...C'mon. C'mon, c'mon…
Valerie tapped her foot impatiently as she watched the seconds tick by. She wanted this lecture to end, but only the bell would stop Professor Oobleck when he went off on a tangent. She needed to talk to Azure. Though, this time was different. Ever since he had called her asking about what happened to his team a while back, he'd been acting...different. In fact, she only ever saw him during classes. She had tried asking him about it, but he brushed her off. Not only that, whenever she went to Rember, the fox faunus would only offer vague answers. No one was saying anything, and she wasn't going to twiddle her thumbs anymore.
The bell went.
"Aaugh?! Wha-?! Oh." Oobleck exclaimed in fragments, the shrill ringing almost making him spill the drink he was holding. "Looks like we're done for today," the messily kept teacher concluded, zipping around the room at ludicrous speeds, "but I'll have you know we're not done with this subject! I expect that you've taken notes, and we shall continue this tomorrow!"
There was a collective sigh, a combination of relief and fatigue, and Valerie quickly grabbed her things. Upon noticing the questioning looks of her team, she shouted "I'll be back!" and flew out the door.
Once free from the confines of the lecture hall, the silvery blue haired girl searched the hallway for any sign of the white caped boy. He was deceptively good at getting out of places, but he couldn't have gotten far. Following her gut, she went right. The young woman ran as fast as she could, all the while trying not to bump into anyone and avoid getting lectured by Goodwitch for running in the halls, flying around corners on the lookout for any sign of her target. Just as she was about to decide Azure had inexplicably given her the slip, she saw a familiar figure with unmistakably styled white hair, her red eyes honing in on him.
"Azure! Wait up!" She called out to the boy at the far end of the corridor.
Halting in his tracks, the pale young man peeked over his shoulder to see Valerie running up behind him.
"What?" he asked bluntly.
Valerie hesitated just as she reached him. She was taken aback by the underlying hostility in the young man's voice. That, and the unmistakable exhaustion that emanated from him. Pangs of concern shot through her. From what she'd observed he didn't eat much during meals, and would only spend the absolute minimum amount of time consuming meager helpings before swiftly taking his leave. Where he went when he left, she hadn't the slightest clue.
"Is everything okay?" She asked carefully. "You don't look too good…"
Azure didn't say anything. He just...stared at her, his eyes cold. Sure, he was a private guy, but she'd never seen such harshness in his gaze before. After a few moments with no answer Valerie swallowed, self conscious, and Azure looked away.
"It's not your concern." The young man stated frankly, walking away. "Leave me alone, I'm busy."
Valerie flinched. The hardness of his tone was like getting punched in the gut with no warning.
"Hey…" she called out weakly, but to no avail. Azure wasn't listening to her, and he clearly didn't want her around. Unsure of what to do next, the girl rubbed her arm and stared despondently after the boy, suddenly feeling incredibly alone.
It was lunch hour at Beacon. KRME sat in the cafeteria, surrounded by an air of painful awkwardness. Despite Rember's persistence, Azure had kept himself distant and cold toward the group. They were all struggling with his shift in behavior, but his partner was hit the hardest.
The two of them sat beside each other. Rember was trying her best to engage Azure but receiving no more than one word answers. Across from them, Jad and Gayle had finished eating and were eagerly discussing a book they were reading.
"Hey, maybe after classes tonight we could work on some combo attacks," Rember suggested. "I've got a few ideas for some acrobatic stuff we could work on together."
Rember's idea was sound. Luck favors the prepared.
"Later. I'm busy," Azure answered, his voice cold and emotionless.
Rember visibly deflated, turning her gaze away from everyone to stare at the table.
Jad had watched the same thing going on for a couple of days now and as he stood and walked to the other side of the table, it was clear that he'd had enough. Jad placed a firm hand on Azure's shoulder, said "Outside. Now," and nearly pulled him out the door after him.
Azure trailed along after Jad, who still had a strong grip on his shoulder. They walked quickly into the atrium just outside the cafeteria, continuing out into the courtyard beyond. A few trees and benches were scattered around the area. Jad pulled Azure over to one of them.
Rember watched the boys go, her shoulders drooping. She'd been trying so hard to get along with Azure, to get him to do or say something, but no matter what she did he stayed cold and distant. She just wanted him to know he wasn't alone. That he didn't have to keep shutting them out. And that she did understand the danger and still wanted to fight beside him.
That she just wanted to help.
"Ber?"
The fox girl looked up to meet Gayle's worried eyes.
"You okay?" the other faunus asked quietly.
Rember opened her mouth to lie, but the words wouldn't come out.
"No," she said eventually, "I'm not."
"Can I give you a hug?"
Rember shrugged but didn't say anything. She heard Gayle get out of her seat and move around the table while she stared blankly at her half empty plate. The lizard girl took a seat beside her, their arms brushing against one another. Gayle didn't say anything, nonverbally letting Rember know that, once she was ready, her teammate was there.
It didn't take long for Rember to crack. After only a few minutes she let out a sob and dropped her head into her hands, hiding the tears that had suddenly overrun her. Gayle hesitated before putting a comforting hand on Rember's shoulder, uncertain of what to do that might help but unwilling to let her friend go through trouble alone.
"Have a seat."
It was more an order than an invitation as Jad steered his hostage friend firmly onto the bench, pacing back and forth a few times to gather his thoughts and rein in his temper.
From where he sat, Azure could see through the glass of the cafeteria windows where Gayle and Rember sat at their table. The pale young man turned away from the school and eyed his redheaded friend blankly, waiting for him to start talking.
Letting out a big raspberry of a breath, Jad plopped down on the bench across from Azure. He sat with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped gently in front of him.
"First to clear the air: I didn't haul you out here by the scruff to force anything out of you. I know you're going through something and it's your business to tell or to keep. So relax."
Azure said nothing, but his body eased slightly while he continued to stare.
Picking up on the subtle cue, Jad leaned back on the bench.
"I want you to do something," he paused for a moment. "I want you to look over at the cafeteria and tell me what you see at our table."
Azure glanced in the direction of the cafeteria to see the remaining half of his team. Was this a trick question? The boy alternated between glancing at Jad and where he was told, finally answering "Gayle and Rem?" in a quiet, blase tone.
"How very observant of you, Master Archer," Jad's voice was thick with sarcasm. "I'd wager a hundred bucks that if you look closer, you'll see Both Gayle and Rember sitting with their backs to us. Gayle is probably comforting Rember. She might even have her arm on her shoulders while Rember holds her head in her hands, more than likely holding back tears of… frustration, fear, sorrow… but tears nonetheless."
