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SABL (Ashen Wolf x LittleCloud)

Sable would have thought anyone so up their own asses about organization and efficiency would have at least designed more convenient tunnels, but it seems the big dust companies were a bit too far up there for even that. Naturally, many a muttered complaint about corporate greed followed their long, winding walk. It seemed one bit of praise wasn't enough for him to completely warm to Henrietta, but at least it was clear his comments were more to fill the silence than out of any malice for the scion alongside him.

Regardless, after a whole lot of rocks and darkness, he and his partner finally encountered a spot of light. Whether or not that was a good thing still remained to be seen, even after it became apparent the source was another student.

Unfortunately for Sable, her behavior was a bit too forward for his tastes. The wolf's eyes narrowed, trying to take her measure. She didn't seem to have any ill-intent, but when he was growing up in Mantle, if a stranger walked up to you acting like the mauve-haired girl just did, you ran the other way... Although considering the other way was currently sealed off (and full of Grimm either way), that wasn't exactly on the table.

Silently, Sable shared an aside glance with Henrietta, all but telling her outright that he was going to take the lead here. Then he answered Lilac, point-blank, with a single word: "No."

It was probably not the answer either of the girls were expecting, but it was a very Sable-like answer. As far as he was concerned, there wasn't enough difference between here and there to make up the difference in courtesy, and unlike his partner, Lilac didn't have the benefit of a pack of Grimm on her tail to break the ice for her. Besides, anyone who sat around dead ends wanted something or other. That was just street smarts!

"We're not buying whatever you're selling." Sable added, glancing over the pile in an attempt to see if there was a way around. Worst came to worst, they'd just have to backtrack and hope one of the side tunnels looped deeper into the mountain. "Unless it's a way to the objective, but since you're here not there, I bet that's not in your inventory."
 
Henrietta was more than happy to let Sable take the lead as she watched the diminutive girl bounce towards them, she was expecting to find many things in the mine but somebody like Lilac wasn't on that list, sure her uniform might have said 'Special Operative Cadet' but she simply wasn't sure what to make of her.

Speaking of things that hadn't been expected, Lilac blinked several times in confusion at Sable's blunt response "Laaaaaame" She declared petulantly, her impish smile giving way to a disappointed pout "You're just like those mean Atlas boys! Are you from Atlas? You don't look like you're from Atlas..." As if it would somehow confirm the Faunus boy's origin, Lilac reached out a single finger to prod him in the cheek but fortunately for her digit something else caught her attention before things could get out of hand.

"My inventory? I've got my Scroll and some gum ooo and I've got these." One by one she retrieved each item from the pockets of her uniform, a scroll that was exactly as pink as she was (with a small Pumpkin Pete trinket dangling from one end), a small pack of gum that she quickly offered to Sable and finally what looked like a pair of handle grips, their design unmistakably Atlasian constructed from white and grey ceramic.

"This is Tick and this is Tock." She said proudly before flicking a switch, sending the emitters on each device humming in to life and projecting a glowing blade out from each of them "Pretty cool right?"

Behind him Henrietta couldn't help but let out a little squeak of surprise, regardless of what Sable thought, that was certainly one more thing she hadn't expected to see down here.
 
"What the hell? No!" Sable protested, even recoiling back at the suggestion. He actually seemed rather offended by the assertion that he was just another Atlas boy. After a life like his, who wouldn't be? Atlesians were a sheltered, uppity type with more money than sense. Compared to that, he'd take being called a lazy, uneducated Mantle thug any day. Unwilling to suffer the indignity of being poked on the cheek as well, Sable threatened to bite her looming finger with an audible chomp of his teeth.

Fortunately for her, she pulled away just in time to ensure she had all five fingers at the end of this trial. To this, Sable could only let out an irate grunt, which was quite remarkable. The Sable from few months ago would hardly have let such disrespect slide.

"Right," the Faunus said skeptically, eyeing up what this backalley merchant had to offer. Unfortunately, none of those items were any indication of where the exit was, so they were all back to square one. But he would take the free gum. It was free, after all, and he predicted that he'd need something to chew on lest he start biting his cheek to keep his anger in check. There was a bit of a pause, but Sable muttered a "Thanks, I guess" as if he'd only just realized that was proper manners. Then he plopped a stick into his mouth.

Strawberry. Respectable flavor. He was more of a honey-lemon kind of guy, though.

When Lilac revealed her weapons, Sable's first comment was quickly interrupted by Henrietta's surprised squeal. He rolled his eyes and looked over his shoulder at Henrietta. Dust was expensive--even folks like him knew that much--but was it really cause for such surprise? "It's just a kid with an expensive weapon," he dismissed with a wave, "You have one of those too, in case you forgot."

Sable turned back to Lilac and eyed the twin katars in her grip. The disinterested expression on his face was entirely affected. Weapons were fascinating things. He could tell a lot about a person from the type of weapon they used, and Tick and Tock were spilling quite a few secrets of their own. "Not bad," he remarked, arms crossed. "Interesting, even."

