The Writing Owl

Authoress
Original poster
LURKER MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
Posting Speed
  1. Speed of Light
  2. One post per day
  3. One post per week
  4. Slow As Molasses
Writing Levels
  1. Intermediate
  2. Adept
  3. Advanced
  4. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
  3. Transgender
  4. Primarily Prefer Female
Genres
Fantasy, Romance, A bit of horror, magical, and almost everything.
Sunlight bit down on the earth, glinting off of the metal platforms each new year stood upon. Professor Alice Wunderland looked each and every student in the eye. Their expressions ranged from nervous to excited to downright bored. Hm. She'd have to fix that. "All of you have trained for years to reach this point. Now you'll all be tested in our very own Emerald Forest. In the middle of this forest you will find a temple with different chess pieces." The students immediately craned their necks, trying to see this temple. "Your mission is to collect one of these chess pieces. However in between you and these chess pieces are grimm and other beasts. You will be forced to fight or die." Professor Wunderland paused for effect, her bright blue eyes watching the students pale in realization. After having instilled enough fear for her tastes, she continued. "You will partner up to finish this test. The person with whom you partner up will be your partner for all four of your years here." Before the students could sigh in relief Professor Wunderland continued. "Your partner will be the first person you make eye contact with. Now good luck." With that the platforms activated, flinging the students into the air and toward the forest. Professor Wunderland's blonde hair whipped behind her, the short women moving to stand next to a tall and lanky man. The man's wild purple hair also fluttered from the breeze the launched students caused, an almost permanent smile on his face. Striped cat ears twitched on top of the man's head as he silently handed a scroll over to Wunderland, letting her watch the various students.

Vance whooped in pure joy as he soared through the air. Now this is what he was talking about! He did a few flips tricks, his amber eyes scanning the ground for a proper place to land. He felt some other students fly past him, each either finding a place to land, screaming, or just enjoying the experience like him. His hair whipped about as his ears twitched in the wind. If this was what birds felt everyday Vance was envious. The ground sped below him, becoming increasingly closer. Vance looked around at the branches before finding a good sturdy one. Angling himself, Vance reached out his hands before hitting the branch, managing to flip over the branch before reaching out for another. He flipped through two more before landing on his feet. Smiling wildly, Vance ran off to try and find someone to partner with, his eyes scanning the forest ahead of him.

Being flung into the forest was a surprise, but not one that Sylvia found too disorienting. She took it in stride, letting the world fly by her as she sailed through the air. She noticed that she fell quicker than most of the others, but that was fine. Just meant she'd find her partner a little sooner than the others. Her coat fluttered in the wind, blowing past the silverette and creating a pretty cool look if you asked her. The ground approaching swiftly, Sylvia quickly straightened out to let her feet take all the impact. If she could just avoid landing on her more soft body parts then she would be fine. The colors started to blur more and more as Sylvia reached her target, bracing herself for impact. Bending her knees, the green eyed girl landed on the ground with a loud BOOM. the beginnings of a crater formed around the girl as she straightened, glancing around. Welp. Now it was time to find her partner. Hopefully she found someone good.
 
Lev didn't expect to be tested so soon. He hid his hands behind him, digging his fingers into his long, thick black hair and popping his jaw to relieve his nerves. The sniper latched onto his back reminded him all too much of his recent years at Signal. Sure, they weren't all that memorable, but they were quiet...more-so than now, anyways. He could see the sweat glistening on most of his classmates, and caught multiple hands jitter with fear and anticipation. Better than crying during the first day of classes, he supposed. His own form jittered with the unwanted recollection of his first day at Signal.

There are worse ways to start, I suppose... Lev thought, locking eyes with the headmaster as she explained the rules of the scenario. Emerald Forest. Chess pieces. Grimm. Partners. Not the most ideal situation to be dropped into, but he'd make it work. Lev attempted to raise his hand to ask a question, but the headmaster was well ahead of him, giving them the final rule of the game before launching them off. Lev had to bite back a curse as his hand was hammered back at his side, and quickly shifted his attention to the ground below him. Fields and plains. Flatland. Literally the worst place he could be stuck in during a time like this. Lev narrowed his brow in frustration, mustered up a sigh of displeasure, and poured his focus into his semblance. Soon enough, he felt his fingers scratch and tug against the wind he was riding against. The friction against his palms thickened, slowing his momentum as though he was flying through sheets of paper turning into stacks by the second. Soon enough, he was falling straight down, just a few yards from the canopy of trees he was desperately seeking as a starting point. He just needed to focus a bit more. His decent began slowing, just like his previous momentum, until he was skidding down the open air, like he would a hill, towards a safe spot to land. Finally, he alighted on the uppermost leaves of the forest and pulled out his rifle. With the scope pressed firmly to his eye, Lev joined the test at last.

Meanwhile, Reyna stared, wide-eyed, at the Faunus boy she had done her best to land near. They had been standing next to each other at the starting point, and she had stared at him then too. Whether he noticed her or not wasn't her prerogative; she just wanted to see a Faunus in action...and, y'know, maybe partner up with one... Reyna blushed at the thought before realizing her very-active-target was getting away. Giving her face a good slap, she readjusted her riot shield, stretched her legs, and took off to stalk- er, "watch," the Faunus as he proceeded through the forest. Maybe she'd even get to see him fight...
 
Just running felt so freeing, so energizing as Vance scanned for students and grimm. He whooped loudly as he ran, excited to get started in finishing this test. It only took a moment longer for him to run into trouble. The large black Beowulf grunted in front of him, bringing two of its pack with it as it charged at Vance. The faunus boy didn't even blink as he ran straight for it, activating the guantlets that attached to his brass knuckles. Jumping up, the faunus shot a round from his guantlets, propelling him into the first Beowulf and slamming into its white skull-like mask. The beast shrieked as Vance twisted, about to land another hit when his eyes locked with Reyna's. His smile grew as his amber eyes glittered. Immediately his ears perked as he latched onto the beast. "Partner!" He shouted. The Beowulf suddenly stopped, throwing Vance off with the momentum. The faunus boy tumbled a bit before quickly standing back up. Just as the Beowulf was about to lunge, Vance rushed at it. Punch after punch he threw combos that left the poor beast defenseless before finishing off with a bullet powered punch through the beast's neck. Sliding the beast off, Vance went after the second of the beowulves, which had been attacking Reyna while Vance had been working with the first. Laughing, he jumped and threw a punch at the beast, enjoying the crack that he got out of the wolf-like creature. He dodged a swipe at him, throwing a left hook only to be swept back. Looking back to see Reyna's shield, Vance called out, "Give me a boost!" The faunus aimed so that his feet would land on the riot shield, allowing him to shoot off if he shot his gauntlets in time.

Near the beginning of the forest, Sylvia strolled along, occasionally kicking a stick on the ground as she kept an eye out for other students or grimm. "First day and we get sent into the forest to fight. Interesting tactics. Wonder how they're watching us. Maybe they've got some cameras flying around. Or maybe they just attached some to the trees." The silver haired girl hummed to herself as she looked around, intent on trying to find the cameras that she knew had to be around. Unfortunately for her a low growl interrupted her musings. Looking through the bushes Sylvia found a trio of ursas staring right at her, growling and readying for a charge. Backing up, Sylvia held her hands in a peaceful gesture. "Now, now we don't want to fight, do we?" She joked, smiling as the three charged. Sighing, the girl got ready. "All right, guess you do." With a roundhouse kick she managed to throw the first one to the side. The beast sailed into a tree before crashing through it with a loud CRACK. Sylvia was already on the second Ursa, grappling the beast before pulling it towards her boot. A blade slid out of the boot just before contact, sliding through the beast and killing it quickly. The first ursa quickly returned, pouncing on Sylvia who dodged and turned to kick it. The silverette used the momentum to her advantage as she landed a few kicks before having to dodge out of the way. While Sylvia was busy with the Ursa in front of her, the third Ursa prepared to charge behind her, about to catch the young silverette off guard.
 