Azure looked again, this time making a proper observation. Jad was right. Gayle was comforting Rem, who held her head in her hands. A powerful, numbing pain clutched at his heart, threatening to suffocate him.
"Not wrong, am I?" Jad leaned forward again. "Here's how I knew: because this is what's become of KRME. We don't laugh, we don't joke. We don't make cookies, and we don't go for ice cream. Every night that you go out on your own weighs on us just a bit more. On your partner in particular. I'd say it's because she keeps offering to help. She's standing with an outstretched hand. And it's one thing to be told 'no thank you' but her hand is being coldly swatted aside."
"I can't let her, Jad," Azure muttered hollowly, his exhaustion making him slump. "I can't let any of you. This is my problem, and you deserve better than to get mixed in something you don't have to. Don't you get that?"
"Actually, I do get it. And I'm not saying you should let her help, necessarily. That's up to you. But how you treat the people who care about you now, while you do what you have to do, will change how they treat you when you come back."
Azure sat back on the bench, trying to rub the tiredness from his eyes.
"Alright, look. I don't think you've clued into how fortunate you are."
Azure looked at Jad like he had two noses.
"I mean apart from your life going to shit," he amended slightly. "Think about it, Pasty. Two best friends go separate ways, and by chance they both show up at Beacon in the same year AND wind up on the same team?"
Azure thought about it. He had a point, but where was he going with this?
"What's more, look at how lucky we both are." Jad gestured to the cafeteria. "When I look in there, you know what I see? A parade of idiots broken up by the rare gem."
Azure raised an eyebrow.
"I could waste your time pointing them all out one by one but let's just give a few examples to speed things along. At the top of the list we have CRDL: Beacon's racist, prejudiced, meatheaded simpleton boy band. Idiots, the lot of them. Then we have miss Weiss Schnee: a spoiled brat. This silver spoon fed pill of a girl knows that the world owes her something, and is constantly taxing her team with her holier than thou attitude. Up next is Jaune what's his nutz. I don't know how he got past the entrance exams, but every other idiot in this school is combat proficient and he's lunch."
"What's your point?"
"My point is, in the forest we could have ended up on any team paired with anyone of those idiots. But we didn't. Instead, fate gave us those two," Jad gestured again to their teammates. "Two fantastic women, who get us, and who enjoy having us around."
In a detached corner of his mind, Azure agreed with him. Rember and Gayle had clicked perfectly with the insanity of KRME before everything went downhill. Or had he and Jad worked well with them?
"Look Azure, I think there's something you need to hear. Something you probably already know, but need to be reminded of. And you're gonna have to bear with me, because I'm not as good at giving this speech as the one who gave it to me."
Azure went silent, waiting.
"Those two women in there are something special, and it's our job to take care of them."
Azure tried to figure out where Jad was going, bewilderment written across his face.
"Bear with: yes, Rember and Gayle are smart, strong, capable women who can make it on their own, but that's only half the equation. You see, the reason our team works so well is because of the balance that everyone brings to it. If it were just you and I, we'd get by. But Rember brings her own kind of hyper energy that, admit it, you love. And Gayle brings a timid but adorable nerdy side to things that we can't do without. I can't get through a day now without reading one of the books she recommends. They give these things to the team for a price. That price is equality, friendship, trust, and respect. If we short change them on that, they will eventually stop giving it to us. What's more, they may withhold it from the world as a whole. It could harden them, change them. They might lose that spark of life and passion that they each have. Why do you think I came down on CRDL as hard as I did?"
"Because you enjoyed it?" Azure offered halfheartedly.
"I really enjoyed it. But I was afraid that they may have robbed us of Gayle's passion for life. For good. And I won't stand for that."
Azure made no reply, but he was starting to understand.
"Pasty, Rem has a big heart. And she knows you're suffering. So despite you withholding your kindness from her, she still stands offering hers. But she won't do it forever. Not unless something changes. So no, I'm not saying you have to tell her everything, or let her go with you, but you do need to take care of her. Do that and she'll light up your life with the best thing she has to offer."
Azure looked up waiting for one of Jad's dirty jokes.
Jad looked to his old friend, "her smile."
The two of them sat quietly for a few moments.
"Who was it that gave you that speech?"
"Haha, words of wisdom from an old, grey wolf," with that, Jad got to his feet. "Well that's about as serious as I can stand to be for one day. So I'm gonna do you one last favor. I'm gonna tell the girls that you need a little bit to digest some stuff we talked about. We're gonna head back to the dorm and read some comics or something. You join us when you're ready."
Azure watched silently as Jad walked out of view, his attention shifting to the blanket of grass before him as his mind began to wander from continuous self inflicted all nighters.
"By the way," Jad shouted as he got to the cafeteria door, "You owe me a hundred bucks."
And with that he was off.
Rember fiddled with a pencil, glancing over at her partner. The team was in their dorm, doing homework for the evening. Normally it would be a whole lot chattier, as answers would be thrown out, and debates would happen until they came to a natural consensus (or until Gayle got the correct answer, and Rember and Jad coaxed it out of her). But there was none of that today. Azure was off on his own, refusing to acknowledge his teammates as he went through textbooks with sunken eyes. He'd been going out headhunting every evening since the encounter with SWAN. It had started weeks ago, and his teammates knew he would be heading out any minute now.
Mustering her courage, the fox girl put down her writing utensil and walked over to her friend.
"Hey," Rember ventured, "I actually finished that a little while ago. Wanna to compare answers?"
"It's ok, Rem, I got this," Azure mumbled, not bothering to look over at his partner.
"So, are you going out soon? I thought maybe I could come along. Four eyes are better than two."
"Thanks for offering, but no."
"Oh…" the fox faunus replied dejectedly. Taking a step back, she picked up Thistlebutt upon hearing a cry for attention. She stroked the kitten's soft fur for a moment before placing him up on her bunk and whispering "Why won't you trust me?"
Azure paused. "What was that?" he asked, voice detached. It had become his 'normal'. It made trying to talk to the young man feel like a losing battle. And at that moment, Azure's aloofness struck Rember's last nerve.
"Why won't you just trust me?!" she yelled abruptly, weeks of frustration finally spilling over.
The fox girl immediately regretted shouting. Gayle and Jad were looking between her and Azure apprehensively, and even Azure seemed surprised by his partner's sudden moodswing.
Rember took a deep breath and said "Jad, Gayle, would you excuse us? My partner and I need to talk."