"Most of the other folks from Mantle use kit like mine." Sable thumbed to Twilight's Fang on his back. Unlike Lilac katars, or even Henrietta's cane, the marksman halberd's design was inexpensive and utilitarian. Like its owner, it was a very to-the-point weapon: the heavy metal and bullet mags made its singular purpose quite clear. "How'd you get your hands on 'em? Nicked 'em from someone taking a trip to the undercity?"

Wait, how did he figure out she was from Mantle?
 
While Sable's demeanour obviously had an effect on Henrietta, Lilac seemed to be some combination of too foolhardy or ignorant to notice and pulled her finger back with a giggle when the faunus boy bared his teeth before the conversation shifted to other matters, hopeful the gum would go some way to helping bridge the gap between the pair of them.

"But that's hard-light Dust..." Henrietta interjected, still sounding like she didn't quite believe what she was seeing "It's military grade and it's really expensive. My parents wouldn't let me have any and I don't think I've ever heard of the Langley's before..."

"Is she okay?" Liliac tilted to the side and looked passed Sable for a second to regard the other girl "Do you want some gum? It's strawberry!"

"I'm okay, thank you."

Now it looked like it was Sable's turn for show and tell, Lilac suddenly behind him and cooing over Twilight's Fang "Ooo cool! Does it have a name?" She asked, now back in front of him again "I didn't steal them, I just thought they were cool. I mean everybody has bullets right? What's cooler than laser beam?!" With another click the humming went silent and the energy blades ceased to exist, though she did stow them back at her sides just yet, her train of thought once again suddenly derailing.

"Waaaaait a second, how do you know I'm from Mantle? Is that your Semblance?! What animal am I thinking of?!" Standing still her features became the picture of concentration as she thought really really hard.
 
"Huh." If the rich girl was saying it was really expensive, that must have meant it was really, really expensive. Like Henrietta, 'Langley' wasn't a name he'd heard of before either, and he knew a lot of wealthy names. Granted, a lot of the ludicrously wealthy names he knew didn't want to be known as ludicrously wealthy, but still. All this combined to make him a bit more suspicious of the claim that Lilac could have gotten her hands on them without robbing someone blind--at least if she really was from Mantle, which Sable could only assume at this point. He was a stubborn wolf, and so he wasn't very inclined to entertain anything that went against his gut without convincing evidence.

Sable had never quite figured out how to blow bubbles, even if ones of his closest confidants had tried to explain the principle to him long ago. So while Lilac offered, he just kept gnawing at the rubbery treat until the fruity flavor was banished completely. Then he blinked once, and the girl was behind him.

Sable quickly turned around once, and around again, reaching a hand to his back as if to ward his weapon from her touch.

"If I see your paws on my Twilight's Fang, we're gonna some have trouble," he both threatened and answered. She'd gotten past Atlas security and didn't seem to have any other weapon, so maybe she did have legitimate enough ownership of them. It's not like he would do anything about it if it were the case, anyway. If she nicked 'em and the owner didn't do anything about it, they were hers. That was that. Slowly, his hand lowered from its guard.

While Lilac had her eyes sealed closed and her mouth pursed shut, Sable took the opportunity to look over his shoulder at Henrietta. The expression he gave her was nothing less than complete, exasperated resignation. With a shrugging sigh, he looked back at the pink-haired girl and answered her question in a way only he would. "'Cause you just told me, Smart Girl." He jabbed a finger at her furrowed forehead. "It's not my Semblance, I just know the only folks who'd want to see someone from Mantle is someone else from Mantle."

In other words, it seemed her comment about 'Atlas boys' gave her away.

"You're thinking of a wolf, by the way." The wolf-boy growled. "Big one. Sharp teeth. Likes to gobble up pretty girls who like to be too nosy."

...It seemed instead of guessing, he was just planting the thought in her head.

"Why're you hanging out in a dead-end anyway?"
 
"Twilight's Fang? That's so cool!" Clapping her hands together with glee Lilac was back in front of him again leaving his weapon unmolested, while his attempts to intimidate her hadn't exactly worked he was certainly starting to leave an impression on the girl.

Then she balled her hands into fists and clenched her eyes tight shut, when Sable turned back to Henrietta her own look was less one of exasperation and more one of complete and utter befuddlement. Regardless of where she came from Lilac's behaviour was raising more and more questions, still if he was willing to overlook it (or at least be the one who was going to deal with it), then she would just have to go along with it.

A poke to the forehead brought Lilac back to the waking world with a squeak, she neither confirmed nor denied what animal she had been thinking of, but the big bad wolf wasn't the only idea Sable had planted in her head. The way she saw it, if your Semblance did let you read minds, you wouldn't want to go around telling people about it so it would be easier to read their minds in the first place, oh yes, you had to get up pretty early in the morning if you wanted to fool Lilac Langley...

"It wasn't a dead-end when I got here!" She replied, looking back at the pile of rocks behind her "When I landed I met these Atlas boys and I thought we were going to be friends and we fought this big centipede monster down here but then the blonde one shot the roof down with his cannon and ran off with the blue haired boy and left me here!"
 
