A/N Classes and clashing
Alt title: Not much here.
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Next is a chapter of
Once again, Cyril
After that it's Kitsu.
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Caboose118: not everything can be good. Besides, she might get better.
BunkerfreakHD: I got nothing for that one.
YeTianshi: I see three outcomes from locking Blake and Cyril in a room to talk it out. 1, someone dies, 2 they ignore each other, 3 hate sex.
Dio Genus: Ruby is a sniper. And in this world, Hunters are trained to be emotionally perceptive.
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-Date, Time-
'Thoughts'
"Speech"
(Text)
Sounds/Actions*
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-Beacon Combat Training, 08/30, 8:15am-
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Cyril Leon POV
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Standing across from the lug of a ginger, I can't help but think about how I'm gonna win this. I know some basic self defense, but this guy, as forgettable as he was, still got into Beacon.
Sure he was weak and cowardly by comparison to everyone else. But take the slowest Olympic runner, and compare them to Usain Bolt. Yeah, they look slow, but they're still an Olympic runner. Against the average man they still decimate.
Hence, now.
Guy's the size of Dwayne The Rock Johnson. Armored, and with a mace half his height that has a head bigger than the one on his shoulders.
"You two ready?" Tai asks.
"Real quick." I interject. "What are the rules?"
"Good question!" He says. "Don't leave the ring, don't kill each other, and if I call it, you stop."
I am so going to see if I can push that.
"Well, I'm ready." I say as I unholster my axes.
"Good to go on my end!" Cardin says with a smirk.
'Okay, think.' I tell myself once the buzzer sounds. Immediately activating my semblance. 'He's big, so he might be slow, yeah right! Ever seen those traditional Scottish sports? Size does not correlate to speed.'
He's already moving, not even a second after the buzzer sounded.
'Hmm, maybe.' I think to myself as I step to the side. Already seeing the first few motions of the swing, I know where it'll land.
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Ruby Rose POV
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I watch with excitement as I see my partner just, steps to the side. Avoiding the, honestly oversized, mace.
Cardin uses it well though, able to bring it right back up despite its trajectory. It'd take an enormous amount of strength to swing down and then course correct mid swing and not stumble.
Of course Cyril just bends backwards and limbos under the swing. But, he doesn't do anything else, just lets Cardin miss, not capitalizing on the opening. Letting Cardin get a back swing in, that he steps back to avoid.
"He can dodge, so that's something." Weiss notes.
'Better at dodging than Yang.' I say to myself.
Though, Cyril doesn't seem all there right now. Like, he's only half paying attention to Cardin. Dodging and weaving around him as Cardin continually misses. Even when Cardin picks up the pace. Cyril just keeps dodging, but never retaliates.
"Why isn't he pressing his advantage?" I ask.
"He claims to not have combat training." Blake mutters. "Guess he was being honest."
That's the only reason I can see. But, the way he's dodging. It's not reactive, and, he's getting faster and faster at it.
"I thought you said Cyril wasn't fast?" Blake asks. "He seems pretty fast to me."
"He's not." Weiss says for me.
"What do you mean?" Blake asks.
"You don't see it?" I ask curiously.
"No, what am I supposed to see?" Blake asks.
"If you pay close attention, you'll notice Cyril is moving just before Cardin attacks." Weiss says for me. "It was slight at first, but the longer the fight goes on, the faster Cyril is predicting his moves."
It's true. Cyril isn't dodging, he's predicting Cardin's moves and moving out of the way before he even starts to attack.
"He said his secondary helps him think fast." I point out. "Maybe that's it? Maybe he's literally thinking faster than Cardin can move?"
"Maybe." Weiss humms.
'Though, why is his aura slowly ticking down?' I find myself wondering as I glance up at the screen.
It's barely noticeable. A smidge of his aura is down. But, it was completely full at the start of the fight a minute or two ago. And he hasn't even been hit.
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Cyril Leon POV
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I watch as Cardin prepares to bring his mace down. Only this time, instead of stepping out of the way, I swing my bearded axe up and catch the shaft between the underside of the axe blade and its shaft. Keeping the momentum I swing it to the side as I bring the other up and aim the axe at his face.
I pull the trigger as I watch in slowed time, his eyes widening in surprise.
Cutting off my semblance, because fuck that is mentally taxing to keep up for extended periods. I watch as he stumbles back while holding his face.
