke of them was strangely confusing her as well.
"Him of course," Bolin pointed at the other boy, "If his father had passed when he was young, and was only raised by a single mother who was a simple flower-shop owner, then how could he claim to have the skills required to attend Haven Academy?" By now, both Eleanor and Nadir were put on alert now. They both leveled their narrowed eyes at Bolin.
"Hey! Just what is that supposed to mean?!" Nadir spoke up angrily, "You trying to say something about me?! So my parents didn't train me in Huntsman combat, but what of it?!"
"And that is what's puzzling me," Bolin continued, seemingly unaffected by the sudden hostility aimed at him, "For example, I myself was trained from a young age in the local dojos to be the model huntsman; a proficient Grimm slayer of any and all varieties. Is that something that you yourself can claim?"
"Well I- er..." Nadir started, then hesitated. He slowly reached behind him to bring his weapon out and before him, "I... may not have started at young age, but I'm still pretty good at killing Grimm myself! I must have killed at least ten so far, even before going to Refuge Academy! My trusty Yamato here can put down Grimm with the best of them!" The weapon he held before him was a black submachine gun with a blade folded in upon itself atop the barrel. Bolin himself glanced down at the weapon, and a slightly wrinkling of his nose could be seen.
"Quaint..." he looked back up at its owner, "However you might be quick to discover that one of the harsher realities in this profession is not only exceptional combat performance, but also being able to trace your ancestry back to someone of great significance who are usually destined for greatness. Such as myself, and presumably like Miss Etna here," he indicated to Eleanor. There as no mistaking the sour feeling the tall girl was feeling this time from being indicated; this wasn't praise she was receiving, but being served as a point, "In fact, I've even heard that the daughter of the mighty Kim Altan is applying as a student this year! Haven Academy usually only accepts the best and most notable into its halls!"
"Well I may not be as 'significant' in your eyes," Nadir shot back, pointing a finger at the yellow robed boy, "But that gives you no right to question what I could achieve! You have no idea what I can do! And another thing, who exactly are your 'great parents'?"
"My father is Yishu Hori, one of the most skilled combat huntsmen in all of Mistral," the yellow-robed boy replied so simply, as if the answer was blatantly obvious.
"Yishu Hori..." Eleanor spoke softly, then shook her head, "Well still, you can't just judge someone based on who their parents are. H-he could do better than you at this school, you never know!"
"Unlikely," Bolin shook his own head, "And it seems we talk to each other across an ideological impasse, so maybe we should just agree to disagree. Time will tell what ends up happening..." Without waiting for any retort, Bolin casually strolled away, making his way through the crowd of fellow children until he vanished from view. Eleanor and Nadir were left fuming in their places still.
"What the heck?! Of all the lousy..." Nadir protested, while lightly stomping his foot in place once, "Oh who am I kidding? What if he's not exactly wrong..."
"What do you mean?" Eleanor asked, "This school accepts the best, and you were able to get in, right?"
"Well, yeah, and thanks for that little vote of confidence..." Nadir said, "But, that's not what I mean. The whole thing about parentage... Is it really that you need some like noteworthy parents you can say you come from to be able to do something you want...?" His question gave Eleanor some pause. She herself wasn't one to immediately speak on this matter, considering whom her own father was. A man of renowned military fame even before becoming Mistral's head commissioner. However, that was 'him'... and what bearing did it really have on her own self...?
"You know, my father actually preferred I join the Mistral police," Eleanor said, "He thought a more 'straight and narrow' career would be preferable for me. I could've done that... and yet, something about the life and duty of a huntress... that just called to me more, if that makes sense. When I told my parents I wanted to be a huntress, well... I mean, father I think was reluctant at first, but eventually... he accepted my career choice; helped me even."
"He did?" Nadir said, "You didn't do what he wanted, yet he let you do it anyway?" Eleanor nodded.
"So you see- it's not really your parents, or even who they are that decide your best course of action. It's you yourself. I chose a different career choice, different from what Father wanted, and you're no doubt worthy enough to be here in spite of your... humble, parentage...?" Eleanor felt herself flushing slightly, worried that she might have phrased that badly, "Er, I-I'm sorry! I don't mean to say that your- er, that is I..."
"Hey, it's alright," Nadir waved his hand with a chuckle, "I get what you mean. And... thanks."
"Of course; I was... happy to help," Eleanor said with a nod.