Done... Thought Lev, remounting his sniper after scoping out the general area. He hadn't been able to spot the temple, but he did know where a few students had landed. Better to stay away from them, he figured. With another huff, Lev descended down into the canopy, finally giving his semblance a break as he alighted on a thicker branch. What met his eyes was pretty shocking, considering how diligently he searched the area before dropping down. The silver-haired girl strolled without much care, mumbling to herself while keeping an eye out for friend and foe. Lev noticed the ursas before the girl had, and was about to call out a warning before thinking better of it. Better to have an eye on the competition than to cut the show short. So he readied his sniper and watched the silverette with increasing interest as she joked with, then beat down the grimm. She had some fancy footwork, that was for sure. Lev grinned as his tree shook from the impact of the ursa, knowing he had found someone who could finally keep up with him. Just then, he caught sight of the ambush that the sliver-haired girl was about to be caught up in.

"Yo! Partner!" Lev called out, following it up with a shrill whistle before landing a headshot on the approaching Ursa. The impact of the shot shoved him off his perch, to which he responded with a graceful backflip onto the ground in front of the girl while he loaded another bolt. Showing off a few acrobatics would give off a good impression, after all. He kept his focus on the beast he had dropped, keeping his eyes narrowed until it finally dissipated into its usual smokey residue. By the time he could afford to divert his attention, the girl had taken out the last ursa, leaving nothing but a patch of grass between the two cloaked figures. It felt more like a duel than a meeting between new friends at that point, so Lev attempted to close the distance. "H-Hi! My name's Le-" he managed to get out before tripping on a branch. On one hand, it helped him close the distance much faster, but by the time he regained his balance, he was looking at the girl's boots. "T-Too close..." He gulped, backing away before finally picking up his head to meet the lady's gaze. By habit, Lev placed his hands behind his back and dug them deep into his recently-frizzed locks. The texture calmed him down a bit, and dimmed down the embarrassed blush of his cheeks so he could attempt his introduction again. "...My name is Lev. Nice to meet you!"

-

Reyna and running around went together like oil and water, but she muscled through her irritation of the exercise in order to keep her focus on the freakishly energized Faunus. It wasn't long before the wolf-boy was caught in a fight. Finally, Reyna thought, pulling her shield out from behind her in case something decided to interrupt her "watching" of the Faunus in action. Inquisitiveness lit her eyes as he watched him move, ducking and weaving, shooting and punching, all with a superiority that she simply couldn't stop watching. So it was a shot through the heart when he locked eyes with her and smiled. Reyna's face must have blistered from the heat, and her lips pursed with the jolt of excitement. She opened her mouth with the intent of responding, but another Beowulf came at her from the side, catching her off guard and bashing her through a cluster of underbrush. It wasn't until she landed that she realized her body had stiffened into the position she had been caught in. Her eyes narrowed at her attacker, anger building as she limbered up once more. "Interrupt me, why don'tcha..." she huffed, taking her shield and latching it onto her arm. The Beowulf rushed at her again, but wouldn't live to regret it. The moment it made impact with Reyna's shield, all of its movement ceased. Taking this indicator to heart, Reyna sneered and pressed a button on the inside of her shield, unloading a cluster of dust-fueled miniature ballistic missiles point-blank into the grimm, blowing it to pieces with a compressed BOOM.

Next thing she knows, the wolf-boy is talking to her again, running at her, even! If he hadn't been looking so intently at her shield, she might have frozen up again, but instead she lined up her mobile wall to serve as a platform, using her body to stabilize it. All that was left was to wait for the feeling. The feeling of the Faunus feet stepping so close. The feeling of an explosive liftoff from her very own weapon. It would be the closest she had ever been to a Faunus, and, hidden under her body-sized shield, Reyna bit her lip in untapped anticipation.
 
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The whistle cut through Sylvia's concentration as she looked up to see a long, black haired boy aim and shoot at a beast behind her. Turning slightly she saw the beast fall before hearing the grunting roar that alerted her to the grimm in front of her starting to attack. Ducking, Sylvia rolled onto her hands and pushed herself into a handstand. Sylvia activated the blades in her heels, spinning on her head. The ursa charged right into the attack. Shlink. Shlink. Shlink. The blades slid through the beast. With a great thud the ursa fell to the ground, great slices spreading apart as smoke slowly rose from the dissolving monster. Sylvia's blades slunk back into her boots with a wet slink. Using the momentum of her head spin, the silverette stood and brushed herself off.

Watching the boy who had landed in front of her, Sylvia couldn't help her chuckle as the boy started his nervous introduction. Her chuckles grew as the poor kid tripped over himself, stumbling until he was right in front of her. Sylvia couldn't help the smile as the kid dug his hands into his hair, trying to offset his embarrassment most likely. His introduction came a lot less nervously, but Sylvia could still see the aftereffects of his embarrassment. Rolling her shoulders, Sylvia put her hands on her hips. "Nice to meet you too, Lev. I'm Sylvia. Looks like we're gonna be partners for the next four years." She gave the kid a relaxed smile before starting her stroll. "Welp might as well get to know each other while we go find those chess pieces." She stretched out as she walked, her steps falling a little heavier than most others. "You're a pretty good shot. You a sniper or something similar?" The girl asked, keeping her eyes peeled as she made small talk with the boy. Once she got a good sense that nothing would attack them immediately, she took the time to look over the boy in front of her. He had long hair, reaching much farther than most others she had seen. Her hands itched to just run through it or play with it. However she ignored her twitching fingers as she kept assessing the boy in front of her. He seemed to favor black if his cloak said anything. Perfect for blending into shadows. A scar showed proudly on his lips, telling her he had some sort of fight or accident that caused that. He was taller than her, but still fairly average for a boy.

