#volume ii.

[becomestorm]

‘   you’re an incredible fighter.   ’   the sincerity in ren’s voice was blunted somewhat by their regular monotone voice. there had been many before that assumed ren was being sarcastic, but there’s a slight inflection there not present normally    ;    envy   ?   rarely did an opponent push ren to use their aura pool like they had before they’d come to beacon. professor goodwitch had also told them to stop being so reliant on it, but when ren tended to get emotional it bled. what had they been feeling during their sparring match   ?   frustration   ?   they felt like they were being toyed with.   ‘   i   ...   hate admitting i lost my composure, but i did.   ’   @epyrean​   :   starter call.

[becomestorm]

she sat in front of the statue, staring up at the stars. her heels were sitting off the side & let out a sigh. blistered feet tapped against the ground dancing with themselves then she let out a brief laugh at herself. she had blisters & she hadn't even danced once. bringing chin back down, she saw the quiet lotus approaching. "i guess i didn't need those lessons after all." standing girl winced as she picked up her shoes. "this is one way of keeping me on my toes." casting a smile at them.

                                                                 @fractaele.

they assumed, as had many others, that weiss would fit naturally into such a gala - like environment. then again, ren had known those ritsy parties, banquets of lavish food and non - stop networking. not fun, especially in the depths of their memories. that was why ren had been wandering the grounds and away from the exhibition hall, gaudy rental jacket   (   what ? they hadn’t exactly come expecting they’d be attending something so formal at a huntsman academy   )   slung over their shoulder with their button up’s sleeves rolled up to elbows. it was less stuffy now that they weren’t in the general vicinity of a few hundred sweaty, rambunctious party - goers but they hadn’t left with the intention to come back later. they were done for the night. they hadn’t been expecting to see weiss retire so early though, especially for an event she’d helped prepare for. besides, didn’t she have a date ? she’d mentioned earlier that she’d wanted to ask someone, but ren hadn’t had the chance to follow up on that.

‘   i didn’t really need to teach you anything,   ’ ren replied with a playful roll of magenta hue,   ‘   you seemed to know most of the forms and stance already. i just taught you the steps.   ’   it was a quiet way to lighten up her air of melancholy. their mind once again drifted towards her date. where were they ? why weren’t they making sure she was enjoying herself ? it was cold outside. as the thought occurred to them, ren pulled the blazer off their shoulder and draped it over hers, petite form looking comically dwarfed   (   it had been ill - fitting, as ren couldn’t have gotten a suit tailored at the last moment.   )   she looked very beautiful, but that was just more of what they were used to. make up to cover up her freckles, impeccable fashion fussed over, pretty cinderella shoes, and for what ? for her to loiter near the statue all by herself ? when ren asked their question, it was quiet, but near deafening in the serene atmosphere of night, with only distant music to fill up their ambiance.   ‘   what are you doing outside, weiss ?   ’

it had been a rhetorical question, even if they really had wanted an answer. ren didn’t give her much time to reply, taking her hand in theirs and leading her to the nearest patch of grass.   ‘   okay, one dance, weiss. indulge me, just one, and then i can carry you back to your dorm. i don’t want your efforts on such a beautiful outfit completely wasted.   ’   they didn’t really bother with decorum as they slipped into the trees which lined the outer courtyard, dotted with green fireflies which scattered upon their presence. they’d thought the grass and soil cooler than that of the harsh concrete, and it was away from any stragglers leaving the party just as they had.   ‘   i won’t be following you, but if you fear i might step on your toes you can dance on my shoes.   ’   it’s a jest mostly, evident by sly smile and joking tone as ren’s arm wrapped ‘round her lower back, tugging her into an easy swaying dance to the beat of the distant music.   ‘   you don’t need to discard those teachings just yet. i want you to surpass me someday.   ’

[becomestorm]

to be assigned a partner for a small assignment had been more daunting an idea than ren came to terms with. theoretically they understood the importance of flexibility, to be able to work with any manner of people in order to complete their goals. teamwork, as they kept reminding the student body, was the most important facet of huntsman and huntress training. who did humans have to rely on if not each other   ?   that isn’t to say they were thrilled at the prospect of being paired with someone they barely knew, having inquired about the task with nothing but intimidatingly vague answers. theoretical grimm history, analyse what little historical records of grimm they were afforded and summarise a conceptual theory on their creation.   ‘   there’s   ...   a popular belief in my culture that they come from the corrupted spirits of dead animals,   but   ...   really anything is possible when we can’t even study their biology.   ’   they found themselves apprehensive around cinder.   ‘   what do you think   ?   ’   @washuman   +   plot call.