"Fuck!" His muffled voice rings out. "Point blank too!? What the hell!?"
"Told me not to hold back." I shrug. "Sorry but, I don't have a lot of fighting experience with people. You're only the second person I've ever fought, really."
And he's a lot slower than Qrow.
"I got that." He says as he takes his hand away from his face. "Can I have my mace back?"
I look at him like he's crazy. We're in a fight. Like, yeah we're chatting but, seriously?
"Want it?" I ask as I pick it up off the ground. "Come get it."
It's not as heavy as it looks. About as heavy as both my axes combined.
"Gladly." He grins.
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Weiss Schnee POV
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Yeah, there is no technique to his fighting. It's all so, rough and uncoordinated. Like he makes up his next move, seconds before he does it. Which, if he can think fast, then it makes sense.
Though I don't see why he's now wielding Cardin's mace.
Oh, he just threw it at him and is now running at him. Cardin catches his mace and immediately brings it down, only for Cyril to slide under him! Catching him by the ankles in the hook of his axes and pulling his feet from under him.
Cardin catches himself easily enough, but Cyril detached the chains and is pulling them taught. Keeping Cardin's ankles together and preventing him from getting up.
Cyril then, turns towards the wall and gets into a runner's stance. Only difference is he's holding his arms up with the chains visible.
"Wuld!"
My ears are DEAFENED by the loud crack of noise. Holding my arms over my ears as I clench my eyes in pain. The ringing slowly going away as I look up.
Cyril is at the edge of the ring, his axes being holstered as Cardin shakily gets to his knees, a crack in the wall behind him.
Looking to the board displaying their aura levels. Cyril is missing, maybe half of a tenth? And Cardin is almost at half. The counter at seven minutes.
"What happened!?" I shout.
"w-t?" Ruby barely says.
Perfect.
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Cyril Leon POV
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I had a lot I wanted to do. From blinding him with flux powder I stole from the forge, to trying to collapse the rafters. But, skidmarking him across the arena and letting the momentum toss him out was good too.
Okay truth is I winged it and had no clue that would work. I just wanted to see if it would.
"Well, I think that's enough!" Tai shouts as he slaps the side of his head. "Damn kid! You're loud as hell! Hate to hear you snore!"
"Yeah, sorry about that." I shrug. "Probably should've warned you."
"Should've warned your team." He says in a lower tone as he gestures to the girls in the front row.
Who are all, holding their ears. Their, sensitive, animal ears.
I just realized I got put on a team where everyone has a very sensitive sense of hearing. And my most powerful abilities all come at the cost of being very loud!
Talk about a nerf.
"Huh." Is all I manage to say.
"Winchester!" Tai calls out to the guy shaking his head. "You good?!"
"I feel like I got slammed into a wall!" He shouts back as he pushes up to stand.
"You're fine!" Tai waves off before readdressing me. "Anyway, I didn't get a whole lot of sense from your style. But I can point out several points where you could've ended the fight early or at least gotten a few good hits in. It's good to be cautious, just make sure it doesn't hold you back."
"Not bad advice." I concede as I holster my axes.
Of course I was just focusing on tiring Cardin out. I doubt that trick at the end would've worked if he didn't waste so much energy swinging the mace around like a caveman. Granted, had one of those swings hit me, I would've been the one slammed up against the wall.
Thank you Qrow, for teaching me the value of dodging. A valuable lesson it was.
And it didn't take me several seasons to learn how to DODGE!
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I need to stop reminding myself of the past.
"Cardin! Impressive mace work, you just need to work on strategy and defense." Tai says as Cardin walks up to me. "I'd recommend some grabbling techniques for your free hand. Keep the opponent from closing the distance."
"Noted." Cardin says as he stands in front of me. "That thing with axes and my ankles? That was cheap."
"Then you must be on a budget with how well you bought it." I smirk, earning a slight glare. Before he sighs and shrugs.
"Fair enough." He says as he walks past me towards the locker room. "Hope you got better tricks Leon! Cause next time that won't work!"
"Alright, as much as I'd rather you fight again so I can see more, we don't have that time." Tai says and jabs a thumb at the doors Cardin just walked through. "Hit the showers while I call up the next pair."
"Sure thing." I give a thumbs up as I head towards the locker room.