"And I mean, I did practice a bit with Yamato here," Nadir added, indicating to the weapon he held in his hands, "So I'm pretty confident about that at least-" The sound of a door opening could be heard, causing them to look up towards the source. On the second story balcony, the door was seen sliding open, along with someone emerging from within, "Oh, looks like something's about to start...!"
From the opened door up above, a number of figures walked out and spread themselves apart. They stood a lengthy feet in between each other, side by side along the complete length of the balcony, additionally striking various poses. Various men and women, each one dressed in the professional garb of a Haven professor. Yet aside from the formal attire they wore, nearly everything else about them could not look any different from their counterparts.
One woman at the far end stood with one hand on her hip while leaning her weight on the opposing foot. She had a head of long green hair nearly pouring down backward, reaching down to her mid-back. She also held a sly smile, almost mischievous, on her face as she looked upon the crowd of children below her.
On the direct opposite end stood a man, roughly in his forties. His arms held behind his back. The stance he gave was very much as if he belonged in the military, rather than in a school for children of this age. His gaze also looked out at the crowd, but appeared to betray no such emotions. In fact, the look he graced the audience with was almost cold, icy, completely bereft of emotion.
The remaining educators were definitely of a sort of 'middle-ground' in comparison. Whereas the looks they gave could be seen as extreme, these two looking at the crowd held fairly gentle looks. One older woman of about fifty scanned the crowd of children before her. She was a dark-skinned woman, with a black-haired ponytail showing the smallest signs of graying. Her lips remained pursed slightly, yet did not break into neither a smile, nor a frown. She was overall attentive in how she was regarding her future students.
One of the educators however was no doubt recognized by everyone in the room. Roger Rohan stood proudly, as if genuinely happy to be there in this moment, finding the children he broadcasted to right before him. His signature gentle smile was still upon his face, with his fingers interlocked in front of him. His eyes looked back and forth, as if trying to capture the faces of every student he could in a short amount of time.
"Hey, it's that Professor Rohan guy! From that video I saw...!" one of the voices from the crowd could be heard saying.
"Professor Roger Rohan... he seems nice..." another voice could be heard saying.
"Who are those other three though...?"
"You see that one lady over there; she's hot...!" In the midst of the students' clamoring over these new educators appearing before them, another door opened. On the floor directly below the second story balcony, the door located on the back wall opened. Through it walked another figure, proudly strutting forward. The man advanced until the majority of his body could be seen to the entire assembly. It was a bearded man, with facial hair that joined almost seamlessly with his long head of hair. He bore a smile of confidence himself as he gazed upon the students before him. Behind him was a lion's tail, gently swaying and seen seldom as it appeared from behind. The headmaster to Haven Academy stood tall, as he then approached a podium on the raised platform atop the statue.
"It's Headmaster Lionheart!" some more voices could be heard speaking. One of them coming from a girl who was a faunus of some type; a lizard perhaps.
"Ahem... Greetings to everyone, and thank you all for being here!" Leonardo Lionheart declared, his voice amplified by the microphone on the podium before him, "My name is Headmaster Leonardo Lionheart, and you stand within Haven Academy for aspiring huntsmen and huntresses! Those you see above me are your fellow teachers here as well. From courses covering theoreticals, like Professor Rica Gardner's Grimm Biology, to practicals such as Professor Kelvin Celsius' Combat and Sparring, the halls of this prestigious academy welcome all who wish to learn. It's good to see so many fresh faces here, with plenty of familiar ones that even I recognize as well! I suppose that'll make remembering your names a little easier, wouldn't it...?" A small round of chuckles filled the room, even from a few of the teachers above. Lionheart cleared his throat and continued.
"On this journey that is your life, you find yourself here. Your reasons for being here no doubt differ from the person next to you, but are no less important than whatever theirs might be. You seek something, something perhaps that this this school or its teachers have the means to provide you with. However, the relationship between you and the school is equal parts beneficial as it is business, in a sense," He paused for a moment, his eyes looking straight out as if gazing for a thousand miles beyond where he stood, "The world we live in teems with horrors made real. Nightmares themselves walk the same world we walk, and all too often... they clash with us... I can see from the looks on some of your faces that you are no stranger to them either..." A few soft and nervous murmurs could be heard throughout the audience.