The lizard girl and the tall boy nodded silently, eyes wide. Jad put a firm hand on Azure's shoulder as he passed, saying quietly, "Mind your manners," and barely concealing a grin. Rember grabbed Azure by the elbow and towed him out of the room, heading for her favourite spot out on the cliffs.
To Rember's surprise Azure didn't fight as he was pulled along. It crossed her mind that this might be because he was so exhausted, but before she could pursue that thought her destination came into sight and she slowed her pace.
Finally releasing Azure's arm, Rember's fox ears twitched irritably as she sat cross legged on the grass. Her partner watched her warily for a moment and the girl said "You can sit. I'm not going to attack you."
Azure sat down slowly, clearly reluctant to be here. He avoided Rember's piercing gaze, choosing instead to stare at the ground in front of him. Rember watched him in silence for a few minutes, allowing herself to calm down and to try and gage her friend's mood. Frustration had driven her to this, but she wouldn't allow it to dictate how this conversation went.
"Azure," she ventured quietly. He glanced at her briefly before resuming his staring contest with the ground. Frustration flashed through Rember again, but she quelled it. "Azure, please look at me."
This time her partner complied, although his reluctance was obvious. Being faunus Rember could see almost perfectly in the dark, and she was struck again by how terrible Azure looked. His eyes were red rimmed and bloodshot, the surrounding skin dark and gaunt. His face was pale and drawn. Every so often he twitched or flinched slightly, barely noticeable if you weren't looking for it. No wonder Gayle and Jad hadn't noticed how bad it really was.
Rember took a deep breath and grabbed the stone on her necklace. "Azure, I need you to know that I'm not mad at you," she said carefully. "I'm sorry I snapped." Azure shrugged and looked away again, but didn't reply. Rember's shoulders drooped, and she frowned. "I just can't keep watching you do this to yourself."
Asure grimaced. "It doesn't matter," he mumbled, "I've had worse."
"So that means you can get through anything?" Rember asked. "Just because you have been through worse doesn't mean that you should've been."
Silence. Rember could feel her semblance cooling her skin and the patch of ground she was sitting on. She tried to relax, but she found that she couldn't. Her friend was endangering himself. She couldn't relax anymore.
"Hey," she said, reaching out and placing a gentle hand on Azure's shoulder.
He flinched, but didn't stop her. Rember's frown deepened and she took her hand away. Clearly Azure wasn't open to comfort right now.
Rember took a deep breath and looked out over the Emerald Forest. An idea popped into her head, one that she wasn't sure would pay off but she might as well try.
"Did I ever tell you that the White Fang tried to recruit me?"
When he heard the organization's name Azure's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. He met Rember's gaze and slowly shook his head in response to her question, and the fox girl smiled sadly.
"They tried really hard for a while. One of their younger members was in the same school as me, undercover. He was searching for unhappy faunus. We were friends until I found out he was in the White Fang, and he tried to convince me I should join.
"I won't lie, I thought about it. Not very seriously, but I still considered it. I was still upset about my sister's death, and mad at my parents for sending me away and never talking to me. I had very few friends, and none of them were humans. But...the more I thought about it, the more I realized that even though lots of humans hate us they aren't the monsters. They aren't the ones who took my sister from me. They didn't rip my family apart; the Grimm did that." Rember sighed tiredly, as though telling the story exhausted her. She stayed silent for a moment, her green eyes closed. When she spoke again her musical voice was softer. "I'm not telling you this to manipulate you into telling me what's wrong," she said, finally meeting her partner's eyes. "I'm telling you this because I trust you. I trust you with my life, and I trust you with my secrets." Her shoulders drooped, and she slouched. "I just wish you'd trust me with yours."
Azure looked at his partner with sad eyes. He could feel every negative emotion coming from the faunus, and he took a deep breath, closing his eyes. After a moment, he opened them and tilted Rember's head up so he could look at her.
"Alright, you deserve to know."
Rember sat up straight while Azure rubbed his eyes, trying to relieve the irritation they felt.
"As you and the others know, I was part of the White Fang, which also tells you who I am. What I am," Azure's irises flashed to their original yellow with slitted pupils before switching back to green. "However, it runs far deeper than that." He braced himself for the next part, no going back now. "Have you ever heard of "Shadowolf"? Or "Black Claw?""
Rember shook her head. That wasn't too surprising.
"Project: Shadowolf," he began, "was a plan concocted and kept secret by some of the White Fang's top, most well connected individuals. The purpose of it was to create the perfect killer. One without remorse or morality, who could carry out the most dangerous missions for their organization and complete them with a one hundred percent success rate. This team was called "Black Claw", and I was a member of it."
Rember sat with rapt attention, taking in every word Azure spoke.
"I had only been part of the White Fang for a short time when I was dragged into the program. They mostly chose candidates from the half-human denomination due to a lack of obvious animal traits compared to pure blooded faunus. Those that could hide their subtle faunus characteristics became favorites, like me." Azure explained, his whole demeanor shrinking and his voice solemn. "That boy in black and the girl with purple hair that you met were also part of Shadowolf and Black Claw."
Inside Rember's head dots were being connected, but she waited in silence for Azure to finish his tale.
"Their names are Creed Noir and Wisteria Dawn, if you remember, and they were the closest thing I had to friends during that time. Out of the thirty initiates that went in only the three of us came out in one piece, at least physically. Everyone else is gone."
"What happened after the program?" Rember asked.
Azure ran his fingers through his hair. "We did what we were made to do. We became harbingers of misfortune. The White Fang leaders' personal agents of death..."
That last sentence made Rember's heart drop. This explained so much about her partner. No wonder he was the way he was.
"Due to our skillset, the leaders had the three of us kill people with power and prestige, such as high ranking military officers and wealthy businessmen around the kingdoms. And I was one of their most reliable hitmen, thanks to my semblance and knack for stealth." Azure grimaced, regret dripping from every word. "Then one day a human woman came to the White Fang and asked if we could aid a group of people she represented. At first they didn't agree, but that soon changed for...some reason. One of those things was enhancement experimentation on people, and you can probably guess who got chosen for the test."
"You, Creed, and Wisteria," Rember surmised, and Azure nodded. "What kind of experiments did they do?" she probed hesitantly.
"They said it was to evolve a person's aura, to make it limitless. If they could do that, a person could be invincible," Azure mumbled, and Rember's eyes widened at the ambition of the idea.