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Honestly I'm surprised Weiss didn't try to sneak into the locker room. With her track record so far it'd make sense.
Seems Nora and Russell are going at it. He's the green one with the Mohawk and daggers.
He's, actually pretty good. Hell, his speed? I doubt I'd be able to pull the same trick with him as I did with Cardin. Nora seems to be holding her own though. Using her hammer to keep him from closing the distance. But, he's intent on closing it.
Sitting down between Weiss and Ruby, the later of which is glaring at me.
"I got something on my face?" I ask Ruby as I lean back.
"Yeah, it's called butt, face, neuh, mrrm you're a jerk!" She stumbles before crossing her arms in a huff.
"What'd I do?" I ask, though I have a strong guess.
"You could've said your semblance was loud as all hell." Blake says with a glare. "Would've been a nice heads up."
"In my defense." I say, with my hands up. "I didn't think about it."
Yeah I figured.
"Now that I can believe." Blake says. "You said your semblance was inherently destructive. That just looked like a bootleg version of Ruby's."
"And you look like a bootleg fetish of cat girls. Don't see me pointing it out." I mutter under my breath.
That earns me a punch in the shoulder from Ruby. Not that it hurt.
"No." Ruby chastises, pointing a finger at me.
"What'd he say?" Blake asks.
"Nothing." Weiss says immediately.
"No, I wanna hear it!" Blake says. "What'd you say?"
"Blake-" Ruby starts.
"I said that Ruby's dad is hot!" I cut in, loudly. "But you don't see me pointing out the obvious!"
That earns me another shoulder punch.
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"And I told the good mayor, 'Good sir! By my might and resolve! I'll not allow a single beast of darkness past this gate! They shall all be prey upon my axe!' and he wept at my declaration. For such hope and-"
I expected Professor Port to actually teach, you know? Well, no. He's the exact same as canon. He started with the syllabus, but then got side tracked. Yet no one seems to mind. Heck, Weiss and Ruby seem to be taking notes.
And I mean that by the way. Not just doodling or copying.
Ruby is writing down what happens, and Weiss is writing down what he says verbatim.
"The night drew long as we fought! Jasper ran out of bullets halfway through and was fighting with his sword, cutting down nearly a hundred Grimm himself before daybreak! Why, I feel even the Grimm feared him that night!" Port continues.
Looking over at Ruby's notes.
(Took on a mission in Geriot, Anima. Horde of Beowolf and Haunzers spotted heading towards the village. Departed with team to meet up with the mayor who posted the A class request-)
"Orchid was front and center the whole time! Her shield and spear never broke as the horde threw themselves at her! Her lightning infused spear struck with the fury of thunder! And the precision of lightning itself!"
And looking over at Weiss, it's just word for word.
"And I returned a hero! Not a single Grimm passed the gate! Me and my partner drank ourselves into a stupor that night. Why, he threw up while hitting on the Mayor's daughter!" Port chuckles before taking a breath.
"Oh." Ruby says dejectedly.
Not knowing why, I look back at her notes. And try to piece together what it is she's seeing that I'm not.
She sees me looking, and taps two lines.
(Departed with team to-)
(Returned with partner.)
Oh.
He just, told us how he lost half his team on a mission.
Now I feel like shit for not paying more attention.
"But enough of this old man's tall tales!" Port says. "Instead, let us focus on you! The future generation of story tellers! I remember when I first sat in your seats. A young and spry lad I was. Even handsomer then than I am now if you can believe it!"
And I remember why I tuned him out.
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The bell sounds in the middle of Port's current story. Where he's telling about the time he sailed from Eastern Sanus to Menagerie with nothing but his axe and the timbers of a single tree. Reading between the lines, I see he's retelling how he was shipwrecked and lost at sea, yet managed to survive.
"Oh! It would seem we're out of time." Professor Port says as he looks to the clock. "Hmm, well it's still early into the year! A day or so is no big loss. To your next class children!"
Getting up from my seat, I remember that in canon, Port was rather insightful. And seeing as I have a bit of an issue with my team, namely in the form of a certain racist who keeps saying I'm racist.
"Our next class is history with Doctor Oobleck." Weiss says as she stands up and moves to return the class's books.
Oh yeah, no one gets books of their own. They're all provided by the individual class. You have to sign them out as you use them, not that we used them much today. It's a way to lighten the load of each student, and cut down on costs, by just having fifty books per class that are shared between the students, as opposed to each student getting their own.