Sable let out a bemused snort when he heard the mousey squeak Lilac let out when he poked her in the head. He took her silence--perhaps the only time she'd been silent this whole time--as affirmation of a successful 'guess' despite his explanation to the contrary and blatant rigging of the results. Even so. he still had the sneaking suspicion that Lilac was still thinking something absurd about him, but given what he'd seen of her behavior so far, that was practically an inevitability rather than a possibility.

And then she mentioned something that made his ears perk up and his blood boil. The temptation to make a comment at Lilac's expense would have been hard to resist had there not been a more pressing matter at hand. Although he didn't say anything, he quietly considered her story and gave his verdict:

"Great. Just my luck. We've got a bunch of assholes in the bunch," Sable grumbled, not yet realizing the irony dripping from his complaint. He threw his arms up in exasperation, looking about to see if there was any way around rather than through. Then he shot a look at Lilac. His glare wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world, but at least he wasn't mad at her; he was mad with her. "Hey Mantle. You and me?" The wolf pointed between himself and his fellow citizen of the city he used as a nickname. "We're friends now. Screw those guys."

So much for that Atlesian savoir-faire; they weren't any better than people like him. Sable couldn't say that cutting out the competition wasn't something he hadn't done before, but this wasn't a competition and this simply could not stand. Not only did these Atlesians betray their comrade, but they inconvenienced him in the process. The faunus beckoned his two girls to follow. He needed an outlet for this irritation and standing in front of a dead end wasn't going to do anything about it. Unfortunately, he didn't think he could just dig through the pile--he figured Lilac would have tried that--so there was only one other option.

"Follow me. Keep an eye out; there ought to be a way around somehow."
 
"Yay!" Lilac squealed in delight as Sable confirmed what she had known all along and all of a sudden she was far too close to Sable's side, hugging his arm against her and smiling up at him "I knew you were my friend, lets go!"

Still utterly baffled by everything that was going on in front of her (was this a Mantle thing or a Lilac thing? Sable didn't seem to be like the new girl at all so it had to be just her right...?) Henrietta followed behind the pair, giving the occasional glance behind her to ensure that there were no more Grimm attempting to sneak up on them as they made their way back from whence they had came. Of course that way would only lead back to entrance and to the thick wall of ice that the Atlasian girl had created to keep the Grimm out but let it not be said that she couldn't contribute more than just Dust to the occasion.

"Maybe we could try the Grimm holes, they have to lead somewhere right...?" She offered nervously, it certainly wasn't the best idea she had ever come up with but she certainly didn't feel like trying her luck outside again and they had already dealt with the monster that made them so what could go wrong?
 
"Oi. Don't push your luck. I'm your friend, not your boyfriend," Sable warned Lilac. Yet despite his protests, he didn't do anything to ward off the shorter girl from clinging to his arm so affectionately. His instinct for people told him that trying to keep her affection at bay was an exercise in futility. it was better she was here alongside him than creeping around Brothers-know-where. Besides, he'd be lying if he said didn't enjoy having a cute girl on his arm, even one as flighty as Lilac.

"What? You wanna join in or something?" The red-eyed wolf shot a look at the befuddled Henrietta. He could practically feel her gaze prickling the hairs at the back of his neck. He offered his arm as a half-joke, and continued on his way, whether she chose to take up the jest or not.

When they had finally walked the length of the tunnel to no avail, Sable found his patience waning. The old saying 'caught between a rock and a hard place' was very literal in this sense, and between the two options, fighting the Grimm outside was starting to look a bit appealing. Fortunately, Henrietta suggested a risky, but clever idea: use the passages the Grimm used.

"Bold choice," Sable remarked vaguely, eyeing up the pockmarked walls. "Normally girls prefer a date or two before asking me to try out any holes. But I can make an exception for you."

Raunchy joke aside, he was earnestly considering her idea, especially because he didn't have any himself. The Grimm holes (There had to be some kind of better, more scientific way to phrase that, Sable thought.) were big enough to crawl through, and Henrietta was right: they definitely had to lead somewhere, wherever that was. He didn't like their odds if they ended up running into another centipede, or perhaps some type of Grimm worm or even a nest of centipedes, but unless they were about to encounter a student with a super strength semblance, it wasn't like they had any other choice.

Having made his decision, Sable shrugged and picked a hole that looked like it went deeper into the cave. "Can't think of anything better," he remarked, getting on hands and knees. It wouldn't be the first time he'd crawled through some dank hole to get where he needed to go. "C'mon."
 
Henrietta just stared at the scene in front of her, a fresh blush spreading across her face, as Lilac latched on to the Faunus boy's arm. This behaviour wasn't exactly new to her but back in Atlas it was normally reserved for two people who were engaged or at least dating and certainly not two people who had just met in a cave. Was this a Mantle thing? She'd heard that people in the city below were a little more informal and a little more impulsive but this was something else all together.

