"Azure Sholmes." The blue haired woman held out her left hand to shake Elise's while tipping her deerstalker hat. Ignoring the brunet's confusion, she took a step back while moving her arms behind her back. "That's Joanna Watts." She nodded towards her blonde partner. She wore a pair of plaid blue pants held up by a dark blue belt. She had a white button up shirt on along with a light blue tie and a blue jacket that was kept open.
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you." She nodded back, holding a foam tray of six to-go coffee cups from a cafe called Leblanc in her hands. She had a yellow long sleeve sweatshirt with a white collared shirt underneath. Her pants were a normal pair of blue jeans. Despite her slim demeanor and casual clothes, she held herself high and tall. Like a soldier. Or at least a former soldier. "I apologise for the intrusion."
"Don't be." Azure waved her off as her partner sighed. "It's fine." She turned around, grabbing two of the coffees. She handed one to a blinking Elise and the second towards Cheyenne who starred with wide eyes. "Drink up. It'll help keep you awake." She said while grabbing two more. She handed one to Kris who was death glaring her back and the other to Kagami.
"Um, actually, I don't drink-" Kagami started before being cut off.
"Rubbish. It's good for you." The blue haired woman reached over with her right hand, tipping the bottom of the cup upwards as she forced a gulp of coffee into the jadette's mouth. Meanwhile, in her other hand she held her own cup that she took a sip from.
Raising an eyebrow, Joanna blinked a few times as she watched the leader of team MACE gag as her eyes went wide. "Well then," She blinked, watching her cough as she leaned forward. "You actually don't like coffee." She shook her head, taking a sip from the last cup while taking a step over. "Alright. Come on now. Just breathe." She helped her stand up straight.
"Hold... hold on a minute." Kris blinked several times before shaking her head. "What the hell is going on?!" She finally shouted.
"Yeah!" Elise snapped while standing. "Just who-" She stopped and blinked. Her nose twitched a little as she sniffed the coffee. "Holy... shit that smells good." She sniffed it again before taking a sip. Her shoulders dropped down before she let out an exhale. "I mean, I prefer tea over coffee but damn..." She took another drink from the cup.
"Huh?" Cheyenne blinked, glancing at her before taking a small gulp from her own cup. Her eyes slowly widened. "Whoa..." She turned the cup around, staring at the Leblanc label. "What kind of coffee is this and where is it from?"
"Can you not read?" The bluette eyed her with a raised eyebrow.
Sighing, her partner patted Kagami on the back before stepping over and taking a seat on the couch next to Kris. "It's from a small little shop where Azure and I do most of our thinking late at night for work. This is a Mistral Blue Mountain brew. Her favourite. Little pricey, but well worth the lien. And her smile..." She trailed off, eyeing her partner who blinked and stared blankly back at her. Sighing, she took another sip from her cup. "I fancy myself the Vytal Crystal Mountain brew more. The barista is a nice old chap though. He lets us stay after hours if we have a lot of work. His goatee is complete tosh to me. And his slicked back hair is worse. But bloody hell, that man can make a cup of coffee better than the Gods themselves."
"That... explained..." The redhead sniffed her coffee, her glare softening before she took a small sip and began to relax. "...nothing..." She trailed off as she brought her knees to her chest.
Rolling her eyes, Kagami handed the short girl her cup before crossing her arms as she eyed the two strangers. "Why are you in our room?" She asked bluntly.
"Because we both have the same goal." Azure took a long sip from her coffee before softly exhaling. "But unlike us, you don't have any limitations over your head."
"What?" Elise asked with raised eyebrows.
"Regen." Joanna clarified while pointing to her partner. "The colourful nutter she tipped the lot of you off about."
"Wait you did that?" The jadette turned to her. "There was no one in the hall when I checked."
"I can turn invisible if I don't blink. It doesn't matter." She waved her hand. "Now listen," She took a step closer. "I knew if you were good enough to survive the encounter, you'd be good enough to receive my help and succeed. I just didn't know if you would live."
"You what...?" Kris blinked as her face twitched.
"Please ignore her... methods." The blonde softly sighed while taking another sip. "She knows what she's doing."
"My methods are just fine. They get the job done." Her partner replied before continuing without missing a beat. "You see, I've been chasing Regen for a very long time. A very long time. But those bloody twats up in Atlas keep my hands tied when I don't even work for them. The lot of you though," She waved her finger before sipping her coffee. "With my help, you may just possibly be able to do something."
"And why the hell should we trust you?" The redhead narrowed her eyes.
"I've already thought about this. There is a ninety-four percent chance that you will accept my offer." She took another drink from her coffee. "So what will it be? I already know the answer, but do answer anyway."
Staring for a moment, Kagami eventually pulled back and shook her head with a sigh of defeat. "Fine." She reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Fine. But first, explain this man's semblance."