"That is why to adequately say you have a chance at braving it, your hearts must be filled with courage. The first step has already been taken by arriving here, at the place you thought could better yourself. Now you must reach within and seize that spirit of determination that keeps you standing firm. The world of Grimm wants you to know fear... But with the right guidance and direction, it will not be fear that fills you... but hope. Hope for a better future, that you work towards now, here in the present... Thank you." A gentle round of applause filled the room which slowly grew louder. The teachers up above joined in polite applause as well. Headmaster Lionheart looked around the room again at his new students, a smile of his own gracing his face.
The orientation portion had passed, almost as quickly as it had come. Once all was established for the new-coming students, they were informed of sleeping arrangements. Namely where they would be resting for this one night before tomorrow, where more permanent residences would be established. Thus, come night time the students were all relocated to a different wing of the academy. Numerous small beds that obviously to this particular large room were found occupying the entirety of the room. They were equally spaced from each other, with the minimal amount of sheets and pillows provided.
Tomorrow was a true day of testing; it was time that each new student to Haven Academy would be tested in a way that they had not experienced before. This test served not only as formal recognition to the school, but also who their lasting partners were to be. Who exactly they would be partaking on their journey as huntsmen and huntresses along with, in the days to come. As such, many of the students found themselves banding together already, sticking close to each other as they found who they already preferred to be with. This was reflected in which bed they chose to sleep for the evening. Students gently spoke lightly with each other on their beds, with many people still walking around the room going from place to place. The call for lights out hadn't been announced yet, so there was still time to do things before then.
In one of these many occupied beds, Angelita Amarillo found herself sitting upon it. She had removed her back armor, Derma, on her own by now. It wasn't something she did very often, and even less so in the presence of other people. It was a personal assurance that her vulnerable back would always be covered. It was removed and placed next to the head of the bed, easily accessible where she could reach for it if need be. But while it was assuring that Derma was close to her, it was a little less so that Anky currently wasn't. Earlier on all students were required to relinquish their weapons into a room with lockers in it. Why anyone needed to do that at all was beyond Angelita; what if something happened where weapons were needed in hand and ready to use instantly? It only served as further proof that she missed having Anky at her side as it had once always been...
No one was occupying any bed next to hers at this time, which granted her greater privacy. That was alright though, as being alone was something she preferred. She didn't know anyone at this point, so she naturally kept her distance. Which was strange because she remembered hearing that message from Roger Rohan, the one saying how they were all 'neighbors' or something. And these other kids shared in similar experiences that she herself had? That was highly unlikely...
In fact, these new fellow students weren't the only thing she was new to. She was new to this school of course, but she was also new to Haven Academy, to the city of Mistral, she was even new to this side of the continent of Anima! Having grown up in the eastern portion the continent, dubbed 'The Great Animan Desert', her days as a traveler came to end upon finally finding herself out of the dry, arid environment and into a location its complete polar opposite. The bright yellow of the sands was replaced by rich, dark green of so much plant-life. In fact, gazing upon it almost hurt her eyes the first time she saw it all. And the air! She had nearly shivered to death from how dramatically cooler the air was compared to in the desert! Thank goodness that the clothes she wore were both good for shielding her skin from the air as it was from protecting it from the sun's rays.
And this school, her travels had finally brought her here, to this supposed place that would open up more for her in life than just being a desert dweller. That as all well and good, as she was no stranger to killing Grimm. She was born with a restless heart, with an urge to branch out. However that same restlessness, even impulsiveness, often costed her dearly, which led to a horrible tragedy in her life... The girl shook her head, ridding those thoughts and feelings from it. She was here now, on the verge of the next stage in her life. Thoughts did not need to dwell on such sore subjects...
"Hey, you..." a voice called out, and for a moment, Angelita almost didn't think the voice was directed to her. However the voice was heard again, "You there..." It was a softly spoken, demanding voice, yet... familiar? Had she heard that voice before?
This time she pulled her head up to look at where the voice came from. There, standing a few feet away from her own bed and facing her, was another girl. The tail hanging low behind her instantly gave away that she was a lizard faunus. There was no denying that she had seen this girl before- the one that had helped her to her feet after she'd been knocked down... by that one other kid... That feeling of shock, surprise, humiliation, and anger that had arouse just from that simple action! And how it had left her helpless on the ground, unable to get up. She'd never had a problem before trying to roll off of her Derma-covered back in the Animan Desert. But in this land, where the ground was much more solid, it suddenly felt so much harder to control her movements when thrown back. Would she still be there in that place if she hadn't been pulled up by the lizard faunus?