And then he offered her his arm and she froze like a deer in headlights, her first instinct from years of stern Atlasian parenting was to refuse but equally she didn't want to be rude and spoil the first friendship she'd made and everyone else was doing it...not meeting Sable's gaze she clutched her cane under her free arm and nervously took his with the other and with eye candy on each arm it was time to get moving and find another way towards their goal!

If the Atlasian girl had been feeling awkward before Sable's raunchy joke didn't help and she almost hoped that more Grimm did show up but unfortunately for her embarrassment wasn't going to attract monsters any time soon. Lilac took it in her stride and simply giggled, dropping to her hands and knees to follow Sable in to the dark and dirty tunnel.

"Does this mean you're going to buy us dinner?" She asked, while behind her Henrietta took one last glance around the mine before bringing up the rear.

Luckily for our heroes there wasn't much to find in the tunnel but grime and mud, they had already slain the creature that had was mostly responsible for it and while it wasn't the only one, they were about to find out that it was otherwise occupied. As they got closer to the other end of the passage the trio would hear the heated sounds of battle and as they emerged back in to the mine they would be just in time to see a girl drive her fist through the chitin of a Mukade, returning it to so much ash and smoke.

The girl was tall and elegant with long blue hair that ran down to her lower back, a black surgical mask covered the lower half of her face but that wasn't the oddest thing she was wearing compared to the coat she wore over the top of her cadet uniform, that shimmered and shifted with a kaleidoscope of rainbow colours.
 
With the absolutely aghast way she looked at him, Sable couldn't say he expected Henrietta to take him up on his offer, so when she opted to coquettishly take his arm, he could only snort, half-impressed and half-surprised. He thought she was a bit too shy for that. Miss Bronze was lucky that nobody else was around other than him and the flighty Mantlesian under his other arm. After all, an Atlesian heiress off the arm of a Faunus from Mantle? Now that was the kind of thing that sordid tabloids wrote about.

"You look nervous, Rich Girl," Sable teased, tugging her closer. "Don't tell me you've never held hands with a boy or nothing before."

He had to admit there was a slight tinge of sadistic delight at being able to tease someone so much more important than him like that. These Atlesians were just too sheltered. Every time he looked down at the meek noblewoman, he found it a bit difficult to stifle the chuckle trying to worm its way up. She'd been a solid partner. Maybe after this was done he'd have to give her a few pointers on not being so meek. He wasn't a nice guy, but he could only imagine the trouble she'd get in if he actually had an angle here.

"I didn't say I was your boyfriend," he reminded the precocious pinkette as they crawled through the muck. Their echoing voices told him that there wasn't anything crawling about in here. They would've heard it otherwise. The lack of commotion almost made him wish he took up the rear. A face full of ass might've been nice to look at, and those cadet leggings did have a nice shape to 'em...

However, when the sound of battle was heard, Sable began to hustle. Even if it wasn't progress, more people meant more hands, which meant they might get out of this Brothers-forsaken rock sooner.

"...Hey. Is that the blue haired one you were talking about?" Sable whispered to Lilac as the trio assembled on the other side. Compared to the bluenette, who cut a very striking silhouette with her fist through a fading centipede, he was a bit worse for wear. Sable wasn't afraid of a little muck--he'd have long since been ridiculed out of Mantle if that bothered him--so he didn't bother trying to un-scuff his uniform after traversing the tunnel. It was not the most elegant look on the planet compared to the unfamiliar student's wardrobe, which absolutely reeked of wealth and propriety.

He wolf-whistled to catch her attention.

"Impressive," Sable complimented, looking around the chamber. "You got a name, Maskie? Better yet: you have an exit around here?"
 
"My parents didn't like me leaving the grounds unsupervised..." Henrietta explained sounding almost like she was apologizing for her sheltered upbringing. After the incident that lead to the discovery of her Semblance, Mama and Papa Bronze were understandably a little wary about another appearance of their daughter's 'other half' and so any time she ventured out from palatial Bronze manor she was either permanently by their side or accompanied by a compliment of personal security which tended to put a crimp on her social life.

As you can imagine it had taken a lot of pleading and wheedling to get get them to let her attend the academy in the first place, of course when she had dreamed about following in her grandfather's footsteps and becoming a Huntress she didn't realise it would involve so much dirt. Lilac on the other hand was having a whale of a time crawling through the dark, her small frame giving her an easier time then some moving through the tunnel.

"But I want some noodles! I know this great place back in the city." The pink haired girl replied to him, about to launch in to a detailed description of the menu which was cut mercifully short by the appearance of the other end of the tunnel "Nope, that's a girl silly." she replied as they emerged back in to the light.

At the sound of his whistle, the blue haired girl span round ready for another fight, dropping low in to a combat stance with blue-white electricity arcing between palms. Of course (most) Grimm didn't whistle and when she saw Sable and the girls she straightened up again, smoothing out her coat as she eyed the trio sternly, taking their measure like a predator regarding prey.

"You may call me Miss Aegean." She replied to Sable regally, pegging him as a Mantle native the second he'd opened his mouth, part of her would have prefered he'd have been another Grimm "If you're looking for the exit it's that way" She gestured one way down the tunnel before turning and beginning to head in the opposite direction.