"Regen's?" Azure raised an eyebrow at the girl's curiosity before shrugging it off. She then sighed, reaching up to rub the bridge of her nose. "Complete poppycock, that's what it is." Inhaling, she let her arm fall. "Imagine it like a gamble of sorts. But instead of lien, you're betting your aura. And instead of cards, it's a singing competition."
"Plus you don't get to volunteer for it." Joanna motioned with her cup of coffee. "If you're caught in the radius of his semblance, you're forced to participate. And since that bloody nutter spent his whole life singing to brighten the mood of living in this hellhole, the average soldier or Huntsman isn't really going to stand a chance against him."
"That's... bullshit!" Kris shouted while finishing the two coffee cups. "How can someone have such a stupid and powerful semblance? That's not even fair!"
"Life isn't fair." She eyed her back.
"Wait, but it's fine now, right?" Elise glanced around at her friends. "Kagami can just copy his semblance and win herself, right?"
"His skills in singing aren't his semblance though..." The jadette quietly thought to herself. "His semblance is this musical gamble they explained."
"Which means she wouldn't win against him..." Cheyenne trailed off slightly.
"Not yet at least." Kagami narrowed her eyes at the ground before looking up at the two. "What would you have us do?"
Azure smirked, finishing her drink. "Keep doing what you're doing. Stop his goons from stealing more supply runs. Limit his resources. Dwindle his gang size. Draw him out again. Take back Mantle from his clutches. And this time, don't go running in half arsed after him."
"Would have been nicer to know this stuff beforehand but whatever." Kris grumbled while sipping.
"I had to make sure the four of you were up for it." She handed her empty cup to her partner before moving her hands behind her back. "This isn't going to be an easy job."
"Yeah... this won't be the first time we've fought some crazed crime lord." Elise chuckled.
"Or the last, apparently..." Cheyenne muttered under her breath with a small smile.
"The game is afoot then." The bluette nodded.
Walking down the middle of the street in Mantle, Baren calmly stepped out of the way of traffic as she stretched out her neck and rubbed her head with her left hand. Exhaling, she then stretched out her arm before letting it fall to her side. Despite the dozens of eyes that fell upon her, she didn't even take notice of them. She was busy looking around herself. Not for anyone in particular though. She was looking for something... a little less human. Exhaling through her nose, she began to walk towards a pair of Atlesian Knights patrolling the corner.
Turning its head away, the Knight on the left looked away for a moment. Moving its head back, it stopped and slowly tilted its head. The Knight that was next to it was no longer there. It took a step around, its shoulders rolling back as it scanned the area. It then froze, seeing a bare fist strike its face before its vision went to static and then black.
This time, as the old warrior made her way down the middle of the street, the people averted their eyes as the cars stopped and pulled away to avoid her. Hearing the sound of metal on concrete, a pair of soldiers stopped their conversation and glanced behind them. They both blinked once, their eyes widening as their shoulders rolled back.
Dragging a damaged Knight behind her by the ankle, Baren stopped in front of them. She stared for a moment before exhaling as her fingers released. The metal leg clunking against the ground. "Whoops." She said bluntly, bringing her arm over her chest as she pushed her hip to the left. "I damaged Atlas property. Arrest me and fly me to Atlas."
The two soldiers eyed each other for a second before looking back at her as they raised their rifles.
Doing as they were asked, team MACE continued to meddle with the affairs of Rey and his crew. Even after learning Dion wasn't the one in charge, they were still very much determined to put an end to his crimes. Currently, the group of girls were quietly sneaking their way through an old building with the windows boarded up. Inside, several crates of both weapons and Dust along with stacks of lien.
"This guy is really trying to create his own army to revolt against Atlas..." Elise trailed off with a quiet voice.
"A revolutionary with a cause but a bad way of expressing it." Cheyenne sighed softly. "He's just as bad as the White Fang. A twisted extremist through and through."
"All the more reason to stop him..." Kagami whispered.
"Agreed." Kris nodded, her dual candy cane weapons currently in a camoflauge state. The white was now black as the red stripes were now a dark green. Seeing movement, her eyes narrowed. "Now let's do this." She grinned, pulling her ear muffs over her ears as she pressed a button. The faint sound of heavy metal coming from them.
Rolling her eyes, the jadette smiled softly while drawing her sword. The blade glinting in the dull light. "We don't need them alarming anyone. Keep quiet till they're all knocked out."
"That's my speciality." The farm girl quietly chuckled while loading a clip of uniquely colored darts into her air compressed rifle. "Found some new darts too just perfect for the occasion."
"Sleep darts?" The Faunus raised an eyebrow and drew her club as she watched her friend set up.
"Bassically. There's a few others too." She chuckled softly while taking aim. "It's time for these rainbow thugs to take a long nap and wake up in prison."
"So can I go yet?" The redhead glanced over.