Also encourages note taking. Cause if you don't take good notes, then you better get acquainted with the library.
"Oh, it seems Cyril doesn't have history with us." Weiss says as she looks at her syllabus. "You have, geography. Huh."
"Yeah, Miss Goodwitch told me not to speak to Doctor Oobleck because she refused to be held responsible for what happens." I shrug.
Weiss just stares at me.
"I'm not sure whether you are joking or not." She says. "And that concerns me."
"He's clearly not being serious." Blake says in a tired voice as she heads for the door. "Just like how he was 'kidnapped.'"
"At this point I'm almost beyond caring." I sigh. "You guys go ahead, I gotta ask the Professor something."
"Very well." Weiss says with a nod.
"See ya later Cyril!" Ruby says with a wave after petalling around me.
I give a wave, watching them head out with the rest. Giving me some time with the professor. Who is currently stacking papers on his desk. His back turned to me as I walk down the steps.
"Mr. Leon I presume?" He says without looking at me, before turning around. "What might I help you with?"
"I just, was wondering if you could offer some advice." I ask. "About my team."
"Use protection and get consent first." He says without missing a beat.
"Not that kind of advice." I say with a flat stare that only makes him laugh.
"Oh, forgive me lad." He says after a hearty chuckle. "Anyhow, what is it boy? Ask away."
Taking a breath, I go for it.
"What do you do, when your teammate thinks your racist?" I ask, causing his eyes to widen.
If Blake is talking about me in a way that gets Cardin to like me. Well, lines have to be drawn somewhere. I just don't know how to address this particular issue.
"Hmm, I must say my boy." He says after a moment's pause. "You've caught me off guard there. Perhaps some more context?"
I, spend the next five minutes telling him everything.
"Hmm, well for one, you could inform Miss Belladonna that you have no experience in dealing with Faunus. That should smooth over some edges." He tells me.
"It's not weird that I've never seen a Faunus in real life before?" I ask.
That was the whole reason I never brought it up!
"It's on the odder end. But not overly so." He says. "Some advice here, refrain from referring to cages, imprisonment, or saying any assumptions without verifying. For one, Faunus do not go into heat. Make that assumption and you'll likely get stabbed."
"I didn't think they did." I say.
I saw the toiletries in the bathroom. I doubt heat would be an issue when there are pads under the sink.
"Just saving you from the same pain I endured." He sighs. "A tale for another time. A time that doesn't exist at that." His tone says he won't be talking on that matter further.
"Anything else?" I ask.
"Without knowing more?" He says with a shake of his head. "I'm afraid not. Oh! One more, refrain from making comments in regards to their Faun features. Unless you're close enough for that, calling a Feline Faun kitty or cat may seem endearing, but it is only so if you are close. Otherwise it's derogatory."
"That, would've been nice to know." I say with a sigh just before the bell rings.
"Well, I recommend you hurry along, my next class will be here in five minutes and you have your own to go to." Port says.
"Yeah, and, thanks." I say with a hand out to shake.
"Not at all my boy!" He says as he nearly crushes my hand. "It is the responsibility of the older generation to look after the next! What kind of man would I be if I couldn't offer advice after all my experience?"
Separating from him, I give a two fingered salute as I head out.
"Thanks again." I say as I leave.
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Professor Peter Port
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'Hmm interesting boy.' I think to myself as I watch my second class trickle in.
Glynda informed us the boy had recently lost his family. And that he was originally abandoned by his birth father. And yet, I didn't sense the depression she told us to look out for.
No, what I sensed, wasn't a boy in grief, it was a man coming to terms with regret. The boy clearly has baggage, few in this line don't. But, I can't quite place my finger on it.
I expected him to ask me why I embellish my experiences. With Miss Rose pointing out everything I was trying to omit or gloss over. I was prepared to explain how he was young and need not concern himself with that yet. That he should live his life and enjoy it while he can.
Instead, he merely asked me for help with his team. He surprised me. Pleasantly so.
Though I suppose that's more on me for judging another before meeting them. Glynda's a good gal but, her bleeding heart leads her to making assumptions. Not that you'll catching me saying that of course!