"That's Meg Aegean..." Henrietta mumbled standing behind him "...her family are really big in dust infusion."
 
A very simple "You don't say..." was the only acknowledgement Sable gave to the girls' responses, which accurately pretty accurately reflected his impressions through both the idiom's meanings.

It was dull surprise when it came to Henrietta. The sheltered upbringing implied by her answer mixed easily with all the stereotypes about Atlesians floating around in his head. Although Sable couldn't say that he had parents, he was certainly raised very strictly. He didn't know if he could emphasize with the Atlesian family's overprotectiveness though; his strict upbringing actually gave him leeway. Grandma was always more about the final objective than the journey there, after all.

On the other hand, it was piqued interest when it came to Lilac. There was no way in hell that he'd buy her dinner just because she'd asked, but Sable had an appreciation for the culinary arts himself. His favorite place was a hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop in the slums. He had fond memories of eating warm pork melts in the middle of the cold Solitas winter, and the weekly special sandwich wasn't bad either... Gah! Now he was hungry! So he filed away that tidbit of information in his mind and went on to address other matters.

"My right hook doesn't care if it's a boy or girl," Sable shrugged. Lilac may not have given him the go-ahead, but he made his stance on the new girl known. "Besides: she looks like she'd benefit from a good punch to the face right now."

His eyes flickered over to Maskie, who was all-too-ready to throw hands at the first thing to surprise her: them. He flashed a grin as she assessed him. Sable would be no prey, that was for sure. "Easy, Maskie. I'm not looking for a fight yet." Was he even allowed to fight other students? He hadn't tested out how long his leash was. Here could've been as good a time as any for that... "But if you keep sparking like that, I might be."

Despite the half-mask covering her mouth and the facade of propriety, Sable could tell that she was looking down on him, both metaphorically and literally. He recognized the disdainful glint in his eyes. It was the same one that folks in power used to look at people lesser than them. Needless to say, a faunus like Sable was very familiar with them. Relatedly, the name she used struck a chord with Sable, who recognized it from the logos on the clothes of a few people he'd met. Every single one of them had more lien than he could ever imagine. Undoubtedly, this meant that Miss Aegean was very rich and powerful, but...

"...Am I supposed to care about that? She could be Pumpkin Pete himself for all that matters here."

Sable looked over his shoulder at Henrietta, whose whispers did not escape his keen hearing. Networking was an asset in his past profession and certainly an undeniable one as a Huntsman, but playing nice had never been one of his priorities. And in his old line of business, results could make up for a lot of impoliteness. As far as he was concerned, this was exactly like that.

"Thanks, Miss Aegean~" he called out sarcastically to the martial artist who'd abruptly left them behind. If she looked behind, she'd see him waving with equal irony. Once he dropped his arm, he gestured for the girls to follow after him. "See that? Miss Aegean clearly doesn't care to consort with the likes of us commoners. Too good for us all, clearly."

He didn't bother being quiet, but make no mistake: Sable wasn't being unsubtle out of ignorance. He knew very well that the cave would mean Miss Meg Aegean could hear everything he had to see. Just because he was a wolf didn't mean he couldn't be catty.
 
There was a lot to take in right now, a way deeper into the mine, a possible way out and whatever there was to make of 'Miss Agean' but Lilac was Lilac and obviously she had latched on to another, far more important, piece of information.

"Pumpkin Pete is real!?" She gasped, her squeal of delight echoing down the mineshaft "I thought he was just a character! I saved up a whole bunch of box tops and they sent me a plushie but that's in my luggage, I hope he's okay...."

The tall blue haired girl didn't bother to turn around to see Sable waving as she walked away from them, simply rolling her eyes at the antics of the other would be students. She didn't think for a moment that the Faunus boy's tone was anything less than insincere but she simply didn't care, she didn't recognise him and that meant that he obviously wasn't important enough for his opinion to matter.

"I uh...guess it doesn't really matter down here..." Internally Henrietta kicked herself, Sable didn't exactly seem like the kind of person who would be interested in Atlasian social politics but the idea of not caring at all about who somebody's parents were was just so alien to her that she couldn't help but bring it up anyway. Still hopefully the moment had passed the two girls followed him as he bid, Lilac singing a cheery rendition of the Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes jingle as she latched back on to Sable's arm.
 
"What? No! Pumpkin Pete is a freakin' talking rabbit. Those don't exist," Sable raised an eyebrow as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. His metaphor had gone completely over the girl's head. He didn't know the deep-cut intricacies of Pumpkin Pete's lore, nor did he keep track of celebrity news, but it was self-evident even to him that talking rabbits simply did not exist. Next thing he knew, she would start rambling on about gift-givers who snuck down chimneys (almost always burglars in real life) or little people who gave cash for lost teeth (as opposed to the people who take your cash and make you lose your teeth). "Are you sure you're old enough to be here?"