Azure yawned loudly before continuing. "They spent day after day, hour after hour, running experiments of every kind on the three of us, but with little success," the young man winced unconsciously as memories of those tests resurfaced. "My body constantly felt like it would break at any moment." He shook his head to clear his mind, not wanting to drown in those memories. "After what seemed like an eternity they developed the final test: to merge massive amounts of energy with our auras, hypercharging them. Their hope was that our aura would endlessly cycle it through our bodies, thus making us, for a lack of a better explanation, immune to fatal injury."
Rember remained still in silence, racking her brain for a reason to do this to a person. She truly believed that all people were inherently good, but things like this always made her wonder if she really was just naive.
"Wait, what kind of energy did they use?" she asked.
"I'm...actually not sure," Azure admitted, his eyes glossing over. "I was just the first to undergo the procedure." He refocused on Rember and continued. "Heh. After all that they told me it didn't even work properly." Upon seeing Rember's puzzled expression, Azure extrapolated. "They told me my aura is extremely powerful, but no matter what I try nothing happens. I can feel that there's something different, but I just can't...tap into it."
Rember raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Her mind whirred, searching for an explanation. She folded her arms and filed her thoughts away for later, listening intently as Azure continued.
"That didn't seem to phase them though, and they did the exact same thing to Creed, only the side effects were different. Because of it, Creed's become a vicious sociopath."
"And you?" Rember asked, curious about the price Azure had paid for this dormant, implausible power.
Azure sighed loudly before answering. "I...lost my emotions. It's like they were locked away, or purged. And there didn't seem to be any way of getting them back." After a moment, he whispered silently "I was no better than a puppet."
Rember's heart sank. The idea of functioning while someone else pulled the strings? Not something she ever wanted to experience. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to be so...empty.
"If that's the case, what changed? You clearly have emotions now."
Azure knew the question was coming and he grinned unexpectedly. Reaching inside his tunic, he pulled out his silver necklace and held it out for Rember to see.
"It was because of the one who gave me this," he said, bittersweet nostalgia filling his heart as he eyed the blue gem.
Rember studied her partner's most prized possession with enlightenment. That explained why he'd been so frantic to find it when they first met. It was an irreplaceable memento. Considering her own necklace, which she reached up to touch, it made sense. Her hand dropped as Azure began to speak once more, and Rember listened attentively.
"Her name was Lynn, and she was attending one of the academies when I met her. She was from some kind of tribe, outside the kingdoms. I was in such a dark place that her attempts at conversation had little effect on me at first, but after a while I began opening up to her. I started to feel like my old self, before everything went to hell. I guess you could say it was because of her that I became human again."
Or at least half of one, a stupid part of Rember's brain commented. She had to fight to keep from sniggering at her own joke, and turned her attention instead to this girl Lynn. A flood of questions came to mind, all begging to be asked, but most of them could wait. There was only one that she wanted answered now.
"Could you...share what happened to her?" She inquired quietly.
Azure should have known she would ask. It was an important event in his past. He strove to maintain his calm, to steel himself.
"She...she's gone. Because-" a surge of rage overwhelmed Azure, his eyes going as red as his vision. His hands clenched into fists and he punched the ground, leaving marks where he hit. "Because of Creed, that bastard!"
Rember flinched at Azure's outburst. She never liked watching people get truly angry. Anger made people unpredictable. It turned your family members into strangers, and your friends into…
He attacked me...
Azure was oblivious to Rember's alarm, or to the way she scrambled back when he jumped to his feet.
"He went after her, and I tried to save her, and I failed," Azure growled, his eyes glazed over. He shook his head furiously and slammed his fist into the trunk of a tree, shattering the bark. "I have to find him. I have to stop him, and I-I won't let anything stand in my way until he's gone!"
He finally looked directly at Rember, scarlet eyes burning. "This is my problem. Please, please don'ttry to stop me," the half faunus concluded, his voice cold and detached once more.
Rember's eyebrows pulled together and she got to her feet as well, fear gone. "What the hell makes you think I'm going to try to stop you?" she asked, fox ears pressed flat against her skull. "I brought you out here hoping I could convince you to let me help with whatever was going on. Now that you've told me, I'm going to insist."
Azure was taken aback by that. His eyes flashed to their original yellow hue before gradually turning red again.
"Why?" He demanded coldly.
"Um, because you're my friend? And you can't do this alone," she replied, a slight edge to her voice. "And quite frankly I'm tired of watching you destroy yourself while you go at this solo."
Azure snapped.
"NO! You. Can't. Help. Me. No one can help me! Anyone that tries winds up dead! I won't let that happen again! Never again!"
As he shouted, his aura activated. His semblance tampered with the appearance of the energy, manifesting as wild blue flames. It made the boy look possessed by some evil power, catching Rember briefly off guard, but she stayed firm.
Quickly realizing he'd lost control, Azure's eyes reverted back to their natural yellow and his aura faded down. Energy spent, he collapsed to his knees.
"He was about to kill you Rember; you and the others." He whispered, "I'm the only one that can do this. I'm the only one that can stop him!"
Rember's anger was literally palpable, forming a wave of intense heat that flared out from her body.
"How incredibly selfish is that? And did you forget that you were about to kill me too?" she snarled. "You aren't the only one who's lost people, Azure!" Rember's eyes, usually mischievous, were hard. "For once I am not going to back off and let you do this alone. You are killing yourself, and I'm not going to lose you, too!"
Rember couldn't remember the last time she'd been this upset, but she didn't know how else to get through. Her skin was burning, and the grass beneath her crackled and started to turn brown from the heat. "Do not make the mistake of thinking that I will ever drop this," she hissed far more quietly. "I am your partner, and your friend. You're causing me more harm by making me watch you spiral back into insanity than you're preventing. If you continue down this path I can guarantee that you will lose me, and Jad, and Gayle."
Azure shrunk back, Rember's fury washing over him. All of the anger, hurt, and frustration she'd been holding back had breached the walls, as had the true fear she'd been hiding till now. Shame flooded through him. This wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to protect her, not hurt her. See her now, fists clenched, eyes flashing, and fangs bared, he knew that once again he had failed.
"Okay," he whispered, so quiet that even Rember's keen ears had trouble hearing.
"What?" Rember asked, anger still potent in her voice.
"I said...okay," he repeated. "I...I'm so sorry, Rember. So sorry..."
Azure mumbled half formed apologies, not daring to meet her gaze.
Rember couldn't believe what she was seeing, her wrath evaporating. She'd had some inkling, but no notion of the scope...she'd had no idea how broken he was. Azure was so well practiced at maintaining a strong front that he'd managed to hide it from everyone.