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-Beacon, Botany and Survival class-
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Cyril Leon POV
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Turns out Geography is closer to Botany and Survival than History is. Which is why I'm waiting by the door for my team.
This is one of the mixed year classes. Combat and Grimm Studies are delegated by year. With History being tailored to a general consensus of who needs it. Hence the rest of my team taking basic history, and me getting tutoring as well as geography classes.
Oh, and I can let everyone know that Professor Peach does exist. She's a shorter, squirrel tailed Faunus. About the same height as Ruby. Long peach colored hair and wearing jeans with a black shirt under a lab coat. She looks, young, to be a professor. Even with the resting bitch face.
It's as I'm thinking this that the door opens with my team filing in. The door opening to hide me from view as I get passed by Weiss, Blake, and Ruby. In that order.
"Boo!" I sneak up behind my partner.
"Nope!" She says, not giving any reaction as she turns around to face me. "Nice try, though next time? Pick a class I'm not expecting you in."
What I'm hearing, is that I'm becoming predictable.
"Anyway!" Ruby says as she pulls out a copy of her schedule. "We have the third off so I was thinking we could go into the city and get you some night clothes so Weiss can stop ogling you like a piece of meat!"
"Hey!" Weiss pipes up, having taken her seat already.
"How do you know I have the third off?" I ask with a raised brow.
"Everyone on a team gets the same days off." Ruby says plainly.
I could use some new clothes. As it stands all I have is my combat clothes, and three pairs of my school clothes. I can't really live off that forever. Besides, seeing the city with a guide'll be nice.
"Sure, I could go for some clothes shopping." I agree just before the bell rings.
"Perfect!" Ruby says with a beaming smile. "It's a date!"
She then hurries off to her seat, taking a spot next to Weiss as I sit next to Ruby.
"Um, Ruby, perhaps Cyril could sit between us?" Weiss offers. "So he can look to both of us for notes."
"Nope!" She says with a smile. "Now hush, the teacher's talking!"
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Ruby Rose POV
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"Now these leafs, while similar are two separate plants." Professor Peach says. "Can anyone tell me the difference?"
They look like tomato leafs. I don't see what the difference is.
Though, Cyril and Blake are raising their hands.
"Hmm, alright. Miss Belladonna." Ms. Peach calls.
"One is a belladonna leaf." She says. "It's berries are poisonous."
"Correct, and the other?" She asks.
"It's, a member of the same family of plants." Blake says. "But they're not the same."
"Hmm, Mr. Leon." She says, turning to Cyril.
"Tomato." He says.
There's no way that's the answer.
"Yes." She says before turning to the rest of the class. "Just like these two, there are several plants in the wild that can look nearly identical. But confusing the two can cost lives."
'Oh come on!' I curse internally. 'The answer was tomato!?'
"How did you know that?" I whisper.
"I just remembered a funny thing I read once." He says. "People used to think tomatoes were poisonous, because people would get sick after eating them. And because they look like deadly nightshade."
"But tomatoes aren't poisonous." I point out.
I should know! If tomatoes are poisonous, dad would be dead with how much pizza he eats!
"They aren't." Cyril says. "But plates they would eat on used lead paint, and the juices in the tomato would pull the lead out. Giving people lead poisoning."
That's so stupid!
"Pfffttt!" I can't help but snort.
"Miss Rose!" Peach calls out. "Care to enlighten the class on what's so funny?!"
'Damn you Cyril!' I glare at the boy, only getting a smirk in return.
"Um, I uh." I try to tell the glaring woman.
"I told her how people used to think that tomatoes were poisonous." Cyril says.
"They didn't." Professor Peach says. "The opposite, people thought belladonna could be eaten. That was until enough people died from trying."
This, only causes Cyril to start laughing. Like, really hard.
"Mr. Leon!" Professor Peach calls. "Calm yourself! What is so funny!"
At this point he's red in the face while the teacher is marching up to us.
"I, I, oh, I can't!" He wheezes as he grabs a piece of paper, writes something and hands it to her as she approaches.
Taking it, she reads it over and just sighs.
"Children." She says under her breath as she shakes her head. "Go out into the hall until you compose yourself. Your partner will catch you up on what you missed when you return."
"Oh-oh, kay!" He laughs, and stumbles up, laughing the whole time as he leaves.
"I don't get it." I say, earning her attention.
"It's my fault for a poor choice of words." Is all she says as she walks back to the front.