Once again, Sable offered no resistance to the shortstack who thought his arm was very huggable aside from a discontent grumble. This time, however, he didn't make an offer to Henrietta. No, this time she'd have to ask herself if she wanted the warm comfort of his arm. Though it was far from his intent, it was merciful in a way; there was a very well-to-do peer of hers walking only a few meters ahead, after all. Most Altesian heiresses wouldn't be caught dead attached to someone as unruly as he.

Of course, this shouldn't be mistaken for Sable caring that much about Atlesian propriety. Case in point:

"Hey Maskie. You seem like a smart one." Sable remarked out of nowhere. Miss Aegean had been walking ahead of them for a long time now, and she had not exchanged a single word or gesture with the only three other students heading her way, even though she'd been addressed (his obvious sarcasm at the time notwithstanding). It grinded his gears, and not only because it was plainly obvious that she was looking down on him. "Isn't it a bit weird not to talk to your classmates? Don't tell me you're a shy one 'cause we've already got a shy rich girl here."
 
"I am too!" Lilac shot back at Sable petulantly, completely undermining her claiming of being old enough to be a Huntress, obviously the other academies did have some prior history on allowing younger students to attend under extraordinary circumstances but this simply wasn't one of those times regardless of how much problem the the small girl had buying energy drinks.

That was probably for the best (and she left whether she believed in the Nondescript Winter Holiday Gift-Giver unsaid).

Following behind them Henrietta watched their seemingly easy back and forth and put it down to being just another Mantle thing that she didn't understand, letting them just get on with it as they moved closer towards their goal. If someone was being charitable, maybe they could say that she was acting as a vanguard against Grimm ambush, that's totally what she was doing...

Still walking ahead of them 'Miss Aegean' had been trying to ignore the sound of their footsteps and their inane banter but when Sable addressed her directly she couldn't exactly pretend they weren't their any longer, regardless of their social standing it would be rude if didn't reply to a direct question and if there was one thing she couldn't do it was let her manners slip.

"The less I interact with you the less likely I am to have to put up with you for the next four years." She replied through gritted teeth, back in the Bullhead she'd spied several members of Atlasian high society that she would much rather be paired with but she hadn't had the good fortune to have bumped in to any of those first, she just had to hope that the academy had a more sophisticated method of assigning teams than simply who encountered who first.

Whatever her worries it would all be over soon as the tunnel opened up and the beacon came in to view, a marvel of Atlasian engineering all gleaming white and shining machinery, at the sight of it the girl in the mask let out an audible sigh and stopped in her tracks "I doubt I can convince you to wait turn properly, so by all means go ahead."
 
"Four years? I'm touched you expect that much of me. This must be that Atlesian hospitality I've heard so much about. Usually you folks give us dirty looks and call it a day," Sable snarked back. He was being sarcastic, but he knew full well there was a not insignificant chance that he wouldn't make it that long if things went awry with his deal. Meg made it really obvious he was getting on her nerves, so he prodded her a bit more. "Have you ever considered not being such a cold bitch or does that come with the climate?"

When the reached the end of the tunnel, Sable couldn't help but wonder how they even got it into the mountain for the purposes of testing without having to deal with all the Grimm. The beacon was all shiny and chrome, and it wasn't an insignificant size either. Then again, they hadn't encountered many Grimm in the actual mine itself. Maybe that was why.

"I am truly feeling the spirit of cooperation wash over me, Maskie," Sable grinned, pushing past the taller student. Granny raised him to honor 'ladies first', but she also raised him to stick it to people who wanted to walk all over him, so he made the executive decision to honor the latter will. He twirled his Scroll in hand and looked over the dashboard of the beacon. His brow furrowed as he looked over the controls and the screen, a bit stunned by the elaborate design of it all. Tech had never really been his job, so he was at a bit of a loss until he glanced to his left, noticing the slot. If he remembered correctly, you were just supposed to insert it, right?

He stuck his Scroll into the slot and the screen changed. Information ran across the screen, loading into his student profile. Most of the information was bunk, given his unique circumstance, but he knew what that prompt at the bottom indicated: everything was fine and he could remove his Scroll. So he did. He was almost disappointed when it turned out to be not nearly as painful as he anticipated.

"Simple as," Sable shrugged, pocketing his Scroll like a six-shooter. He played it off like he wasn't a little bit confused by the Atlesian doohickey. He stepped off to the side and bowed like a valet for Henrietta and Lilac, with a cheeky smile he offered them the next spot instead of Meg: "Ladies~"
 
Oh Gods why was he still talking? At the very least the sight of the beacon had given 'Miss Aegean' hope that this would all soon be over and this would all just be another bad experience that she could file away along with rude waiters and those awful cousins she only had to see once or twice a year. "I'll tell you what." She replied, smoothing out the annoyance in her voice in to pure aristocratic disdain "I'll think about it, just as soon as you go back to the dirt you came from."

"I'm sorry..." Henri quietly apologised for her fellow Atlasian "We're not all like this..."

Lilac very maturely stuck her tongue out the other girl.