"Yeah, lets go." Kagami narrowed her eyes before she jumped down. The hilt of her sword striking the back of someone's head as she landed with quiet feet. The thug collapsing on the ground with a soft thud beside her.
It took them well into the night before the four of them managed to tie everyone up in the building. Either leaving them next to pillars or next to railings on staircases. Meeting back up on the ground floor. Kris pressed a button on her weapons as they changed back to red and white before putting them away. Reaching up, she slid her headphones down and paused her music. "That should be the last of them." She stretched out her arms.
"Then we should get going. We've done our part." Kagami slid her sword away.
"Now to hope Atlas manages to do theirs." Cheyenne nodded as she attatched her weapon to her belt.
"Which would be better for everyone." Elise put her rifle away as she stepped towards the front door. Opening it, the four of them stepped out. "And now we can go to sleep fi-" She stopped, going still at the sound of weapons being drawn.
Going into a stance, their leader narrowed her eyes before blinking at similar silhouettes in the darkness. Slowly, she eased up. "Captain Caesar..." She trailed off.
Blinking, the captain stepped out into the moonlight on the street. Her sword drawn. "Kagami?" She paused for a moment before exhaling as her eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?"
Swallowing slightly, she clenched her jaw. Biting her tongue to stop herself from saying something she'd regret, she shook her head before speaking. "We learned of some not so good people hiding out here... so we stepped in to help. Since you've been busy handling other stuff."
"I thought we told you kids not to." Magno narrowed his eyes with a cold glare.
"We did." Julia stepped up, keeping her weapon out.
"I know but..." She trailed off.
"You're still not doing anything about that rainbow bastard." Kris shot back in her leader's quietness. "He's running around killing people and you're just playing royal guard."
"We've been busy!" Jess snapped towards her little sister before pulling back. "We have a lot to do down here in Mantle and up in Atlas. We can't focus all our time and energy on one small thief."
"He's more than just some thief!" She shouted, her red hair swaying. "He's stealing from you to arm even more dangerous people to try and kill you!"
"He's one man." Litios let out with a heavy breath.
"And you're a whole army." Elise crossed her arms. "Shouldn't be that difficult for you to find and stop one simple man, right?"
"This isn't a game." Caesar clenched her jaw as she moved up towards the leader of the four girls. "I told you not to interfere anymore. This is not your fight." Her fingers tightly gripped her weapon. "There will be consequences if you continue to involve yourself. You need to leave this to the professionals."
Staring up at her for a moment, Kagami blinked before softly sighing. "Then..." She took a deep breath. "Then I guess we'll just face the consequences." Reaching out without hesitation, she grabbed the captain's sword. Twisting it, she disarmed her before stepping back. Raising both her hands, she drove the metal blade into the sidewalk with a heavy grunt. "Elise!" She shouted before pulling back and locking eyes with her.
Despite the shock glazing over her eyes, the farm girl nodded. Latching an arm around Kris, she watched as her leader's eyes changed to the color of hers and grabbed Cheyenne's arm. The four of them all turning into smoke before vanishing through the sewers vents.
Blinking, Julia stood still for a moment completely stunned. She glanced around, flashing her teeth before reaching for her sword. "Damn-" She grunted, tugging on the handle. Letting out a growl, she pulled harder to no avail. "What the hell?!"
Taking a deep breath, Jess reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Damn it, Kris..."
"So now do I apprehend them if I see them?" Magno asked.
Sighing, Litios shook his head. "Not... the time."
Behind them, a low chuckle echoed in the night. "Well, well," A blonde man with scruff stumbled out. A flask in his left hand which he used to point ahead. "That little green haired girl finally rebelled against you, eh Julia?"
Blinking, the captain pulled away from her stuck sword. "Who-" She paused for a moment before narrowing her eyes. "That's Captain Caesar to you." She hissed before looking back at where the four girls were once. Her eyes widened for a moment as she took notice of who she had just met. "Private Astro..." She trailed off before waving her hands in his direction. "I need guards on him at all times, do you hear me?" She shouted. Obviously knowing something the others did not
He chuckled more, flashing his teeth. "What? Still protecting her?"
"Protecting you." She glared.
He scoffed, raising his flask as he took a drink and stepped back. "It's not private anymore thanks to you... it's just Cin now." He reached up, brushing his nose.
Welp. It's been a little longer than I wanted but welp. I'm hoping to update again by Halloween but we'll see.
But yes, Rey's OP semblance. I wanted a villain who seems unstoppable but not in the generic evil way. So singing happened. My notes from him are from back in March of last year. So you can imagine my surprise to read about a semblance of transferring aura in Before the Dawn. Especially with Gillian's aura rising up in rainbow when she adds more aura to her own. There's actually a lot of similarities between Gill and Rey which I'm salty about but oh well. They're still two very different people.