"Hrrmm." Weiss groans next to me.
Looking over, I see her head down, ears flat and tail curled. Trying to look as small as possible. Blake, is rubbing her temples as she looks ready to stab someone.
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I still don't get it.
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Bonus
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Remnant culture: Modern overview: Part two: Qrow edition
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Menagerie, that island just south of Anima. Nice place, white sand beaches, palm trees, pretty flowers, beautiful birds, weird food. And the girls ain't too bad to look at. Hell, got a thing for Faunus? Kuo Kuana has seven brothels.
Course, it has its rough patches and bloody history. Everyone does. Wanna hear it straight? Stick around.
Menagerie is a damn colorful place. And I'm not just talking about the flowers either. Official reports say it's the second biggest melting pot in Remnant. But while Vale sees a lot of tourism and people moving in, Vale is also a lot bigger than Menagerie. If we go by cultural density, then Menagerie has Vale and Mistral beat, combined.
Should come as no surprise that when you cram so many different groups onto a small plot of land, all with wildly different ways of thinking. Things'll get heated, and not in a fun way.
The Kahn, I can bet my next drink you've seen them before. Ever see a Faunus with stripes or spots? Yeah, those are tattoos. They wear them with a special kind of pride
They were nomadic horse riders with knowledge on Anima's geography that was second to none. Damned good archers and trappers too. They were always on the move and never settled. As such, they carried few luxuries and no one really bothered keeping hold of things like journals. Tattoos are something they found could act as trophies, without weighing them down.
Don't mistake the Faunus showing off her skin as being easy though. Like I said, they take extra pride in their markings. If they got stripes, think twice before picking a fight. Spots? Get them talking about their art, and you can burn a few hours. Swirls? Well, they certainly have a story to tell, and are very open to telling it. Bangles? Yeah, you're not winning an argument unless they're drunk, even then.
… Tai still won't let ne live that down.
Modern textbooks will tell you they participated in slavery as a means of ensuring their own freedom. But,
It's a load of bull.
They never kept slaves for themselves, but they sought out and traded Faunus for a lot more. Using rival Faunus groups as a form of commerce.
You've probably heard of Faunus living with multiple spouses, in this case it's true. The Kahn have this neat little tradition of their leaders taking on multiple partners. Mostly as signs of loyalty. See, they put this big emphasis on family and putting it first. So when one party of Kahn would conquer or strike a deal with another, it was cemented in marriage. And they had to make a kid in a year. This was a sort of, insurance you could say. After all, that kid? Half his family is the other side, and no one is willing to risk the kid or family.
The Billi, they're a skittish lot. Scaredy cats you could say.
Summer would kick my ass for that one.
They're actually the most untouched of all the tribes in regards to slavery, yet have the biggest beef with it. Having seen the smoke in the distance and hid from the worst of it. Hell, records aren't that good, but you can count the number of captured Billi on one hand. And they never entered slavery, they'd always kill themselves first.
They're a, unique group. Having been hidden away and nearly untouched by the outside world lead to them growing up in a vacuum. And that's rarely good.
They got the most expansive and developed culture, but. Okay I'll just say it.
They're racist.
They have a steep distrust of any non-Billi, and that goes doubly for humans. They're isolationist to their core. Even on Menagerie. See, they were almost completely untouched and left alone from the troubles of the outside world. Until the Great War.
The Great War and The Second War of Freedom happened about the same time. And they bled into each other to the point that you could argue they're the same war just under different context.
Thing is, no matter what you call it, it hit everyone. The Billi were hit the hardest. Their hidden villages were found and destroyed, mistaken for slave refugee camps by the Mistralian government. And with how hectic things were, they didn't bother double checking before starting their raids.
Not that they'd care to.
It was a blood bath on both ends. No one won, but the Billi were worse off because their main defense, hiding, was gone. Their homes and half their population gone. All because they were mistaken for someone else. Keep in mind, this was two or three generations ago. The children who survived those raids, have children currently alive.
But, they do participate in government and share in their arts and literature, but good luck ever getting close to one. Which is a shame, they're damn hot.
Oh yeah, they've contributed a lot to porn. They see beauty and pleasure as gifts of nature. Let me just say this, bondage, BDSM, pet play? Yeah, they invented it.
That last one is really fucking weird. Trust me.