Following his lead Lilac was the first to move once they reached the beacon, mirroring his bow with a playful curtsey before skipping forward to the device and inserting her cotton candy pink scroll and waiting for that all important prompt. "I'm in!" She squealed happily.

Henri was next and gave her own clumsy bow before approaching the machine, she didn't have time to even reach for her scroll when she was interrupted by the blood-curdling sound of a monsterous howl coming from above them, a noise that drained all the colour out of her cheeks, this wasn't the first time her and Sable had heard that noise today. Emerging from a whole in the ceiling above them was an enormous humanoid Grimm, black flesh stretched too thin on its bleach white bones to reveal the foul dripping ichor within while its burning red eyes surveyed the young huntsman and huntresses below it with malevolent hatred.

"I-It must have found another way in!" Henri exclaimed, her grip tightening on her staff, lifting it up above her as if to ward off the beast.

"Oh what fresh hell is this...?" Meg wondered allowed, giving the beast exactly the same kind of look that she'd given Sable when he had from the hole earlier.
 
"Almost gotcha there, didn't I?" Sable sneered. For someone who often took umbrage to such comments, he looked very pleased with being so directly insulted by the taller girl. Henrietta's worries were misplaced, at least as far as Sable was concerned. Although, perhaps his reaction was a bit more worrying than simple offense. He seemed to have some kind of social death wish antagonizing the prideful heiress the way he did. "I'd make a comment about the mask coming off, but that seems a bit on the nose for both of us."

Ba-dum-tiss.

"Don't worry on my account, Atlas. You and I both know I'm no ivory tower, silver spoon-type. I can take it," Sable challenged, not content to see only such a mild breach of etiquette. If he could make her sink down to his level, or barring that just throwing punches at him, he'd call it mission complete. Fortunately for everyone involved, a familiar howl echoed through the chamber. His wolf ears caught the direction before the looming shadow covered the light above. Staring down, crawling along the roof like a grotesque spider, was the wendigo grimm from earlier.

"Hold that, Maskie. I've got a debt to repay," Sable lifted a finger and reached behind himself to unfurl Twilight's Fang from its compact form. "Feel free to join in. Unless you're afraid of breaking a nail?"
 
There was a tiny awful spiteful part of Meg that told her she could simply leave this rabble to deal with the Grimm on their own, they didn't look like much and who knows maybe the beast would deal with her problem for her? The rest of her dismissed that idea out of hand after a moment of course, their performance was being monitored after all and being seen to turn tail and run simply wouldn't do and as much as she really really wanted to see Sable get taken down a few pegs her sense of noblesse oblige wouldn't let her abandon her lessers like that.

"You'd only die without me." She shot back at him, ducking into a combat stance and faced the monster, brightly coloured sparks of dust filing the air around her.

"That's a Wendigo!" Henrietta cried out, now that she wasn't running in abject terror she could afford a moment to stop and take in the horrible creature that loomed above them, the burning eyes and crooked antlers drawing her mind back to a book in her grandfather's study that used to give her nightmares as a little girl "Don't let that gunk touch you or you'll turn into a monster too!"

"I wasn't gonna let it touch me anyway, it looks super gross!" Lilac shouted, unsheathing her twin weapons and unleashing a torrent of light Dust towards the ceiling "Buzz off monster, we're gonna go have noodles!"

Weathering the assault surprisingly well for such a spindly looking creature the Grimm leaped down from its perch on the ceiling, letting out another horrifying cry before landing in front of Sable and swinging out at him with its foul dripping claws.

Lilac
Move Action: N/A
Standard Action: Attack Wendigrimm Lilac Rapid Fire: 1D20+8 = [14]+8 = 22 DC24+Multiattack Toughness if that hits.

Wendigrimm
Move Action: Move in to Close with Sable
Move Action: N/A
Standard Action: Attack with Otherworldly Howl, everyone who doesn't have Fearless make a DC20 Defence Save & anyone who fails that make a DC20 Will Save vs Cumulative Impaired/Disabled/Controlled to Flee.
Standard Action: Attack Sable Wendigrimm Corrupting Claws: 1D20+10 = [14]+10 = 24 DC25 Toughness & DC20 Fortitude vs Impaired&Dazed/Stunned&Disabled/Transformed&Controlled if that hits.
Initiative
Lilac 27
Wendigrimm 24
Sable 14
Meg 13
Henrietta 12

Status
Sable Fine
Meg Fine
Henrietta Impaired (DC20)
Lilac Fine

Wendigrimm (Bruised x1)/(Fine)
 
"Oh please, Maskie. I know you business types like to oversell yourselves, but let's not exaggerate here," Sable scoffed. You could hook his eyes up to a generator and run half the city with how hard he was rolling them. "Fortunately for you, I'm not too proud to take freebies."

"Hey, I never said that," Sable grumbled under his breath. As his halfhearted protests might have suggested, the gruff wolf was content to let Lilac's comment slide. There were more pressing matters to deal with, and not to mention, he kind of wanted noodles too. There truly was nothing like a warm broth on cold days like these... His stomach grumbled, eager to deal with the troublesome new arrival and receive a well-earned reward.