What really caught Sylvia's attention was his gun. The weapon was obviously able to turn into a melee weapon from the hinges and lines she saw that showed just how the beast detached. Good, he wasn't completely useless in melee. The weapon was well built, and Sylvia would love to take it apart to check out all the little mechanisms that made it function later if he allowed. "Did you make your weapon yourself?" The green eyed girl asked, still keeping alert for any possible grimm that might come. "It looks pretty advanced."

~~~

Vance smiled seeing the pink haired girl listen. He picked up the speed. With a great leap, Vance's feet hit the shield for just a second before he shot himself off, aiming at the Beowulf. It started to charge, meeting Vance halfway as his semblance activated. His fists and the Beowulf's own charge sent the beast flying. It tumbled to the ground, smoke rising from its cratered head. Vance was practically giddy as he fell to the ground, his ears perked up in pure joy. Turning to his now partner, he ran to the chestnut eyed girl and hugged the life out of her. "We did it! We did it, we did it, we did it!" The wolf boy laughed as he danced around the girl, keeping her in a firm and warm hug. If he had a tail, it would have been wagging furiously by now. Vance finally released the pinkette as he danced around on his own, whooping and laughing in pure unadulterated happiness. It took a few moments to calm down, but once he did Vance immediately turned to the girl in front of him and held a hand out. "Hiya! I'm Vance Faolan! I'm your new partner!" He smiled as his ears twitched giddily.
 
The impact of the Faunus's jump left Reyna in a state of euphoria as her new partner took down the last of the grimm. If that weren't enough, she watched in awe as his strength seemed to double, or even triple, on impact with the beowulf. Maybe it was his semblance, but she couldn't bring herself to be concerned with it. They were partners now, so she'd get plenty of opportunities to know anything she wanted. As if to redouble her thoughts, the wolf-boy bounded up and hugged her out of the blue. Her face burned, her mouth gaped, and her eyes widened as she sucked in a breath of trepidation and untapped excitement of her own. She could feel her whole body stiffen like a board until the Faunus danced around her like a native around a totem pole. Feeling how much strength he could put out in a simple hug was more than she could have asked for, so she didn't quite come around from her Faunus-induced high until a good minute passed. Shaking her head vigorously and pursing her lips in a trademark frown, Reyna finally took his hand and gave it a firm squeeze in greeting. "R-Reyna. My...my name's Reyna." She stammered, preferring to gaze at her scuffed up boots rather than Vance's pretty amber eyes, which she made an immediate mental note of. Quick as she had grabbed his hand, she released it so she could mount up her monstrous shield once again, not wanting Vance to feel the jitters that inflicted her arm at his touch. She just had to be cool...just had to be cool.

-

"Sylvia, huh? Nice name." Lev noted as they began their trek. Regardless of her kind disposition and easygoing introduction, he continued running his hands through the hair behind him, methodically pulling at the tangles as Sylvia made small-talk. At her first question, his response was quick and visceral. "No! ...I mean, n-no," Lev recovered from his outburst quick enough, "I'm not a sniper. I'm a sharpshooter. Snipers sit and wait around for their targets. I don't. It's not that I can't, I just prefer to be in the thick of it." He continued sliding his fingers through the thick black locks that hung down his back, clutching at strands to keep his hands busy with something. His eyes, meanwhile, refused to keep contact with Sylvia's for long. They flitted about in all directions, rarely blinking, always searching.

"It's because of that," Lev continued eventually, pulling out his rifle with pride as a transition into Sylvia's next question, "that I bothered to learn some CQC. If you get into hand-to-hand combat range as a sniper, you're pretty much a failure." He laughed, sliding out the barrel of his gun to observe the spearhead on the other end. "This was a gift, actually. My combat professor gave it to me as a graduation gift. He modified the rifle I used in my exams to make it more..." With a flip of the safety, the rifle's body segmented apart and latched onto Lev's sleeveless arm, wrapping around until it looked like a plate-armor gauntlet, "...efficient, I guess. Believe me, I wish I could make something like this. I've done some tinkering to a few attachments, but nothing on this scale. You, on the other hand," Lev grinned, noting how his new partner ogled his gun, "look like you know your way around stuff like this. Maybe you can teach me a few things."

Now it was Lev's turn. With a combat style like Sylvia's, she had to have some incredible balance. Considering footfalls were just a series of cleverly disguised trips and stumbles, she had remarkably effective posture and poise. With how heavy her steps were, Lev could only imagine what her boots held. He saw the blades, but that couldn't be the only thing causing her to stomp around. Just thinking of the muscles required to properly lug that kind of hardware around so gracefully and acrobatically was difficult for Lev. Meanwhile, his steps barely bent the grass. He was stepping like an ant compared to his partner. Already, he could see plenty of pros and cons to this sort of partnership. "So, what about you?" He finally asked, his assessment as complete as it was gonna get. "You got some pretty nasty blades in those boots, from what I saw. Anything else hiding in there?"
 
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Vance took note of the girl's shyness and tried to dial back his excitement and energy, failing miserably. "Nice to meet you Reyna! That's a really sturdy shield you got there! How can you even lift that thing? It looks super heavy!" The wolf faunus exclaimed. "It makes a good jumping platform though! I didn't hurt you though when I jumped off, did I?" Suddenly Vance's ears drooped, the boy's face falling as his brows knit together. He set about looking the girl over, taking a sniff here and there to try and make sure he hadn't hurt the girl in the slightest. Once satisfied that his new partner was fine, Vance grabbed Reyna's hand and started to pull her along. "Let's go! We gotta go find those chess pieces! Oh this is so exciting! How old are you? I'm 17 years old! I use these gauntlets which connect to brass knuckles, see?" Vance let go of Reyna's hand to show off his brass colored weapons. The boy would occasionally tilt his head as his wolf ears twitched, trying to reposition them to hear their surroundings better. "Do you use any other weapons or just the shield? Your shield looks super cool though!" Vance grinned.

The faunus boy continued to chatter with the shy pinkette when the trees soon started to turn to stone columns. A simple gray stoned pavilion stood in the opening, surrounded by broken columns yet with no roof. Ten pedestals stood proudly within the weathered ruins, each holding two gold or black chess piece. Seeing their goal, Vance whooped and grabbed Reyna. "Come on! It's right there! Let's go pick one out!" The boy practically vibrated as he dragged his partner toward the pieces. The blond let go of Reyna to run around in a circle before finally stopping in front of a gold knight piece. "This one looks good!" He called and waved the piece in the air, leaving one left on its pedestal.

~~~

Sylvia couldn't help but chuckle at Lev's pure indignation at being called a sniper. She guessed if people constantly got her style mixed up with something else she might get a little defensive too. Sylvia listened carefully, already adding to the pros and cons that this style of fighting held. Her brain ran through all the uses that she could think of, how best to utilize this boy's strengths from the little she had seen so far. When he pulled out his weapon, her mind immediately went into overdrive. Her eyes were practically glued to the weapon, still flicking about sometimes to make sure she didn't run into anything or let any enemies get the jump on her. Her eyes brightened as she looked over the weapon, itching to get a better look at the inner mechanics of it all. The boy noted his professor modified it for him, bringing an easy smile to the girl's face. "That was nice of your professor. Sounds like he must've liked you a lot if he was willing to do all that work for you." Once Lev caught onto her ogling, Sylvia chuckled and shrugged, stretching her arms above her head. "I know a bit. Probably not enough to teach ya, but I could give you a few tips." She twisted a bit, smiling once she heard a nice CRACK from her back. The girl quickly loosened herself, relaxing a bit more as they continued their trek.

Lev's eyes roamed her boots and feet. Sylvia was sure that the boy was taking in her walking style since her whole combat style required her feet and legs. She noted his lighter steps and filed that away. Good for sneaking around and getting to a better shooting position unnoticed. Bad for getting in heavy kicks or hits. When the black haired boy finally asked about her boots, Sylvia couldn't help the burst of pride in her chest as she looked down at her creations. "Ah, I wish I had more but it's just a couple of blades in the heels and a nice thick lining of titanium. You wouldn't believe how hard it was for me to convince not only the sellers but also my professors that I could handle titanium boots and would actually use them. They're lighter than steel, but pack the same punch." She kicked out a bit as she walked, lifting the boots effortlessly as if to show them off to the boy. On one of her kicks she let a blade shoot out of her heel. It came far from the edge of the heel, about the length of a good sized dagger. "The blades are double edged. Makes it easier to fight. A pain to work with though." The blade slid back into her heel as swift as it came. "I'm still trying to figure out how to get some sort of firearm or bullet system into them, but so far it's been a no go. I hope I'll be able to add them sometime while I'm still in Beacon." Sylvia rolled her shoulders, looking back over at Lev. "So, got any other hobbies besides killing monsters?" The girl joked, hoping to start some small talk not about weapons despite how she adored them.

After only a few more minutes of walking, the duo soon happened upon the ruins where Vance and Reyna were currently in. The silverette raised an eyebrow as they grew closer, looking over the fanciful setup. "Huh. Guess this is where the chess pieces are. Guess we just gotta get back to the cliff after this." Casting a glance over at the first duo, Sylvia roamed over the two's weapons and reactions to getting the chess piece, already building a profile as she picked up the lone gold knight. "Aw, looks like they took this little dude's pal. Can't just leave him all alone like that." Sylvia plucked the single piece off of the pedestal, turning it around in between her forefinger and thumb.
 