"I thought I had to do this alone because you've all been through a lot. I didn't-didn't want you to deal with a problem that I had to solve. You deserve better than to risk your life for me. But you're right, and I hate it. I-I can't do this-do this on my own. I'm so sorry..."
Azure's head felt oddly light, and his vision swam. Still mumbling, his body went numb, and the whole world tilted abruptly. Just before making contact with the still warm ground, everything went black.
Rember deflated. Her anger was replaced by shocked concern. She quickly reigned in her semblance, returning the ground and her skin to their normal temperatures.
"Azure?" She ventured tentatively.
He didn't respond. Rember dropped into a crouch beside her unconscious partner and checked his pulse. Still strong. That was good, at least.
Rember chewed the inside of her cheek anxiously as she wondered what to do. She couldn't just leave Azure alone on the outskirts of the Emerald Forest while she got help, but she wasn't strong enough to carry him alone.
You have a scroll, dummy!
Oh yeah...
Rember pulled out her scroll and brought up the team communications. "Gayle, Jad, you there?" She asked.
After a moment Gayle's voice replied "We're here, Ber. What's up?"
"Could you guys come to the cliffs by the launching platforms? Azure passed out..."
"What?!" Gayle and Jad both exclaimed.
"Yeah. He's fine! I just can't carry him, and I don't want to leave in case a Nevermore or something comes along..." Rember trailed off as something incredulous caught her attention. "Jad, are you laughing?"
"Ahahahaha! I can't- hahaha- believe he-haha- passed out! Ahahahaha!" Jad gasped. "Hahaha, what did-what did you do? Haha, jump out and scare him? Hahahaha!"
"Uh...no," she denied. "Would you please just come help me?"
Rember could practically hear Gayle roll her eyes at her partner's antics before the lizard girl said "We'll be right there, Ber."
As she moved to end the call Rember heard Gayle say "Would you get ahold of yourself?" to her partner.
Despite her worry for Azure, Rember couldn't help but smile a little bit at Jad. You could always count on him to lift the mood, that was for sure.
Pain shot through Azure's head, stirring him to consciousness. The whole world seemed to spin, and he tried not to vomit.
Ugh...what happened? Azure thought as he came to, his eyelids flickering uncooperatively. Using what strength he could muster he tried to see his surroundings, but his vision was cloudy. Next he tried sitting up from where, but his arms wouldn't hold.
"Guys! He's awake!" The half faunus heard Gayle shout, and he could hear his team's steps rushing towards him.
"Gayle? Hng...where am I?" Azure whispered.
"Back at the dorm. You're in bed."
"He's so pale..." Jad held a piece of paper up to Azure's face to compare. "taking 'Pasty' to a whole new level."
Azure managed to open his eyes, staring groggily at his teammates. Gayle and Rember both had varying looks of concern while Jad had an eyebrow raised, a small frown turning the corners of his mouth down. At Azure's side Thistlebutt was curled up in a black ball, sound asleep.
"How long was I out?" Azure asked, completely drained.
"A few weeks." Jad replied.
"WHAT?!" Azure yelled, his jolting upright. He forgot he didn't have any energy though, and just as quickly slumped back down.
Gayle punched Jad's arm. "Jad!" she scolded, "Rember said he needs to relax! How does that help?"
Jad gave her a sheepish grin. "Sorry. It was just too perfect of an opportunity to pass up." He turned his attention back on Azure. "It's only been one day. Sorry, bro."
Rember sat on the end of Azure's bed and examined her partner cautiously. "How do you feel?" she asked.
Azure looked over at his partner with heavy eyes before letting his head fall back on the pillow, eyelids closing.
"Tired," he whispered.
"That's not too surprising," Rember said sympathetically. "Do you mind if I check your forehead? I just want to make sure you aren't running a fever."
The half-faunus nodded weakly and Rember pressed her arm against his forehead. She breathed a sigh of relief when the heat coming off of his head was minimal, and she placed a cold, wet towel there to dissuade the temperature.
"How did I get here?" Azure asked, the cold of the towel soothing his headache.
"After you collapsed I called Jad and Gayle so they could help me get you back here," Rember replied, sitting back. "How much do you remember about before you passed out?"
The young man thought for a moment.
"Talking to you, then getting angry, and..." Azure recalled the rest, but chose to leave it out, "and then everything went dark."
Rember's eyes narrowed fractionally, but she didn't contradict anything Azure said.
"That sounds about right," she commented, one of her fox ears twitching. "I haven't told Gayle and Jad what we talked about, as I didn't want to share anything you didn't want me to. They'd like to know, but I'm sure they'll be patient and wait a little longer."
The last bit was thrown over her shoulder at the other two. Gayle nodded and smiled while Jad sighed dramatically before agreeing.
Rember nodded curtly and turned back to Azure. "Well I might as well catch you up on yesterday," She said, changing subjects. "Professor Goodwitch wasn't too impressed when you missed classes yesterday. I told her you were sick, but she might not have believed me. Port and Bartholomew didn't even notice you were gone, to be honest, and you really didn't miss anything in their classes," she shrugged. "You can borrow my notes if you like, though."
"And mine!" Gayle added. "Ber's are covered in doodles."
"So are yours!" Rember grinned back. She stuck her tongue out at the lizard girl, who rolled her eyes. "Anyway," she continued, "you didn't miss much."
Azure nodded. "Alright," he gave a small smile to his female teammates. "Thanks guys, for doing that."
Gayle smiled happily while Rember nodded quietly. Azure then motioned for her to come closer, and she gracefully walked to his side.
Pulling her close, Azure whispered in her ear. "I remember everything," he began, "but they don't need to know about our argument. I'll tell them everything I told you, and explain why I'm in this state. I'll even ask if they want to help. They just don't need to know about everything else; not yet. Okay?"
"Of course!" Rember breathed, leaning back with a smile. Then she stood up again and said "Right now, though, you need to eat something. I've decided to part ways with some of my favorite cookies and a whole juice box, just so you can get some sugar in your system, and then we're going to find you some real food."
Azure managed a chuckle and raised his eyebrows. "I thought all food was real food to you."
Rember snorted. "Of course it is. However in this case I mean real food as in healthy food. As in protein, fibre, calcium, veggies..."
"Okay, I get it!" Azure said at the same time as Jad commented "Oh, you mean rabbit food."
Gayle punched Jad in the arm and said "Hey! I thought you liked the salads I made for everyone?"
Jad reached up and scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously. "Well, it's just rabbit food. Besides, Foxy always gives me a cookie if I eat the whole thing..."