Which makes their stance on love all the more weird. They have this unique idea of something called a soul mate. Where marriage is seen as a union to protect and insure children are raised in a balanced and healthy home, the Billi see it as some sort of divine joining of souls. A pretty sentiment, if not problematic.
They're okay with multiple partners, so long as neither are married. Hell, when the Menagerian Civil War was in full swing, the future Chief of the tribe when the unification began was a battlefield prostitute before she married.
Thing is, young Billi are led to believe their first is their one and only. Taught that romance is a special thing meant to be cherished because it only happens once.
Never taking into account that, people change. Love, can come and go.
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I need a drink.
The Ylvta, they spell it weird, but hey, they're a weird people. Make great drinking buddies though. One of the only times I was ever drunk under the table was in a port town on the east of Sanus. This Ylvtan man, fish Faunus with scales on his arms.
Five bottles later I woke up in bed with him and his sister.
They're masters of the open waters. I swear they all inherit a sixth sense for the sea. Hell, they call almost everyone they meet from the main cities, kiddo, because according to them. "Only children don't know how to steer."
They're expert merchants and traders. Having stayed strong during the slave trade with their silver tongues. After all, why enslave a guy who's ready to fight you tooth and nail, possibly killing you or damaging him and ruining his auction value. When he can offer up a nice sum of goods he has stashed away, goods that can be replenished and offered again, if you let him stay free.
They're also masters of partying I can tell you that! Anytime they dock for more than a week, they'll set up a big feast and party the night before heading out. Believing that a happy departure preludes a happy voyage. Seeing as this would help to keep Grimm at bay with how it eliminates negativity, you can see where it comes from.
Aside from that, they're an open people with few secrets. If one has a kid they'll do their best to look after it. Taking a leave from the sea to raise them until they're good enough to join the crew. With a great belief in cooperation and loyalty, they got a nice saying that sums it up well enough. "We either swim together, or we sink together."
They're rum's pretty good too.
The Franz, only ever met a few in person. Not much to say other than they're stubborn as hell. And when they get into an argument, you better be willing to fight your point. Literally.
They're more of an ethnicity than a culture. The culture itself is wiped out. But, don't let them hear you say that. They consider their stubbornness to be their culture.
The Harse are a thinky group. They saw a lot of oppression in Mantle. But, rather than lay down and lament. They get a certain strength from, just accepting things.
Pacifism. The belief that violence is a last resort. That's what's it's been come to be called. They gained great respect and political standing in the kingdoms through this. Anytime violence would be about to break out, Harse would do their damnedest to avoid it.
They're great negotiators and any smart tradesman keeps one on call. Especially when bandits are involved. I saw one Harse woman negotiate the lives of a trading party I was hiding amongst, by talking the men down to accept her used clothes as payment for safe passage.
I'd never questioned my sobriety more.
The Tarak, are one of the major players when it comes to culture and politics. Mostly because of how they live and where they come from.
The crazy bastards are from the deserts of Vacuo. And made the majority of their homes in Menagerie's desert. It should be noted that Menagerie's desert, is notably more hostile than Vacuo's. Harsh sandstorms, few oasis's, and only one river stretching from a large lake in the center of the desert. Oh, and because of how loose the sands are, that river slowly changes over time. And it's noticeable. Makes any permanent buildings anywhere near it impossible.
Yet somehow the stubborn bastards manage to thrive there. Making weapons and tools out of dust infused glass. Transporting water from the sea and lake and what few oasis's there are to make clay to build structures in the middle of the freaking desert where they stay to this day.
Thing is, they don't settle for long. Their buildings are permanent, but the tenants are not. they travel between them frequently to gather and trade supplies amongst themselves. Often swapping members of their parties as two groups pass. A pregnant woman may stay at a rest town to see her pregnancy through, before leaving the child to continue on the expeditions. They're not abandoning them, they just can't take them with them. The Tarak have a strong sense of community, and children are raised as a whole by everyone. The parents will come back frequently and eventually take the kid with them on their travels when they're old enough, if the kid wants.
Come across a Tarak village one year, and the next year half it's residents will be different people. Only the really young, and really old ever really stay. And they still manage to keep track of everyone's names.
No clue how they do it.
They make some pretty nifty things with that glass though. And are masters at crafting it. Hell, during the civil wars they were the only participants not to use bullets. Using glass arrows instead.