Speaking of the lizard girl, she was still there before her. Her hands were folded over her chest as she looked at her. The clothes she wore looked so much more lighter than her own: a small, unzipped jacket over a skin-tight short-sleeve shirt underneath, and pants with a large number of pockets seen on each side of each leg. Her eyes were narrowed slightly at her, which was very much putting Angelita a bit on edge.
"You... need something?" she asked.
"Well, you're that girl from the Academy courtyard, right?" the girl asked, "That one faunus had knocked you on your back?" And just like that, the harsh memories of that humiliating moment came flooding back into her head. Angelita's narrowed eyes met the faunus'.
"Wh-what about that?!" Angelita snapped, a little forcefully than she intended.
"Well, maybe a 'thank you' would've been nice," the girl pointed out, "After all, I did help you up, only to find that you had walked away immediately after..." Angelita's expression softened upon hearing this. That was right, she did quickly leave the scene before saying anything. All in the effort to find that guy who had knocked her over to find him and teach him a lesson, but to no avail. Not only did she not get that good a look at him before he left her sight, but mixing in with this massive crowd of new students of varying sizes did not narrow down the search any.
And now this girl had appeared before her demanding she show gratitude? Well, she did help her up after all...
"Oh um... thanks, I guess..." she muttered in a more humbled tone. After a moment, the other girl's expression seemed to soften as well, with her relaxing her arms to her sides completely.
"Hm, you're welcome..." she said, "You know, that guy had shoved past me as well, before he hit you. So... I'd been trying to find him as well..." Angelita perked up upon hearing this, "But, I didn't find him myself. It's like he vanished. Strange I know since he's a faunus, like me..." The girl's comment earned a slightly raised eyebrow from Angelita. She did know what faunus were, considering the only other person she'd grown up with as a faunus himself. However, him explaining to her of what he was, as well as the associating horse ears that attributed to it; it made her realize that she had never really seen other faunus with other varying traits about them, ever.
"Say um... that big, er, 'shell' thing there..." the girl suddenly pointed out, aiming a pointed finger at Derma, "You 'wear' that thing?"
"Yes I do," Angelita replied, again rather quickly. A feeling of self-consciousness suddenly flashed over her, all from the reminder that she was without Derma on at the moment.
"Seems kinda... I dunno, bulky..." the girl prodded, "Why would you ever want to wear-"
"Th-that's none of your buisiness!" Angelita suddenly snapped, louder than before. The lizard faunus girl recoiled at this outburst. A look of guilt could be seen on her face, and Angelita's own hardened gaze softened as well. Maybe that was too harsh, but why was this girl being so... nosy?
"Alright alright, maybe that was, er..." the girl said shaking her head, "You know what? Maybe we should start over; Here, my name is Liz- Liz Viridian!" The girl 'Liz' held out a hand towards the other girl. Angelita looked at it, vaguely aware that only one other person had offered their hand to her in the form of an introduction. Slowly she reached for it with her own hand and shook it.
"Angelita... Amarillo," she said, earning her a smile of approval from the faunus. The conversation was softly broken by the sound of voices. Rather forceful voices, heard from behind them. The two girls turned to look towards the source of the noise, and it was Liz that let out a barely audible gasp. Standing a good few feet away was a boy, a very burly, heavy-built faunus boy, with a hardened expression of annoyance across his face. His attention was focused on a group of people before him. One of them had platinum blonde hair, darkened skin that contrasted heavily with the hair, and a largely yellow robe adorned with embroidered red designs along the edges. The second person had much paler skin, dark blue hair, wore a half-zipped jacket while rubbing one of her arms with the other's hand. The third person stood easily as the tallest against the others, but was also holding her tongue from speaking as she held a timid expression on her face.
"Wait... That, that's him!" Liz said, "That's the faunus kid that knocked me ov- er, 'us' over!" Upon hearing this, Angelita's eyes narrowed again, along with a deep feeling of anger. She swung her legs over the side of the bed she rested on, and stood straight up on the ground. Now standing side by side, it was all the more clear that Liz was the tallest between the two of them, but about a few centimeters at least. Not that either of them took the effort to notice right then and there.
"That's him...?" the shorter girl spoke lowly.
"Yeah... You know what? I don't care if he is a faunus! I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!" Liz suddenly declared. She then turned to Angelita, "How about it? You wanna come with?"