"Hey! You promised not to say anything!" Rember exclaimed.
As the three went back and forth, Azure chuckled quietly. At first he'd found their childishness and hyperactive moments annoying, but they'd grown into what he loved most about his team. The carefree, jovial attitudes they shared, and the underlying camaraderie it represented.
This is why I'm fighting. This is what Creed and Wisteria are missing out on. Azure thought, watching as Gayle, Jad, and Rember continued back and forth. It's for moments like this. It's for them.
"...and furthermore Jad, you don't get any of my cookies now," Rember stated, glaring at the tall boy with a disapproving frown.
"And you HAVE to eat any salads, or any other food I make from now on. Got it?" Gayle added, looking equally unimpressed.
Jad gave a long whimper as his shoulders slumped in disappointment. "Aww, man…" he sighed. "Okaaaay..." he looked over at Azure, blue eyes pleading. "Please get better soon so you can make me -I mean us, yummy food again."
"And what does that mean?" Rember interjected, pulling Jad down to look her in the eye. "Are you saying that Gayle and I can't cook?"
"What? No!" Jad quickly answered. "Azure's just...really good at cooking and I like his food."
"Well, until he gets better, there won't be any meals made from him. Got it?" Gayle said, getting just as much in Jad's bubble as Rember.
Jad nodded nervously and the girls backed off. Rember went over to Azure and placed a juice box and a few cookies in front of him.
"Eat," she ordered.
Azure slowly drank the juice box first, and after he finished he went to the first cookie. Upon taking a bite he realized he was ravenous.
"Is this one of mine?" Azure asked.
Rember nodded her head. "Yup!" she said happily, "From the batch last week."
I thought so, Azure pondered as he devoured the remaining cookies. He already felt more alert, thanks to the fast acting sugar.
"So..." he asked when he'd finished eating. "Did anything interesting happen while I was out?"
Rember thought for a moment before grinning mischievously. "I managed to stick Jaune Arc to the ceiling," she commented casually.
Azure managed a chuckle. "Heh, did Sonara and Yang help you with that? Or were you able to pull this off by yourself?" he asked, a small grin plastered on his face.
"Oh, I did it myself!" Rember laughed. "Hahaha, you should have seen everyone's faces!"
"Haha! Yeah, you should've been there! He walked right into the trap!" Jad chuckled, his laughter escalating Rember's till they were both laughing uncontrollably.
"He did get down...eventually," Gayle told Azure, leaning down to make sure he heard it through the chuckle fest.
Rember wiped a tear from her cheek and tried to catch her breath but upon catching sight of Jad, who was still laughing uproariously, she dissolved into another fit of giggles.
Some time later Rember and Jad managed to get ahold of themselves and Rember got to her feet.
"Okay!" she smiled, pointing at Azure. "You, sir, need to eat something. Stand up slowly, I really don't want you to pass out again."
Azure didn't argue as he was helped to his feet. Rember had to help steady him as his whole body wobbled, his balance off kilter.
Azure looked down and saw that he was in his pajamas, confusing him greatly. "Rember..." He asked carefully. "How did I get into these, and who did it?"
Rember raised an eyebrow and with a deadpan expression said "Azure, I've been trained to ambush Grimm and other enemies in pitch black darkness with nothing more than a rope and a rock. I think I can get you into a pair of pajamas without looking."
A few feet away Jad cracked up again and Rember's serious expression vanished as she joined him. "I'm totally kidding. I left your shirt and shorts on and got the pyjamas on over them before taking those off."
"Alright," Azure said, relaxing. "I believe you."
Sitting down at their small table, Azure began quietly eating the assortment of food Rember placed before him. Upon eating his fill, he could feel his body already getting some of its strength back.
"Ok," Azure spoke to Gayle and Jad. "I believe Rember and I need to tell you about what's been going on."
Though it's really only me, he added privately.
Gayle cocked her head curiously and Jad pulled up a chair beside her. Rember folded her legs underneath her and flicked her ears before glancing at Azure.
"Want me to start?" she asked kindly.
Azure's throat was dry. He nodded.
"Alright," The fox girl said, sitting up straight. "I'm sure you guys remember a little while ago when I mentioned I thought something was going on with Azure." Jad and Gayle nodded. "I didn't know what it was until he told me the other night by the cliffs before he passed out. I was a little...frustrated, but I was determined to be patient with Azure." She took a deep breath. "I have something that I...haven't exactly been open about, and it took me a little while to realize that I wasn't being fair in asking Azure what his secrets were when I wasn't planning on sharing mine." Rember met Gayle and Jad's eyes individually before saying "I was nearly recruited into the White Fang."
"What? You were in the White Fang too?" Jad blurted out.
Rember frowned. "I said I was nearly recruited, not that they succeeded. I...I considered it, but I said no. Even though Lup...even though they really wanted me to join."
"Oh, sorry," Jad muttered.
Rember shrugged it off. "It's fine. Anyway, a White Fang member was at Sanctum with me. We were really good friends until I found out he was in the White Fang and he kept pressuring me to join." She grimaced, and started massaging her left shoulder absentmindedly. "I know that isn't as bad as what Azure's been through, but it's still not something I like people knowing."
Rember glanced around at her team through her bangs. Her eyes were wide and apprehensive, as though she was unsure of what Jad and Gayle might think of her now.
"Ber?" Gayle ventured. "It's okay."
The fox ears on Rember's skull flattened. "Are you sure?"
"Of course!" Gayle assured her. "You're still Rember, and you're here now. That's all that matters," she smiled.
"Okay," Rember replied, relaxing. "Thanks, guys."
Jad grinned and gave her a thumbs up. Azure allowed his teammates a moment to absorb what Rember had shared before saying quietly "I guess it's my turn now."
"So what's the rest of your story?" Jad asked, looking at his friend.
Azure sat up a bit, fixing his shirt. "You know about me being part faunus, and that I was in the White Fang, but there's more to it than that." He paused for a moment, trying to find the words to break it to them. Nothing. He'd just have to spit it out. "I was made into an elite assassin for missions that were deemed too difficult for regular White Fang members."
"Wait," Jad pondered aloud, "does that... mean you've killed people?"
"To be blunt, yes," Azure stated.
Jad and Gayle were silent, and Azure could see they were both trying to process the news.
"But hold on," Gayle spoke up, "you said 'made'. What do you mean by that?"
"I..." he began, taking in a deep breath. "I think it's easier to just show you the evidence."