Lev couldn't help his smile as Sylvia opened up about her weapon. Her energy was contagious as he took in her explanation. Titanium. That made a ton more sense. However, the lack of a firearm on her primary method of attack made him scratch his chin. "You have really good ground acceleration though... Usually, hunters and huntresses that use stuff like yours have a sort of explosive round to propel them, but... Hmm..." Lev continued to think about what her secret could be. Of course, with enough training, anyone could adapt to that sort of style, but Sylvia was on a whole different level from his classmates at Signal. Eventually he shook his head, giving up on overanalyzing her right off the bat. He'd have plenty of time to see what she, as well as the rest of his eventual team, would be like once he became a leader.

Sylvia's question was a nice change of pace, though it caught Lev off guard at first. "I...don't have too many hobbies, to be honest." He chuckled, combing a hand through his hair as he thought through what he liked to do. "I enjoy swimming, walking, rock-climbing, tree climbing... I dunno, anything to help me in the field is pretty fun to me. I used to do morning sprints while I was in Signal, but I sorta dropped the routine after a couple years. I, uh, I guess I like to read as well. Aside from that, I'm more looking forward to finding stuff to do around Beacon. I'll probably pick up a few new hobbies while I'm here. How abou-" Lev attempted to return the question, but they had arrived at the temple already, so he let his shoulders slump as they approached the chess pieces. He walked with intent toward the black rook, but Sylvia found her target first, so he turned around with a sigh, stretching out his arms with a yawn to push away his minor irritation. If he was going to be a team leader, he had to establish some kind of direction. Just then, he caught sight of the pink haired girl nearby. "Hey!" He called with a smile, "You're... Rain, right? I remember you from Signal. I didn't know you graduated early." Lev commented before taking a moment to observe the Faunus by her side. "And...who's your partner?"

-

Reyna attempted to answer Vance's questions, but by the time she had an answer prepared, he had asked something else. Her breath hitched with the mounting pressure until it finally built into a case of the hiccups. Once they started, her face flooded red with embarrassment. "Sh-*hic*-Shut up!" She finally cried before the wolf boy could chatter on further. After assuring that she had his attention, she continued, "My shield is *hic* NOT heavy, and you did *hic* NOT hurt me! I'm six-*hic*-sixteen, I can use my shield as a *hic* war fan," At this, while trying to hold back her hiccups, she took her shield out and flipped a switch on the inside, releasing a handle from the bottom as the face of the shield flattened. With her arms uncovered by the face of the shield, a set of extensively developed muscles could be seen accompanying her small, stocky frame. The sight of a girl like her wielding a war fan a little less than twice her size was silly, but with a demonstrative swing, Reyna put any doubts Vance might have had to rest. As she put away her weapon, Reyna was relieved to find her hiccups had left her, so she finished off her point with a returning shyness. "...a-and I love your knuckles."

It didn't take much longer to arrive at the ruins, especially with the wolf boy dragging her at his pace. While Vance obtained the piece, Reyna sat down and took a breather. She was starting to get used to Vance and all his Faunus-ness, though he still tired her out, and it seemed like a pretty workable partnership after all. Then another pair came into view, one that included that black-haired freak from Signal. Sure enough, as soon as he recognized her he came up to say hello, but Reyna was already huffy from the trek, and overall unwilling to comply to the friendly atmosphere. "Only my friends call me Rain, Hairball," she said quietly, poking him in the chest to get her point across, "and my birthday is next week. I didn't graduate early, I graduated on time, unlike you. I hope your partner knows what she's gettin' into." With that, Reyna got up and walked to the other side of the ruins, taking out her shield and shoving it angrily into the ground so she had something to lean on. Lev visibly tensed at the violent rebuttal to his hello, but he did his best not to show it as he turned to the Faunus and introduced himself.
 
Reyna's hiccups and determined answers caught the faunus boy off guard, but it didn't deter him once they reached the ruins and his attention was caught by the chess piece. Despite his lack of response to Reyna's compliment, the faunus boy took the words to heart. Soon enough Vance's attention was stolen again by Lev and Sylvia approaching. Vance seemed utterly oblivious to the aggression Reyna held for the other boy, simply bounding up the black haired boy and holding out a hand. "I'm Vance! I didn't know boys could have such long hair!" Sylvia burst out laughing, quickly shoving a fist in her mouth to try and muffle her chuckles and not offend her partner too much. Vance just tilted his head, scrunching up his eyebrows. "I don't see what's so funny." He mumbled before perking back up and turning back to Lev. "I hope we can fight together sometime!" With that the boy bounced off to Reyna and sat down. He held his feet together as he looked up at the girl. "Can I call you Rain?" The faunus asked, his ears tilted toward the side. "Since you said only friends call you Rain and since we're partners that means we're friends, right?" He gave a smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes as his ears started to droop. What if his partner didn't want to be friends? What if she decided he was annoying? Despite this Vance tried to keep a large smile, hoping that their previous interactions meant they were friends.

The poor boy was just too naïve, Sylvia decided as she calmed down her laughter. Sighing, Sylvia pocketed her chess piece before responding to the girl's-Rain's-comments. "Ah, so he graduated a bit off schedule. There isn't any harm in that." Sylvia smiled and leaned back against the pedestal. Despite her relaxed demeanor, her eyes gained a steely glint. "I'm sure I'm getting into a great partnership from what I've seen of him." Pushing herself off of the pedestal, Sylvia walked over to Rain, holding out a hand. "I'm Sylvia. If you don't want to be called Rain, what's your name?" The silverette asked, wanting to at least still be polite to Rain despite her accusations against her partner. Sylvia took the time to analyze the girl. Stocky frame, nice muscles, and a shield all spoke of a person built for support. She was sure there was a second form to the shield, noting the creases that flattened out in its shield form. Probably a good heavy hitter, but still probably more defensive. She'd be good at taking hits for the weaker fighters. Sylvia moved her gaze to the faunus boy, watching how he interacted and just how energetic he was. The guantlets and brass knuckles seemed simple enough, with what looked like a system of explosive rounds that could either be fired or used to propel his attacks. Definitely a person who would be up in an enemy's face.

Once introductions were done, Sylvia looked up at the sky, wondering how long it would take them to get back to the cliffs. A black dot caught Sylvia's attention. It was bigger than just a regular bird. Its form slowly revealed itself as it grew closer and closer... Sylvia cursed under her breath as she started to back up. "Run. Everybody, run, NOW!" The silverette commanded, sprinting off away from the diving Nevermore, showing its incredible size compared to the other grimm they had faced. The group soon encountered a circle of large stone bridges leading up toward a cliff face, hopefully somewhere close to where they originally landed. Sylvia turned to look at their enemy. The bird flew increasingly closer, almost able to reach the group of teens as they ran across the bridge. The nevermore tilted upwards and flapped hard. It flipped and dived. "JUMP!" Sylvia screamed, jumping just as the bird hit the stone, causing it to crumble and crack. Part of the bridge fell away, leaving the panting group on the stump left leading to a circular platform. "Is everyone okay?" Sylvia asked, looking over the three others who had run with her. The creature flew in a circle before landing before them, screeching as it revealed its massive size. It easily dwarfed all of them, standing tall as it spread its wings and prepared for an attack. Sylvia couldn't even dodge before Vance ran at the bird, throwing a bullet powered punch at the beast. The nevermore didn't even flinch before it batted Vance away. His back hit a column as he slid to the ground, groaning.
 
Lev had heard the same thing ever since he started schooling, and he still didn't have a good rebuttal for it. "W-Well, yeah, I guess that's generally the case..." He smiled sheepishly, running his hand through the hair behind his back. "But regardless, you look like a good fighter. I look forward to seeing what you can do." Lev shook off Vance's innocent question with a grin, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake before going off to explore the temple grounds a bit.