"Yes, yes I do..." the girl clenched her fists at her side. With that, the two girls deftly made their way around the beds and navigated through the narrow walkway that separated each row of other beds. These other beds they walked past were either vacant or occupied with fellow students, with a couple of them glancing over at the commotion that the faunus boy was obviously the center of. As the two drew nearer, the conversation could be heard all the clearer.
"- do that?!" the girl with the dark blue hair could be heard saying.
"I didn't do nothing!" the voice of the boy was heard.
"Numerous witnesses claim to have seen you rough your way past her," the platinum blonde hair girl spoke. Her tone was neutral yet stern, and her arms folded in front of her, "And this is apparently not the first time this has happened this day alone." The faunus boy sneered, while leveling his gaze at the dark-skinned girl.
Suddenly, without warning, the boy launched a fist straight towards the girl, hoping to catch her off-guard. But the girl was surprisingly responsive; she not only was fast enough to move her own hand, but that same hand caught the larger fist within it and within a heartbeat gripped it within her fingers. This sudden action was enough to halt Liz and Angelita in their tracks as they watched this in surprise. The boy's face betrayed a look of equal surprise, as he struggled to both move his hand and free it from the grip of the girl's. The platinum-blonde girl on the other hand simply maintained her stern look leveled at him, and even gave the subtlest shaking of her head in response.
"This course of action is inadvisable, I warn you..." she sternly said, "Especially if you've come here to be a 'huntsman'!" The boy gritted his teeth, by now abandoning his attempt at pushing his fist forward in favor of pulling it back. A quick jerking pull, and his fist was wrenched from the girl's grip. He shook it with a wince,
"Hm, quite a grip, for a human... Wonder how you'd be in a real fight, no holds barred..." the faunus boy snorted, dragging his sneering gaze across the other two girls present as he turned heel and walked away in another direction. By now, this was right alongside the same time that Liz and Angelita managed to closely approach this new group. They stopped before them, with Liz watching after him with widened eyes.
"What the- where is he going ?" she off-handedly spoke, "I wanted to tell him-"
"Were you among the ones that he had needlessly shoved about?" the platinum hair girl spoke, turning her gaze to the two girls. Looking back to her, they both replied with nods, "Rest assured, he has gotten the message what would happen if he tries something like that again." Liz and Angelita exchanged aghast looks between each other.
"Huh? How could you tell?" the tall girl inquired.
"He had a certain look in his eye, a subtle look of understanding; I could see it," the other girl explained.
"Damn faunus..." the voice of the dark-blue haired girl could be heard speaking, "You have my thanks, Miss...?"
"Arslan. Arslan Altan, a pleasure," the girl, Arslan replied politely, "Now then, I suggest we all return to our beds to sleep. Tomorrow is important for all of us and we will need our strength in body and mind..." Without waiting for a proper response of any kind, gave a polite bow and turned to leave in a similar direction to where the faunus boy had walked off, leaving the four girls standing place, almost bewildered.
"Well... that was... strange, all around," the tall girl spoke up, "Um, had Victor done something to you two as well?" Angelita looked up at the girl. So that guy's name was 'Victor'? Perfect, that would make sorting him out in a crowd much easier from now on.
"Yeah, he shoved past us before, even knocked me over..." she added. In response, the tall girl nervously rubbed the side of her opposite arm, a guilty look across her face in addition. The dark blue hair girl still maintained a consistent frown even now.
"Yeah, I know him to have a sour personality; he did it to Gail here earlier as well..." the tall girl indicated to the girl next to her, "Oh um- I'm Eleanor, by the way." Angelita looked up at the taller girl. She had flowing dark-orange hair down her back, and a softened expression on her face.
"Angelita," she indicated to herself. She hesitated for a moment, expecting Liz to speak for herself, except that she didn't. She glanced to see out of the corner of her eye that the faunus girl was oddly enough staring hard at the other girl, 'Gail', "And... Liz here..."
"Angelita... and Liz," Eleanor said, then gave a decisive nod, "Right, that's all our names... Maybe now the four of us should get to sleep-"
"I heard what you said just now: 'damn faunus'," Liz suddenly spoke up. The rather straight-forward and blunt sentence almost caught everyone by surprise. As well as the girl in question whom it was directly leveled at.