Gayle, Jad, and Rember all watched in wide eyed silence as Azure lifted the hem of his shirt and revealed a webwork of scars and marred skin. Not an inch had been left untouched, but what really caught their attention was the mark branded onto his left pectoral muscle. It was a crude depiction of a claw, black in color.
"This is the mark of the thirty people who were made into the White Fang's personal murder puppets, the mark of the Black Claw." Azure said, looking down at the emblem.
"Wait, So there are twenty nine more people out there just as good as you?!" Jad exclaimed, grimacing the thought of fighting 30 Azures.
"No, no. It's just me and two others, Creed and Wisteria. No one else survived." Azure clarified, lowering his shirt again.
"You mean the weirdo in black and the small cute girl from Team SWAN?" Jad asked.
Azure raised an eyebrow at the 'cute' comment, but nodded and continued. "We were a hit squad, and we killed any target that we were given. Did you hear of some executives from the Schnee Dust Company being killed a few years back?"
They all nodded.
"That was us."
After a few moments Gayle spoke up again. "What made you leave? And where's your family? They must be really worried about you."
Azure flinched at the second question, but they deserved to know. "I left because someone else showed me a better path," he said, clutching Lynn's necklace. "As for my family..." Azure choked on the words, but managed to force them out. "They're dead. Killed by Grimm being lured into our town from fights during a violent faunus protest. I was the only survivor of that event."
Rember stared at her partner with sad eyes. "You didn't tell me that," she said quietly.
Azure smiled apologetically. "I was going to, but there wasn't a good time."
Rember's ears flattened again. "Yeah, I guess not," she admitted.
"Listen..Creed and Wisteria. They're extremely dangerous. I have firsthand experience, and not just from training together," Azure stated. "They're planning something big, and I've been trying to locate them in order to stop them. Wisty and I were close once, so I think I could talk with her. But there's no chance of that with Creed. He has to be stopped any way I can."
"Really? Why not?" Gayle asked carefully.
"Because he's not the person I knew anymore, and he's far beyond help. Not to mention he killed a friend of mine, so it's personal," Azure explained darkly, his gaze hard.
Stay calm...
Azure shook his head and forced himself to relax. "The reason I'm telling you all of this is because after some counseling from Rem, I have to admit that I can't do this alone. I'm gonna need all of your help bringing down whatever Creed's concocted. So," Azure proposed, "will you help me? Will you help me take down Creed and his allies?"
Rember didn't hesitate to respond. "Absolutely. You already know that."
Gayle and Jad traded glances before the tall redhead stated "We're in."
Azure felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
"I just...are you sure that this Creed guy has to be killed?" Gayle asked hesitantly. "I mean couldn't we just...tell the police? Or a professional Huntsman?"
"Trust me, kid, when Azure says something like that, it's better to just trust him," Jad told Gayle, patting her head.
"Hey, cut it out! " Gayle complained.
Jad stifled a chuckle.
"Guys," Rember interrupted with a crooked smile, "not the time." She turned to Azure. "Where would you like us to start?"
Azure smiled at his team, surprisingly relieved by their desire to aid him. "Alright," he began. "Here's where we'll start..."
Aries adjusted parts of his armor and scratched at the base of one of his horns. His gaze flicked from Creed and Wisteria, who were conversing quietly, to Starr, who stood motionless in a corner with her eyes closed. The faunus was getting a tad restless. It seemed as though they'd been waiting for hours, even though it hadn't even been one. But then again, any unnecessary time spent in the company of these three made his life overly stressful.
A knock at the door of the dingy room brought everyone to attention, and most of them exchanged glances. Aries reached for his weapon while Creed and Wisteria got to their feet. Starr did nothing more than open her eyes and stare at the portal as it opened.
The first person through the door was a girl. A very attractive girl, Aries noted, with long golden hair, chocolate brown eyes, and two small, triangular ears atop her head. Behind her came two young men, one with a pair of long horns and dark skin, the other with a long, black tail. The last person to enter the room looked vaguely familiar, though Aries was certain he'd never met him before. He was tall, easily over six feet, and he had black hair. Grey eyes observed everything with calm confidence, roaming over team SWAN curiously. As he studied the tall guy Aries realized that there was a pair of dark grey wolf ears on his head. Wolf ears…
Starr. The newcomer looked like Starr, but less...cold. The complete opposite of cold, actually.
"Hello, sister," the wolf man greeted wryly, his eyes lighting on the she-wolf herself.
Starr raised her chin arrogantly. "Lupin."
"You have a brother?" Wisteria asked, looking between the two.
Starr turned her black eyes on the girl silently, her face blank. SWAN's leader chose not to respond, but Lupin soon filled the silence.
"Starr never mentioned me?" he said jovially. "Unsurprising. She's not my biggest fan." He bowed with a crooked grin, his arms spread wide. "Lupin Grey, at your service. This is Aeryn Or," the girl with golden hair and cat ears nodded, "Lasair Iona," the boy with dark skin and antelope horns tilted his head, "and Dusk Morn." The last boy's dark tail swished in greeting. "We've been assigned to infiltrate Beacon Academy alongside you."
Starr pushed off from the wall she'd been leaning against and strode over to stand behind Creed. "Do our superiors doubt my team's ability to accomplish our tasks?" she asked icily, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.
Lupin raised an eyebrow. "Questioning our leaders, Starr? That's very unlike you."
His sister gave him a cold glare and remained silent. Lupin smiled with satisfaction before looking over the rest of SWAN, as though waiting for them to say something about the lapse in their leader's composure.
"Wow, the sibling love here is just astounding." Creed ventured after a moment, grinning.
"And you are?" Aeryn asked bluntly, clearly unimpressed.
"Creed Noir. A pleasure," Creed's friendly smile widened. "I'll let the others do their own intros, but it is a treat to see some new faces!"
Lupin nodded at the black haired boy, an uneasy feeling gnawing at the back of his mind. The way Creed smiled...there was something off about him. Looking at his sister, he spoke again. "What's the situation at Beacon? I'd like to know how everything looks before going in."
"Everything is normal," Starr replied curtly, once again refusing to look at anyone. "We had a run in with one of the teams, but it won't affect anything."
Everyone glanced between the wolf siblings curiously, noting the intensely obvious differences between the two.
Lupin rolled his eyes. "Gee, that's specific." he drawled. "Come on! Give me some details! You know I love hearing the details."
Anger crossing her face, Starr struggled to keep her tone even and uninterested as she expanded upon her earlier statement. Lupin took the opportunity to provoke his sister every few minutes, and everyone else noticed the tension mounting between the two. By the time Starr's report was done her brother was smirking smugly as she fought to retain her dignified composure.