-

Meanwhile, Reyna looked out towards the forest, relaxing on her shield until Vance came up and popped his question. Her cheeks heated up at his proximity, and his smile drew silence from her for a moment. However, seeing his ears droop cracked her just enough. Turning her body towards him, Reyna clasped her arms around the Faunus in a quick, awkward hug before releasing him and turning back around. "Y-You can call me Rain, if you want." She spoke, starting to understand how sensitive the boy could be. It might have been strange of her to just up and hug him like that, but if he didn't need it, she definitely did. Just thinking that Lev was nearby stressed her out.

She didn't have time to ponder her troubles as Sylvia came and introduced herself. "Call me Reyna...please." Reyna took a long breath before turning back around, assured that her face wasn't as red as it had been. She was torn between trying to tell Sylvia what she knew about Lev and keeping her mouth shut, but the decision was made for her before long. A nevermore was rushing at them, and Reyna only had enough time to yank her shield and her partner out of harms way and towards Sylvia. She was the first to assess the threat, so there was no question about it. Reyna smiled to herself as she thought about what Lev had to be thinking, though she wasn't smiling for long. Sylvia kept them on the move, jumping away from the crumbling stone of the bridge as well as the monstrous attacks of the nevermore that hounded them. It was only when she saw Vance fly back that Reyna knew she had to step in with a serious face. "Sylvia! Vance! Get behind me!" She shouted before stepping in front of the giant grimm, pounding her shield into the ground, and getting into a stable stance. There was hardly a sign of Lev, but that only made Reyna happier to do what she did best.

-

Lev bit his tongue in anger. He should have seen it coming before Sylvia. It was a rookie mistake not to look up while on patrol. It didn't matter though. He would fix the situation like he always did. It's how he got through Signal, and it's how he would get through Beacon too. So he followed Sylvia and company as they ran from the beast, but as it collided with the bridge, that's when he made his move. Using the spear on the barrel of his gun, Lev stuck onto the nevermore and clamored onto its back, using his semblance to hide his presence from the grimm's sense of touch. Now all he had to do was wait for the right moment. Even his rifle couldn't penetrate the nevermore's thick skull, but it could easily injure the wings. Hopefully his teammates wouldn't keep it on the ground for too long. A good crash landing is all it would take to keep the beast off their back, obviously.
 
Sylvia didn't need to be told twice as she grabbed Vance and ducked behind the pinkette's shield. The lack of Lev immediately sent Sylvia searching, her eyebrows rising as she locked onto the boy who was currently on the grim, pointing his rifle at the wing. She caught onto his plan and knew that it wouldn't work out how the boy wanted it. Cursing, Sylvia ducked out of the shield and ran toward the beast. She ignored Vance's shout of surprise as she focused on the gun in Lev's hand. She turned on the safety, locking up the gun so it wouldn't fire until she had Lev safely off of the bird. Running up, jumped up and toward the Nevermore, kicking off of its wing and using the momentum to grab Lev. She pulled him off of the nevermore and dragged him back behind the shield. "Saw what you were doing, but it wouldn't have ended well. If it can break a bridge by diving into it, it can break where we're standing from a crash landing." Sylvia explained. The Nevermore screeched as it flapped its wings harshly, sending thousands of dagger-like feathers at the quartet hiding behind the shield. It lifted off, circling the group in the air. This gave Sylvia the precious time needed to try and think of a proper plan.

Taking a few moments to analyze the situation, the gears in Sylvia's mind spinning wildly. "Vance. Go and distract the Nevermore." The silverette ordered. "Try and get it so you hit it against that cliff straight ahead." She pointed over at the cliff near the end of the bridge. "If you hit it against that, it'll try to land to recover."

Vance stood tall at the order, nodding with a grin. "Got it." With that the faunus bounded off, heading to stand on top of the columns to get a good look at his target. Vance crawled up the columns easily as he watched the bird circle his new friend, getting ready to swing its feather daggers at them. Seeing this, Vance flipped a switch on his gauntlets, repositioning the explosive rounds so that they shot out at his enemy instead of propelling and enhancing his punches. Vance threw a few throws, smirking as he got the bird's attention. With a flourish, Vance jumped from column to column, keeping the bird's attention until it was in place.

While Vance distracted the bird, Sylvia turned to the other two. "Vance'll get it to land right there." She pointed to the half circle landing across the bridge in front of them. "Lev, you shoot its legs. That'll get it to start to fall off toward the side. After you shoot it, I can use Reyna's shield as a jump pad. With that I can use the momentum and my boots break its neck or cut its head off altogether. I need you guys to help me with this though. Can you guys do that?" The green eyed girl stared at Lev and Reyna, waiting for their confirmation before she dared to move into position.

The Nevermore didn't appreciate Vance's pestering as it cawed. The faunus boy stuck his tongue out, smiling as he finally go the bird in perfect punching position. Taking a few steps back, Vance ran toward the edge and jumped off of his current column. He reeled his fist back. The Nevermore met him in the middle. With a loud BOOM Vance slammed the bird toward the cliff and jumped away. The bird started to fall only to right itself and perch in the middle of the strange platform, just where Sylvia wanted it.
 
Lev had been ready to fire, but he felt the click of his safety just before Sylvia came bounding to his rescue. His eyes widened and his breath hitched in pent up irritation. Who did she think she was, getting in the way of a perfect shot? He was in the right mind to tell her off, but she was barking orders before he could catch the breath required to speak, so he bit his tongue, polished off his gun, and nodded in agreement while hiding the glowering expression that thundered across his face. Reyna, meanwhile, watched with wide eyes as Vance danced around the nevermore, showing off his incredible agility. She only snapped out of her daze once she heard her name, to which she began to nod vigorously at Sylvia's direction before moving to a better position.

Only seconds had passed until the nevermore was in position. Lev quickly reached into his coat and pulled out a bipod along with a few other attachments and extensions. It wasn't long until his semi-auto, mid-range rifle turned into a long-barreled bolt-action sniper. Now in a prone position, Lev put his eye to the scope, loaded up the first bolt, and with a CRACK, let loose the first shot, hitting the nevermore in what might as well have been its ankle. Without letting up, Lev unloaded the spent bolt, letting it pop out of the barrel and onto the ground with the sharp sound of hollow metal hitting stone before loading the next shot. Every bullet hit higher up each leg, pushing the grimm back without buckling it entirely. Meanwhile, Reyna had her shield at the ready, just like she had done with Vance. It wasn't going to be as magnificent of an experience, but at least Sylvia seemed to know what she was doing, unlike Lev. She looked towards the long-haired boy with equal parts concern and irritation before returning her focus to the task at hand. "Ready when you are!" Reyna yelled out, loosening up in preparation to propel the silverette at the pitch black bird.
 
As soon as the shots were fired, Vance ducked out of the way and towards the group. The Nevermore screeched and cried as the bullets hit up and up and up. The creature stumbled. Its support was gone. This was her chance. The silverette sprinted toward Reyna, her footfalls heavy but still increasing in speed. Once she got close enough, she jumped. Her boots landed heavily on the shield and with an extra boost from Reyna, the silverette was sent flying. The wind howled. Colors blurred. Everything tunneled toward the black bird. Sylvia tucked herself in, kicking a leg out. She turned, creating a spin on her jump. Closer and closer she flew. Her blade shot out just as she met with the bird, catching on its throat. The duo was brought down to the edge. Sylvia's blade cut into the bird until they reached the edge of the platform. A sickening CRACK and SHLINK resounded through the air. Sylvia's blade cut through the head like butter. Before she could fall farther, the silverette latched onto the side. The severed head fell into the abyss as the body laid on the platform, slowly dissolving. Sylvia watched the head before finally throwing her other arm onto the side of the platform. She started to pull herself up only to be helped by Vance. The faunus boy pulled Sylvia up and into a bear hug, laughing wildly. "We did it! We did it, we did it, we did it!" He shouted, letting Sylvia go only to run and hug Lev then finally giving Reyna the biggest hug he had. "We did it! We killed the Nevermore!"

