#volume iv.

[becomestorm]

‘   we have to be careful crossing this particular part of the mountain range.   ’   ren sat opposite jaune with the anima map between them. the dragon knew this part of mistral fairly well and while they tried to keep their visual agitation at bay they had been getting slowly more testy over the course of the week. the kuroyuri valley was nearby and they wanted to avoid it if they could.   ‘   last time we were in this area there was a dense concentration of bandits over here,   ’   they dragged their finger across the parchment,   ‘   and here. and over here   ...   ’   ren subconsciously raised their hands to touch upon budding horns, only recently grown back.   ‘   ...   black market poachers. we would do well to steer clear of this area.   ’   @lepusheart​   :   starter call.

[herwraths]

tag .

[becomestormaa]

‘   i can lessen the pain, if you’ll allow me.   ’   the looming threat of the nuckelavee would not allow ren to sleep. mr. branwen’s tales of gods long since past and waging an ancient war had as much substance as any other religion in ren’s eyes until they saw proof, but even with that thought in mind  - on top of many others - slumber would elude them while they still thought on it. farther away from the fire, ren’s hand glowed as their semblance enshrouded it, testing to see how much aura they had. their gaze drifted back towards their teammates, in states of restless sleep, but still asleep nonetheless. ren’s brow furrowed at jaune in particular, knowing he might get up at any moment for his not - so - secret training. they turned back to qrow,   ‘   my semblance acts as a morphine. though it might not lessen the effects of fever, or the like.   ’   @unfourtune   /   lucky dip sc.

[becomestorm]

@lightningfelt​   >   “your feelings matter too! i can’t help you if i don’t even know what’s making you upset!”

the answer to the assumption is always the same. the baseline for ren’s emotional expressions was always a sense of pleasant mellowness, but they made sure that it never lowered beyond that of occasional worry. any more than that and someone else might catch on. this was the way they’d always been, ever since kuroyuri. ren’s semblance kept them sane, she knew this, but then again, didn’t it make sense that nora would be the only one to see through that barrier ?   ‘   i’m not upset.   ’   ren replied, and for added measure, their lips curled into a smile. they looked almost tranquil, had it not been for their aura cracking, the tranquility of their powers faltering. because ren’s eyes ? they were honest, even when the rest of them refused to be. ren could lie, and lie, and lie, but some fraction of the truth could always be found in their eyes. the wayward tear that streamed down their cheek was evidence enough. but they had to be strong. for nora, for jaune, for ruby. this was not the time to be digging up their own problems. ren let out a soft peal of shuddery laughter, wiping the tear away.   ‘   it’s because they don’t.   ’   they don’t matter.   no matter what, ren had to get over this. one of them had to be stable even if the rest of them were falling apart. they had a semblance which gave them an excuse not to feel pain. of course it had to be them.

caring for stubborn muses.   (   not acc.   )

[becomestorm]

‘   i don’t want to go that way.   ’   crossroads entailed this winding road would lead them around the great lake in the centre of anima, while the other path would have a short cut. it would be quicker to take the short cut to mistral capital, but on that road lie multiple dangers   ;   bandits, poachers, and the kuroyuri valley hadn’t been protected in a decade. they already knew the nuckelavee was nearby, they shouldn’t have been trying to get anywhere near it. if they didn’t take the opposite path now, then ren’s mental stability would worsen, they knew it would. it always did here, especially so close to that gravesite. but they were having issues communicating, as usual, and kept their grievances as vague as possible.   ‘   it’s more dangerous.   ’   @shieldnsword​   :   starter call.

[becomestorm]

having only touched down in mistral a month ago,   ren was already feeling the resurgence of familiarity in the air. they felt continuous need to open up further than before, becoming more talkative and friendly towards all of their teammates.   ‘   they have a different names and charting methods in ancient mistral than they do in modern vale,   since they were developed independently of one another.   because of the planet’s axis,   there were some constellations only mistral and atlas could see and vice versa.   ’   it was a delight to find out ruby shared a common interest in the star signs, though raised heavily in differing faiths that there was always the base wonder of what lie beyond remnant’s atmosphere.   ‘   my grandmother loves astronomy,   fortune telling,   palm reading.   at night,   i would point to the stars and she would tell me the story of whatever constellation my finger landed on.   ’   @gainhope   +   plot call.

[becomestorm]

foraging for edible herbs was a lot easier when they had someone else who knew what they were doing.   miss andromeda had neither objected or complied with ren’s subtle request for help with dinner prep, but she had followed them into the woods. it seemed that even without prompting, she had recognised the herbs in ren’s hands and automatically knew what to do. though they had never been one for instigating conversation by any means, but kneeling over a small brush of lemongrass they paused, amaranthine hue gazing over the mysterious woman and attempting to formulate the questions already swarming in their head.   ‘   you’re ruby’s guardian.   ’   that much was clear, and they probably sounded obtuse for repeating such an obvious statement, but they followed it up with a worry previous buried under caution.   ‘   this mission   ...   it’s so much more dangerous than any of us realise,   is it   ?   ’   if we need you here.   @bledwings   +   plot call.