"Loving the dynamic," Creed sneered softly to Wisteria, "really brings out the teamwork vibe."
"Creed," Wisteria answered flatly.
Lupin raised an eyebrow at the magenta haired girl's monotonous command, his wolf ears perking. He took in Creed's smile, Wisteria's mild demeanor, Aries' grip on his weapon, and Starr's icy glare at the wall in stride, allowing a lopsided smile to lighten his handsome features.
"Sister dear, are you not the leader of this team?" he commented slyly. "Your comrades are quite authoritative towards each other."
Starr bared her teeth and considered her words carefully before replying. "They know who holds the authority here," she growled.
Lupin smirked. "Of course. I'm sure you'll forgive me for ever doubting your leadership skills. I just find your team's atmosphere to be...interesting."
Aeryn stepped up beside him. "Are we done here?" She said in a bored voice, draping an arm over Lupin's shoulder. She pointedly ignored the look of irritation that flashed across his face as she started playing with his hair. Creed noticed the expression before Lupin was able to hide it and grinned to himself.
"Yes, yes. Of course! You must've been busy all day," Creed crooned, ushering team GOLD out of the room. "We'll talk later, plenty of time to strategize. Goodniiiight!"
His back turned, Creed didn't notice Lupin's eyes narrow fractionally. After closing the door behind the tall faunus, the snake leaned up against it and looked at those who remained.
"Well, well…. this changes things," he stated thoughtfully.
"Should we trust them?" Wisteria asked quietly, looking up from her weapon maintenance.
"We'll see, little doll, we'll see. More hands are always nice..." Creed answered, already debating if the new group was worth involving. His thoughts were interrupted however, by someone the darkly clad man simultaneously considered annoying and fun to annoy.
"That so? Then I don't see the point in recruiting that pasty guy with the spiky hair," Aries spoke up, still holding his mace as though he were about to enter combat.
Creed sighed dramatically. "You know, your narrow-minded thinking astounds us, Aries." Creed taunted, savoring the goat faunus' poorly restrained reaction. "Azure is the fulcrum upon which our hopes turn. As long as he remains apart from us, our goal is utterly unattainable."
Aries glared at the snake faunus, his anger slowly rising. "Why? An entire team of some of the White Fang's best just waltzed right up to us out of the blue, and now you're saying that one person is what will make your plan work?" Aries was abruptly halted by Creed's laughter, the eerie cackle throwing him off guard. "What?" he snarled.
"Hahaha! Ahhh...Sorry. It's just that your stupidity amazes me," Creed replied, feigning wiping a tear from his eye. "You see, dear Aries, Azure is the only being alive whom I truly respect. Think what you like, but I know the true potential of that young man. If you really wanted to fight him..." Creed's purple eyes narrowed, and the whole room grew substantially darker. When he spoke again his voice held no trace of amusement, dripping instead with a malice that only Wisteria was familiar with. "You would be killed before you even had the chance to blink." Creed looked over at Wisteria and Starr. "Azure Knyte is the epitome of death, a weapon forged over years of trials. Trials that, don't forget, Wisteria and myself have passed as well. We would be idiots to not have him helping us."
Throughout his speech Creed prowled closer to Aries, who strove to keep his sudden fear from showing. Creed's eyes were slitted, barely reflecting any light, and the shadows in the room reached for the miserable goat faunus who clutched his mace like a lifeline. Drawing himself up to his full height, Creed allowed a cruel smile to slip onto his face, one that did not reach his eyes. His voice was deathly quiet when he spoke again.
"You would do well to re-evaluate your opinion of Azure, Marshall. If you don't, it is likely that he will be the death of you. He resides on a plane higher than the one we do -one you are incapable of reaching."
Falling silent at last, Creed released his semblance and the shadows retreated. With a last glare around the room, Creed jerked his chin at Wisteria. "Check in on our friend and his so-called 'comrades' tonight," he ordered, sweeping from the room. Just as he was about to leave, he looked at Aries one last time.
"As much as I enjoy toying with you, goat boy, I have things to do. Places to go, people to see. Stuff like that. Try to think about what I said, m'kay?" the boy stated, enticing one last reaction from the ram as he exited with a crooked smile.
Starr stared blankly after him, silently disagreeing with his overtures but choosing not to engage in pointless conflict. That, along with every person under her command, was below her. There was no one and nothing higher than herself, but she would allow Creed to worship the fallen Nightmare for as long as he wished. While Creed did that, he had a weakness, and weaknesses could be exploited. People were tools, and the more weaknesses they had the easier they were to manipulate.
Besides, she didn't want to give Creed the satisfaction of knowing that he got under her skin. Her seemingly impassive exterior was what earned her respect, and also what guaranteed that her thoughts remained private. Every movement she made, every word she said was deliberate and calculated. She had trained herself to appear distant and unimportant to the common rabble that lived in the kingdoms, and it served her extremely well. An invisible person would not be remembered as anything more than part of the background, if indeed that person was remembered at all. It was for that reason, and that reason alone, that Starr allowed Creed to strut about like he was the true leader of team SWAN. It served her purposes, and it served them well. If SWAN were to fail in their objectives people would be quick to blame the dramatic, nattering fool, and she would be forgotten, free to continue on with her own agendas.
Fed up with Creed's arrogance, Aries clenched the handle of his weapon in a crushing vice to drain his anger. "Who does he think he is?! The prick..." he growled quietly.
Normally, he wouldn't let Creed get to him so much. He had tolerated the taunting and the belittling ever since he met the bastard, but it was far past getting old. If this kept going nowhere like it had been, he wouldn't be staying around much longer. Screw Creed and this Azure person.
Starr's black eyes surveyed the ram, who continued muttering to himself furiously, coldly. She wanted him to stop talking, but she chose to let him continue for the time being. She would be far stricter with the idiocy her team so avidly displayed once they were in the field. For now, they could do as they pleased so long as they did not bother her.
Wisteria got to her feet. "Creed may have overstated it," she said solemnly to Aries, sheathing her large knives, "but Azure is not to be underestimated. Ever. He will either make this plan work or destroy it."
"Pfft! Yeah, sure!" Aries scoffed, clearly unimpressed with the supposed importance of this stranger Creed claimed. "What's so great about a guy who can go invisible?"
Wisteria shook her head despairingly.
"He does a lot more than just disappear," she whispered.
With that the girl vanished, using her semblance to carry out Creed's orders.