Letting go of Reyna, Vance jumped up in the air, still pumped. "Man that was so cool! I was all like, PUNCH! Then Lev shot its legs and you did your super cool shield pad thing and Sylvia's all like, Slice and Kick and SHWEOO! That was just amazing! Rain you were so strong! You kept us all from getting shredded and you didn't even flinch! That was just so cool! WE'RE THE BEST!" Vance ranted, finishing with a yell and a whoop as he ran around. The faunus was still high off of the adrenaline from the fight. He was just glad to have beat such a tremendous creature with the help of his newfound friends. Sylvia watched with a smile as the boy ran around in excitement.

"Yeah, I'd say you guys did pretty awesome. Thanks for trusting my plan." Sylvia gave each of the teenagers a smile, crossing her arms as she looked around. "At least we're all okay. Now, let's go get these chess pieces back and finally get out of this stupid forest." Stretching contently, Sylvia started on her way, following an energetic Vance who ran up the bridges toward the cliff face they found. Sylvia turned to her partner, frowning as she saw the irritated look on his face. "Hey, you look peeved. Something up?" The silverette asked, watching her partner in concern. This couldn't be about her taking Lev off of the Nevermore, right? She was just trying to look out for everybody. Hopefully this battle against the Nevermore hadn't tainted their future partnership. She'd hate to have already ticked off her partner already. Vance chattered ahead with Reyna, looking as pleased as he could be talking to his partner. The group walked back toward the academy, ready to hand in their chess pieces and start their future as hunters and huntresses.
 
Reyna grunted under the weight of the silver haired girl. This definitely wasn't like what happened with Vance, much to her disappointment. Regardless, just like the platforms at the start of their test, the pinkette heaved Sylvia into the open air, straight at the nevermore. Once the deed was done, Reyna sat back and watched as the girl who had led them through the fight finished it effortlessly. She may not have been a Faunus, but she was capable, and that was a close second in Reyna's book. However, just looking at Lev told a different story. The moment he saw Sylvia collide with the grimm, he went to work on his weapon, undoing all the little additions until it was back to normal. After triple-checking the safety, he slid the rifle on his back, only to take it off and inspect it once more, turning it over and over with continually shaking hands. His plan was fine. Perfect, even. But Sylvia just couldn't help but take the spotlight. His spotlight. The more he thought about it, the more upset he got. It was her fault his safety was on, he just knew it. There was no way that was a coincidence. In all his years of using that rifle, he had never made a mistake like that. Sylvia was ruining everything.

Just then, Vance ran over and gave him a hug, snapping him out of his doldrums enough to realize how open he was making his emotions. There wasn't much he could do to hide them other than close his eyes and take a few deep breaths, but it was enough for the time. He'd be in better spirits once he could get his scroll from his locker. Hopefully he wouldn't have too many messages. While Lev thought about other things, Vance had jumped to Reyna, who, in reaction, stiffened up to avoid being squeezed to death. When he finally let her go, she couldn't help but fall like a plank of wood, unable to immediately recover from the sudden onslaught of Faunus-love.

It wasn't long before they were all on their way out of the forest, taking their time with their stroll as most of them enjoyed the new bonds that had been crafted throughout the fight. Meanwhile, Lev's expression was still dark and stormy, though it wasn't until Sylvia spoke up that he realized this for himself. "Hmm? N-No, it's fine, really!" He said quickly, forcing his face to lighten up with a cheery smile. "It was a fun fight, and your plan...your plan was great!" He spoke with all the kindness he could muster, biting back his absolute loathing for the girl who showed him up in front of the headmaster.
 
His quick reply felt suspicious, but Sylvia let it slide as she took the compliment. "Thanks. It wouldn't have worked without you guys though so thanks for going with it and stuff. That was some pretty awesome shooting you did." With a sincere smile, Sylvia fell into a comfortable silence. She listened to Vance talk away as they slowly grew closer to the academy, finally arriving and turning their chess pieces in. Once they had given their chess pieces they were immediately sent to the nurses to make sure they hadn't injured themselves too terribly and to patch up any injuries they did accrue. Once they got through the check ups, the quartet was allowed to get their scrolls and other personal items from their lockers. The whole process was quiet as other students came in, slowly gathering in the auditorium hall that the introductory speech had taken place. Once the last of the students had come in, a hush fell across the room as Professor Wunderland announced the teams.

"Lev Castor." The blonde woman called after introducing three other teams. "Reyna Raleigh. Sylvia Slater. Vance Faolan." The four walked up the stage, folding their arms behind their backs as they stood in front of the headmaster. "You four chose the white knight pieces. From now on you will be known as team SLVR." Professor Wunderland let her blue eyes drift to Sylvia. "Led by Sylvia Slater. I look forward to your future successes at Beacon." Sylvia blinked before nodding. She hadn't expected to be made leader. The silverette hadn't wanted to intrude as much as she probably had. Professor Wunderland caught her questioning gaze and shot her a wink before sending the quartet off, getting ready to announce the next teams. Sylvia scrunched her eyebrows, gnawing on her bottom lip. Was she really ready to lead a team? Was this because of her actions in the forest? Sure, she got a little pushy, but she was just trying to make sure everyone got through it all right. Sighing, Sylvia let the thought go as the ceremony continued.

Afterwards the new years were all given keys to their dorm rooms, Sylvia smiling as she spun her key around. Finally, somewhere to relax and call home sweet home! Walking through the halls, Vance was the first one to find their room as he practically dashed toward it, sticking his key in and twisting. The amber eyed boy bounded into the room, laughing as he threw his stuff to the side and fell onto one of the four beds in the room. Sylvia walked in after Vance, looking around carefully as she took it all in. There were two beds on each side of the room, the room being a lot bigger than she had expected. Four desks were scattered, two in between the four beds and two up against the wall opposite of the beds. Two closets sat on each side of the room, one for the boys and one for the girls presumably. Sylvia peeked her head around, curious as she found two different doors on each side of the room. Opening the one of the left, she felt herself relax as she saw a small bathroom with a single shower stall. At least the boys and girls had separate showers. Looking over at Vance, the boy had practically already curled up on the bed closest to the desk, flopped on his side and looking as if he was in heaven. Sylvia couldn't help the giggle as Vance twisted a bit, ending up on his back as if he were begging for tummy rubs.

Leaning against the desk across from the left beds, Sylvia adjusted her duffle bag. "Well, looks like this is gonna be home for a little while. Vance seems to have already claimed his bed." The silverette smiled as the faunus boy immediately perked up at his name, quickly getting off of the bed in embarrassment.

"Oh, I didn't mean to pick one already!" Vance exclaimed, grabbing his bag and throwing it over his shoulder. "I don't care which bed I get, they all look so comfy! I'm glad we all get to room together!" The faunus boy smiled at his new team, his ears perked and fluffed in excitement. Sylvia chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. It was going to be interesting rooming together, that was for sure.
 
"Yeah...thanks." Lev forced out, turning his head away so he could roll his eyes. It didn't take long for the group of four to arrive back at their destination, and soon they were back at Beacon, getting checked up and prepped for the team assignment assembly. All the while, Lev brooded about the debacle in the forest, thinking of ways he could reinstate himself as the leader he needed to be. There would always be more grimm, and more opportunities to prove his superiority in the field, but that was their only validating test. He could only stand on stage and hope that Headmistress Wunderland made the right choice.