[ciqfrain-blog]

tag .

[valianse]

@godtricks   ›   "wait. there's a story? like--an actual plot?" he looks surprised, in awe even, as the assassin sits cross legged on the floor of jnpr's dorm as he looks up to jaune with comic book in hand. "i never--yer sure? like, /sure/ sure?"   ›   unscripted.

‘   yeah,   i’m sure   !   ’   mercury was an odd one, of that he was sure. yeah, jaune had been sheltered but in a far different way that mercury was. he’s chewing around a gummy snake saying this, contemplating this, as well as rounding up a few comics books he’d bought in recent months before swallowing.   ‘   she’s one of my favourites   !   i’ve been following her since i was real small.   i mean,   could you imagine how dangerous crime fighting was in a world where semblances aren’t a thing   ?   and she still learned to fight like a badass anyway,   that’s so cool.   like in this arc,   she’s been tryin’ a stop an ancient cult from sacrificing her girlfriend to the sun god   —   ’   arc was an exuberant puppy in comparison to lone wolf, stacking the issues into mercury’s arms so he could take them back to his dorm, trusting as ever with his belongings, and just happy to have made a friend with similar interests. he offered another gummy snake to mercury too, before noticing his hands seemed rather occupied.   ‘   the next one is great too,   it’s centred around an ancient underwater city   —   ’   if you don’t stop him now, he’s just going to keep going.

[becomestorm]

‘   could you tell me about what it’s like to live at sea   ?   ’   team rwby tended to be a magnet for attention nowadays, and as their teams normally sat together during break, ren had been taking note of the other individuals starting to become familiar during vytal season. team sssn had been one of them, and ren had heard about scarlet in passing, had subconsciously taken the information in while listening to sun perhaps. they couldn’t necessarily look down on sun’s stowaway story, not when ren was guilty of such an endeavour too, but it had been a long time.   ‘   the ocean was always fascinating to me. up until a few years ago i couldn’t even fathom it. the biggest water mass i’d seen was the great mistral lake.   ’   @rcprobate​   :   starter call.

[becomestorm]

‘   the white fang operate differently here than they do in mistral.   ’   the news had been playing on the student lounge’s television, observed casually by any walked in and out to access the kitchen, or rest in the lounge before the day began. they rested at one of the tables, eyes cast towards one such primate faunus they had observed speaking to blake. they had curiosities about their classmate since that noticeable interaction, and ren was nothing if not deductive. they took a moment to pour their tea, letting the hot water seep leaves and breathing in the aroma. it was really none of the dragon faunus’ business, but even false information gathered was still useful.   ‘   it’s alarming, to be frank.   ’   @abyssalmedium​   :   starter call.

[ephmrele]

@ofmagnhild asked: "blake!" the redhead called out, hoping to catch up with the feline. "i'm going to a bookstore later to get jaune a comic book for his birthday, and i figured i'd ask-- do you want anything? like, a book, a cup of coffee from the place everyone goes to, anything?" she figured it was nice to offer, at the very least. "i'm gonna be gone for a while, so it won't be for another couple hours at the least, but i figured i would ask."

even after a semester of familiarity between blake and rw_y + jnpr,   felid found herself flinching at an outburst like that one. dismissing the fact that outbursts were nora’s primary communication, it still took too much time to break out of fight or flight mode. after she righted herself into a dignified stance once more she replied calmly, as if she hadn’t been ready to pull out her weapon seconds before.   ‘   i’m heading there right now.   ’   brows furrow, feeling like she’d forgotten something, something involving pleasantries and a general niceness blake tended to lack.   ‘   i can get what i want by myself,   but i can come with you if you’re going to the bookstore right away.   ’   it was rare of her to willingly put herself in a situation that provoked conversation, but no one could say she wasn’t trying at least.