Somehow, they made it work. Any arrows that stuck, were impossible to get out cleanly. Putting a man out for weeks as he had to get the shards removed and cleaned. Oh, and they would use the sand storms to hide. It's why the desert is dominated by them and some call them Dust Devils.
But they're friendly enough, so long as you don't threaten their family. And to them, everyone in their culture, is family.
Oh yeah, and if one starts calling you brother, sister, uncle or whatever other family title. Don't correct them. It's the highest praise they'll give you.
The Sausaxe, gotta say, I feel for them. They were a peaceful people who got dealt the shittiest hand possible. Hell, they helped early humans in settling much of Anima. Only for it to bite them in the ass generations later. They faired well enough against the occasional Grimm, but with the rise of slavery and the negativity that came with it. Grimm rose in numbers. Displacing people and leading to the creation of bandit tribes that still thrive on the continent to this day. They were not prepared.
Thus, the poor bastards were forced into retreating from their homes. Problem is, with that level of forced evictions, shit hit the fan. The Sausaxe gained a unique nickname in that time. The Grimm Bearers.
They were so scared and angry at everything, that they attracted Grimm in hordes. No surprise there's not much left of what they had.
Interestingly enough, many bandit tribes adopted their spiritualistic beliefs. Many Sausaxe turning to banditry when they had nothing left, sort of bled their culture into others. Hell, the Branwen Tribe names their kids after birds for their symbolism of always being on the move.
Bad luck, banditry, always moving, huh, maybe I should check a few records.
Anyway, they're a friendly enough group. Open and welcoming, despite everything they've been through, they never held it against humans.
That can honestly be attributed to one man though, Alexander Arc. His famous Voyage of the Sheltered is the most well known, but it was only one of twelve instances where he fought to insure the safe passage of the Sausaxe refugees.
Hell, many Sausaxe name their kids after the man to this day. And he even has a statue on Menagerie built to honor the guy.
You look up legend? And Alexander's face is one of the first you'll see. Funnily enough, the guy was just Alexander until the Sausaxe gave him the name Albatross of the Arc.
Long story short, he misspelled Ark.
The Bull'ack, They're another group mostly known by what others have said about'em. So, take it all with a grain of salt.
According to everyone else, they were brutes. Fierce, horrid raiders who were amongst the worst slavers in all of Mantle. And, that says something.
Thing is, their modern culture stresses honor, honesty, and cunning. And if you ask them about all the rumors about their past, you'll never get the same answer twice. Even from the same person.
They're a hardy people, minimalist and merit serving. "Everyone works until they can't." Is what they say. If you want something? Earn it. You don't want to lose something? Fight for it.
And they all know how to fight, that's not a lie. But I wouldn't call them warriors or anything. Compared to the average citizen, a kid'll take down an adult no problem. Their actual warriors are ruthless though! Don't let the whole honor thing confuse you. It's not like Mistralian honor, nooooo!
In Bull'ack culture, any challenge addressed head on is an honorable one. No matter what dirty tricks are used.
They sure as hell can party though! They're beer is this sweet stuff made from honey, and let me tell you, they'll take any excuse to drink.
You ask me? Their reputation is because the stuffy nobles in Solitas couldn't stomach admitting they consistently lost fights against them. Petty as they are. So they demonized them and made'em sound as bad as Grimm.
The Illeroq, this is the group Oz's last life was born into about eighty or so years ago. Really, they didn't have a culture. Being made up of the freed slaves who were tossed and turned around through the system so much that over the generations any culture one might've had was lost. Osk Veris made the argument that even though they have no cohesive belief system, they're still a group bound together by circumstance and have enough in common that they should have a voice. Thus, the ninth tribe was formed, and the average Faunus was given a say in Menagerian politics.
Not much else to say here other than the fact that Illeroq tend to be the go to for being Menagerie's Speaker. With four out of six Speakers in their short history being Illeroq. Their inherent lack of cultural attachment makes it easy for them to get along with the rest without butting heads.
Well, at least not too often. Everyone's got an asshole after all.
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A/N
Not much to go through here. Mostly as the title says.
This was mostly to set up and transition into the next chapter. Which is gonna be a fun one for me to write!
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As always, FEED ME your comments.
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Link to the discord: discord .gg/DarkWolfShiro