So that's exactly what he did, and nothing could mask the tears pooling in his eyes when Sylvia was announced as the team leader. He had failed. He might as well drop out of Beacon now. All that he had worked for was in shambles. The most humiliating part of it all was that Sylvia got the honor he deserved. She had interrupted a valid and concise plan, and replaced it with her own childish game. It was wasteful! It was convoluted! Why waste numbers on a single grim when one can get the job done alone? That one was him. It was always him. It had been in Signal, and it would be here. It had to be. As his new team walked toward their assigned room, Lev pressed and pushed his newfound jealousy, glowering to himself as its roots dug into his core.

Just then, he felt his scroll vibrate, waking him up to the reality he stood in. The room was...quaint, in a good way. It was nothing like his own home, but in some ways that was what he had always wanted. From the way Sylvia and Reyna's eyes wandered the room, Lev already figured it'd be split down the middle, guys and girls. Lev's scroll vibrated again before he could inspect everything with a closer eye. "I-I'm just gonna take this..." He said, walking out into the hall and closing the door behind him.

-

Unlike Lev, Reyna was on the verge of tears during the ceremony for the exact opposite reason, as well as a few of her own. Being on a team with someone she already met in the field would make being friends all the easier for her, and though Lev would be on the same team, he wasn't the leader. That was all that mattered to her. Had the black-haired boy gotten what he wanted, Reyna would have preferred going back to Signal to make the cut some other year, but Sylvia had already earned her loyalty and respect. She was obviously the most deserving of the position. Besides, with the silverette as her leader, and a Faunus as her partner, she could handle dealing with Lev from time to time. Take the good with the bad, as always.

Their room fit its purpose in Reyna's eyes, though it looked bland as could be. Seeing Vance already colapsed on a bed, she shrugged her shoulders and walked to the one across the room from him, immediately pulling a small framed picture from her pack and placing it gingerly on the closest desk. The picture was of a white cat splotched with black and brown, rolling on the floor just as Vance was rolled on his bed. She was about to settle in further until the wolf-boy popped up, doing a thing with his ears that made Reyna bite her lower lip to fight the pink hue rising to her face. He was as adorable as Faunus came, as far as she knew. It wouldn't be easy to hide her little "quirk" from her teammates for long at this rate.

Lev took his leave from the room at that point. Finally, the moment Reyna had waited for. "Sylvia," she got up, pulling her from the doorway in case Lev was still close by. After motioning for Vance to come near as well, she continued, "since we're a team, you both need to know about Lev. We were in the same class in Signal, and we had a lot of friends in common..." Reyna took a deep breath to think about what she was going to say, then looked into the eyes of her partners. This wasn't something she could fit into a phone call's spans of time. "...y'know what, I can't tell you right now, but this is something you both need to know. He may seem nice, but don't let that jerk fool you. He'll screw us all over." She huffed, pulling out her scroll to assure her parents that she was safe and sound.

-

Lev eventually walked back in to find Reyna all settled in on her bed of choice, and Vance removed from his. Figuring he'd make it easier on everyone, he picked up his things and set them by the bed farthest from Reyna, figuring that'd be for the best considering her attitude towards him. Chatting with his sister had been a pleasant pick-me-up, but the news she conveyed was still setting in. His parents wanted to talk, and heaven would fall before that became a good thing. He just needed to buck up for now. This wasn't the time or the place to vent frustrations, let alone allow them to show. Who knew, maybe the headmistress would change her decision with time. "Well, home-sweet-home." Lev chuckled, sitting down to test his mattress. "It sounds like classes start tomorrow. Why don't we set up for the night, then get some rest. We can finish any extra unpacking tomorrow afternoon, then see what there is to do around campus."
 
Reyna's hushed discussion put Sylvia on edge and made her all the more curious about Lev. Just who was this black haired boy and why was Reyna so nervous about him? Sylvia couldn't figure it out, though she supposed maybe it had something to do with the way Lev tried fighting off the Nevermore. Vance simply tilted his head in confusion. Lev had seemed like a nice person, and definitely not someone who he should stay away from. However, Rain was a nice person and surely she knew what she was talking about. Vance nibbled his lip before deciding that he would wait until he heard what Rain had to say and he knew Lev a bit better before he judged him. He knew all too well what it was like to be misjudged. Sylvia kept an eyebrow raised as Reyna shuffled away to play on her scroll. "If it's so important, you better tell us soon then." Sylvia noted, grabbing her stuff as Lev walked back in.

Vance settled his things back where he had originally settled in as Sylvia moved her things to the bed next to Reyna's. "That sounds like a good plan." Sylvia responded, dropping into the chair in front of the desk across from her and Reyna's beds. "It's been a long day. It'd be good to just hang out, get to know each other a little maybe. Who knows, maybe by tonight we'll all be singing kumbaya and acting like the best of friends." The silverette joked, stretching out to crack her back. Leaning into the chair, Sylvia got herself comfortable before reaching down. "I'm gonna work on my boots a bit if that's all right with you all. I wanna make sure they weren't scuffed up too bad." Instead of reaching for the actual boots, Sylvia grabbed onto the middle of her thigh. Without a care in the world, she seamlessly pulled her thigh in half, seemingly taking off her own leg no problem.

Watching the silverette, Vance practically screamed when he saw Sylvia pull off her leg. Rushing off of the bed, Vance exclaimed, "Ah! Your leg! Oh no, oh no, oh no! It's supposed to be attached to you, not away from you! It's okay Sylvia! We'll fix it! We'll put your leg back together!" The poor boy was practically sobbing as he stared at the leg. His new team leader was already hurt and he could do nothing to stop it. Turning to his other teammates with large tears in his eyes, Vance's ears drooped. "Rain! Lev! We need to fix her! Sylvia's gonna die and never be able to use her leg again!" Vance cried out. He threw himself onto the separated leg, grabbing the two parts and trying to pull them back together. "It's okay, Sylvia! We'll fix you! I don't want you to die!"

The Faunus's extreme reaction put Sylvia on edge as she gently pushed Vance off of her. "Hey, hey, I'm not dying! Don't worry, Vance, I didn't lose my leg. Well, not right now at least. It's just a prosthetic, see?" With soft hands, Sylvia rolled up her pant leg and pulled out a metal prosthetic leg. Some wiring and bolts could be seen as the silverette showed the Faunus boy that her leg was just fine. "There's nothing to worry about. I'm not hurt. It's all right." Carefully, Sylvia reached out and scratched Vance behind the ears, smiling as the boy started to calm down.

"S-so your legs are supposed to come off?" The faunus asked, sniffling as he watched Sylvia take off her other prosthetic and set them both down on the table. "But people are supposed to have two whole human legs. Doesn't this mean that you're hurt?" He looked up at the silverette with wide amber eyes, confused and unsure what to do. He hadn't seen many prosthetic limbs before, and the few he had seen belonged to people who were really, really hurt. He whined as Sylvia continued to scratch behind his ear, leaning up to hug the girl close.

At Vance's questions, Sylvia couldn't help but chuckle. "Yep. My legs do come off. But just because I've got prosthetics doesn't mean I don't have legs. These are my legs, just all metal-y instead of human. Though if you want fleshy legs then I still have a bit of those. See?" Sylvia pulled her pant leg up to her hip, showing off the stub of a leg that held a metal port on the end. "I still have part of my old leg. I'm not hurt, I promise." The hug warmed her heart, Sylvia squeezing the Faunus before letting go. Vance tried to keep his hold on Sylvia, but the silverette managed to wiggle out of Vance's hold. The faunus boy sniffed one last time before settling himself next to Reyna, curling into the girl despite how she seemed to freeze at his touch.
 