"Yeah, he was a damn faunus," Gail confirmed, " And the way that he had roughed past me, no regard for simply saying 'excuse me' or 'pardon me'! I was warned that faunus would be something like this... seems I was right..." The hard stare from Liz openly turned into a much bigger frown upon her face.
"Is that so?" she said, a hand gesturing to the reptilian tail that swayed behind her, "I just so happen to be a faunus! And I'm nothing like him!"
"Where I'm from, the faunus are known to be thieves and murderers; White Fang sympathizers even," Gail said, "And the first faunus I encounter in a new land does that to me! What am I supposed to think?!"
"Not all us faunus are like that!" Liz fired back, "And not all of us are with the White Fang either! I don't know where it is you're from, but you can't just judge us all like that!"
"P-please, both of you!" Eleanor urged. She held her hands up in a vain attempt to get the two girls to calm down, "You don't need to do this! And besides, others are trying to sleep..." It was true; a quick glance at the surrounding area by Angelita told her that others were aware of what was going on, and were starting to raise their voices in trying to silence them.
"Well then, just keep your distance from me, and we'll get along just fine..." Gail said, completely ignoring what Eleanor was saying just now. She finished by turning away to walk off. From her retreating form the remaining girls could see that she wore some strange contraption on her back; some sort of metallic backpack even. Liz's mood most definitely soured from the entire experience, Angelita could tell. A few beats following Gail's departure, and she lizard faunus herself suddenly turned and stomped off in an opposite direction.
"Oh! Just who does she think she is? Do either of them think they are?!" she could be heard practically exclaiming as she stormed off, "Thinking all us faunus are the same as White Fang criminals..." The sound of her voice eventually couldn't be heard anymore. At the moment Eleanor and Angelita were left standing in place still, various degrees of bewilderment displayed on their faces. It was then that Angelita studied the taller girl's face in better detail. She hadn't noticed a few things before, such as how silky looking her hair appeared to be, or that strange dot on the center of her forehead.
"Well... that was... awkward..." the tall girl spoke up, breaking the silence.
"Yeah..." Angelita replied. Unfortunately, her mind was a bit blank at the moment, as she was unsure of what she could follow up with. She firstly had been denied the chance of some sort of confrontation with that Victor guy, and now was witness to an argument between two girls whom she'd never seen before! What was she supposed to think in this moment? A few more beats of silence passed between them, and she finally spoke up with, "I'm... gonna sleep now..."
"Oh, a-alright," Eleanor replied, as she turned around herself to depart, "Oh um, good luck to you tomorrow, Angelita...!" She waved to her as she walked away, and Angelita gave a quick nod in response before walking herself.
Looking around as she walked, numerous students were by now settling into their beds and preparing to sleep. It was still a surreal experience in itself for her; to be in the same space with so many other people, in an indoors place that was at least five times the size of her abode she lived in out in the Great Animan Desert. And in that company, it was shared with only one other person, someone she considered close to her indeed. But here, the inhabitants were numerous, and not a single one of them she considered close.
She made it back to her bed, thankfully without any sort of incident or delay. She felt a deep sense of delight to be reunited in close proximity to Derma, sitting to the side of the bed as it was. She planted herself back down upon it, once again taken by that strange, almost overwhelming sense of softness. The cloths that she had slept on before were comfortable sure, but never did she feel as if she could 'sink' into them! In fact, a yawn escaped her lips as she sensed that feeling of sleep creeping up upon her again. She would fall asleep, but first, a quick sip of water...
She reached down to her side and pulled forth her water-filled canteen. She held it before her, deliberately studying it.
"Nemo... what would you do?" she spoke to herself with a sigh, "You ever been in a strange new land, with new people? Did you have some way of dealing with stuff like this yourself...?" She looked around the massive room again, gazing upon the bodies and faces of these many people, including those whom she had spoken with while in close proximity. Gail... Liz... Arslan... Oriel... and that really tall girl, what was her name? Oh yes, Eleanor she called herself...
"Well, you're not here now, so I guess... I'll figure out what to do myself..." For the first time in her life, she took a more liberal swig of water from 'her' canteen.
-If it's somehow possible, could someone out there on this site make it so that 'Team ABRN' be selectable as a character in the character selections when searching stories? Seriously, out of all the teams, how are they the only ones that 'can't' be selected as a single character?
Special thanks to my associate Blitz71319 for letting me use his OC Rica Gardner in this story! I end up doing her justice here!-