Despite how little Reyna and Lev wanted to communicate with each other, they couldn't help but make eye-contact as Sylvia revealed her prosthetics, wearing an expression that basically said, "that explains a lot." Vance's little tantrum made Reyna bubble up out of sympathy, but Lev stood back and watched it all unfold. It wasn't until everyone was settled once again that he spoke up, a grin gracing his lips. "So much for kumbaya. Screaming bloody murder sounds like a better team-building activity, anyways." His sarcasm was plain enough, but the gears in his head were in full throttle. A weapons-nerd and techie like her would obviously know where to find the safety on his rifle at a glance, and her coming to "save" him was no mere coincidence. He hadn't exactly made his presence known while he was riding the grimm, after all. That left one answer to his question. It had to have something to do with her semblance. Nothing else would have made sense. The confirmation gave him a better feeling about the whole thing, but it didn't make him any less angry at the end result.

As Reyna attempted to acclimate herself to the Faunus at her side, knowing it'd be important to be able to interact with him as effectively as anyone else, Lev ran his hands through his hair with a yawn. "Well, thanks for the heart attack, Sylvia. I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to take a shower. All this melodrama is taking its toll." With that, Lev closed himself in the boys' designated bathroom and began his own little routine. Reyna could only glare at him as he left their presence, unwilling to give him a piece of her mind while Vance was cuddled so closely to her. Instead, she turned her head to Sylvia with an apologetic smile.

"They look amazing." She nodded towards the prosthetics, removing Lev from the pool of discussable subjects for the time being. "I take it you made them yourself? I-I mean, I suppose I ought to be more surprised, but after feeling your full weight on my shield, I...I guess I sorta figured. I mean, you're not the first person to jump on me like that, and I've gotten pretty good at guesstimating weights as a result." She sighed, remembering Signal days as she unconsciously ran her hand over Vance's hair and behind his ears. "So, erm...yeah, hows about we talk about what brought us here? Beacon only brings in the best, so they say, so we all must have worked hard to get here. Vance?" She smiled down at the puppy-like figure beside her, losing her usual twinge of discomfort as she spoke, "why don't you start off?"
 
Lev's sarcasm got Sylvia chuckling as she quipped back, "Hey, they say the deepest bonds are formed during stressful times!" She gave the boy a cheeky smile as he thanked her for the heart attack. "You're welcome! Just trying to keep you on your toes!" She called, sighing as Lev disappeared to into the bathroom. Shuffling a bit in her seat, Sylvia perked up at Reyna's compliment, her smile falling into something a little more genuine and soft. Reaching over and pulling her right leg into her lap, Sylvia ran her hand down the prosthetic. "I did make them myself, yes. Took a while since I wasn't allowed permanent prosthetics until I was done growing. Then after that it was figuring out how to work them into a weapon. Thanks for your appreciation, but I still have a lot of things I want to do with them. One of them is trying to adjust it so that way I don't end up so heavy when jumping off things." The silverette gave a small wink as she settled back, reaching over to a nearby box that seemed to hold far too many tools than anyone seemed to need. Sylvia started to work on a quick tune up, refraining from just using her semblance. She didn't want to show off just yet. She still had three other weapons she wanted to get her hands on. As Reyna suggested they talk about how they got to Beacon, Sylvia couldn't help but agree whole heartedly. "Yeah, it'd be cool to hear each other's stories. Go ahead, Vance." Sylvia gave the boy a friendly grin as he perked up.

The faunus boy had been perfectly content for the moment to hear everybody else talk, but once they asked about him coming to Beacon he perked up a bit. "Oh! Um, well I just passed the exam. Isn't that how everyone gets into Beacon?" He tilted his head, looking over at Reyna and Sylvia who gestured for him to continue. "I mean, they might have chosen me because of my semblance. It helped me win the last test I was in because the guy was rushing at me and I just used it to take his attack and turn it back against him. He was pretty mad because he broke his nose because of my semblance." Vance tilted his head, his ears twitching at the running water from Lev's shower. "See, my semblance is basically a rebound. If someone attacks head on and close then I can just reverse it. It's harder for bigger attacks though. I can't reflect bullets and stuff like that though." Vance shrugged as he finished his story. "What about you, Rain? I wanna hear how you got here!" He smiled, practically bouncing as he watched the pink haired girl in front of him.

By the time Vance had finished and turned to Reyna, Sylvia had already finished one of her prosthetics and was working on the other. She smiled at Vance's suggestion. "Yeah, let's hear about you. What brought you to Beacon? Though now I'm curious why you guys came to Beacon. Everybody's got their reasons, right? What's yours, Vance?" She kept an eye on the faunus boy, finishing up her left prosthetic.

"Oh, that's easy!" Vance said. "I wanna protect people! So I thought the best way to do it was to be a hunter!" The Faunus's eyes sparkled as he spoke, his ears up and at attention. "I used to live near some hunters and huntresses and they always had such cool stories to tell! And they would sometimes help out whenever the grimm would get a little too close to town and they were just so cool!" Turning back to Reyna with an expectant gaze, Vance asked, "Why did you want to be a huntress, Rain?" He kept his amber gaze trained on the pinkette, semi-oblivious to the girl's possible discomfort.

Sylvia finished her tune up and put the prosthetics back on her desk. "Hey Vance, can I ask a favor? See that green bag? Can you hand it to me and turn my chair around. I wanna get my pajamas on since we aren't going anywhere." Vance jumped up, eager to help as he grabbed Sylvia's bag and turned her around. She gave a quick thanks before unbuckling her belt and shedding her coat. In what seemed like far too little time, Sylvia had changed into a light green tank top with little foxes dancing around and a pair of dark green short shorts that left her ports exposed. "All right, you can turn me back around, thanks." Vance nodded and turned Sylvia's chair back around, quickly moving to sit back to Reyna as he waited for her story. Sylvia continued to get comfortable. She pulled out her braided bun, letting her hair fall around her shoulders before twisting herself so she sat upside down in her chair, listening to Reyna eagerly.
 
Reyna listened intently to her teammates. Sylvia's explanation of her prosthetics was interesting, though imagining all the things she might want to add to them left her wondering. Vance's tale of coming to Beacon was touching, and his semblance made her curious of the applications possible with it. The fact about it breaking someone's nose made her giggle, but his answer to her question brought the softness back to her expression. Compared to everyone else in the room, he seemed so innocent. As he and Sylvia turned their attention on her, she could only wonder if he'd stay that way.

"E-Erm..." Reyna began uneasily, thinking about her answer with a cocked head and a thumb between her teeth. "...Ah, y'see, I'm from a pretty long line of hunters and huntresses, so it's sorta like the family business. My papa put me into Signal as soon as he could, and he and my mama helped me train for the test to enter here." Reyna held up an an arm, flexing her muscle with a proud grin, "It's thanks to them that I had such an easy time of it. Well, that, and my semblance. It's hard not to laugh during an exhibition match when your opponent literally can't move you an inch with high-impact explosive rounds...I think I might've had points deducted for that, actually." Reyna took some time to think of an answer to the final question. Why did she want to be in Beacon? "Um, as for why I wanna be here, I guess it's like Vance said. Saving people, right? I mean, I've always been the protective type. My weapon, my semblance...it's what I was born to do, y'know?"

With a sigh, Reyna looked towards Sylvia. "Alright, we've fessed up. Now it's your turn...and your partner's, if he ever gets done with the sh-"

"No need to get pushy." Lev opened the door from the bathroom, letting out a cloud of steam with him. Dressed in a solid grey tee and a dark blue pair of pajama pants, quite the deviation from the outfit he wore during the day, Lev sauntered over to his bed and took a seat. As he ran a brush down his hair, its watered-down mass already starting to frizz back to its natural state, he answered what Reyna was about to ask. "Don't worry about giving me a recap. The walls between the bathrooms are kinda thin. I heard it all just fine. So, we're on Sylvia now, right? Let's hear your campfire story then."
 
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