Lilac was much faster on the draw than anyone on the battlefield. Already the sprightly little huntress was demonstrating her flightiness was not in personality alone, firing shot after shot into the beast. But there was no time to celebrate; the wounded grimm bellowed loudly, straining Sable's sensitive wolf ears. And because he was too preoccupied covering his ears from the bone-chilling roar, he had little time to react when the wretched creature descended upon him, wicked talons at the ready.

Sable quickly raised his weapon to intercept the attack, but that hair-thin difference in reaction speed made all the difference. The Wendigo's claws raked across his aura, spreading its malignant miasma across his pale glow. Still, his spirit held firm, preserving the faunus from the deleterious effects of the dark goo--which was quite fortunate, as he had no plans of being discriminated again for being a faunus, from Mantle, and some kind of a grimm mutant all at once.

"'Course you come after me first. Piece of shit," Sable grunted, aura thrumming back to transparent stability.

The faunus hefted his weapon in a wide, overhead swing. It would be simple enough to avoid, but that wasn't exactly his target here. With all his energy devoted to defense, he didn't have an opportunity for an elaborate counterattack. Instead, he went back to the fundamentals: if there was anything he knew about things that were shaped like people, it was that it was easier to gang up on them when they were flat on their asses.

BANG!

A quick shot from the barrel of Twilight's Fang sent the halberd's haft down, right at the Wendigo's legs. Stepping through and sweeping the shaft in a wide arc, Sable attempted to fell the great beast and create an opening for his comrades to capitalize on.


vs Otherworldly Howl (Def): 1D20+6 = [8]+6 = 14 vs 20. Fails.
vs Otherworldly Howl (Will): 1D20+8 = [13]+8 = 21 vs 20. Succeeds. No effect.


vs Corrupting Claws (Def): 1D20+6 = [18]+6 = 24 vs 24. Ties. Not the attacker, so fails.
vs Corrupting Claws (Tough): 1D20+10 = [8]+10 = 18 vs 25. Fails by two degrees. Bruised + Dazed.
vs Corrupting Claws (Fortitude): 1D20+8 = [15]+8 = 23 vs 20. Succeeds. No effect.

Sable
Standard Action: Improved Trip Melee Attack! 1D20+8 = [19]+8 = 27 Critical threat because my melee crit range is 18-20. If it hits, Contested Acrobatics Check: 1D20+8 = [16]+8 = 24resisted by the Lower of Wendigrimm's Athletics or Acrobatics Check. If the critical threat becomes a critical hit, then add +5 to the contested acrobatics check as an enhanced effect (or if I'm not allowed to do that on a trip, then roll against DC15 Damage as an additional effect)
Move Action: He is dazed.
Condition: Bruised x1 (Regenerates in 4 rounds), Dazed
 
The beast's cries echoed through the mine but it seemed that the random assortment of special operative cadets in front of it were made of sterner stuff, not one of them flinching from the aural assault, even Henrietta who's glasses absolutely didn't fall off with a not very brave at all squeak, no sir!

While it was still stronger than its spindly and rake-like frame would suggest, the Wendigo's thin limbs made an enticing target and Sable's knowledge of human faunus humanoid anatomy proved to be right on the money, his ballistic fueled sweep taking out the monsters its legs, sending it to the ground with an unceremonious thud.

"Maybe you're good for something after all." 'Miss Aegean' remarked her tone making it clear that this was, at best, a backhanded compliment. Still she wasn't about to squander the opportunity he had made for them and leaped forward, a wave of red flowing through her coat and wreathing her limbs in swirling flame, bringing her leg down in a spinning kick before springing off of the monster and landing clear from its savage raking claws.

Picking her glasses off the floor and putting them back where they belong, Henri quickly found herself wishing that perhaps she hadn't but she wasn't about to let her new friends down! Quickly fiddling with her cane she twisted it around in her grip until a small handful of red Dust rounds popped out from its tip "Sable take these!" She called out, pushing them towards the boy's hands as she steeled herself for another attack from the Wendigo.

Then Lilac was just everywhere, the diminutive girl seemingly attacking the Wendigo from every angle at once with gleeful abandon, her glowing hardlight blades leaving a trail of light behind her as she attacked it again and again until she suddenly appeared back by her friends with a wide grin on her face "Take that you dumb monster!" She cheered, she could almost taste those noodles already!

When all was said and done the monster was facing down 4 to 1 odds and had taken a beating but the creatures of Grimm knew no fear and with a sound like creaking branches in some nightmarish forest it rose back to its feet, black ooze hissing as it hit the floor and then it was upon then all again, wildly swinging its long arms and lashing out with its twisted claws like a black and white whirlwind, trying to tear them all to pieces.

Meg
Move Move in to Close with the Wendigrimm
Move-by Standard +5 Power Attack Wendigrimm Meg Fire: 1D20+5 = [10]+5 = 15 DC26/21 Toughness vs Damage & Weaken Toughness with Secondary Effect if that hits
Move Move away from the Wendigrimm

Henrietta
Move N/A
Standard Bestow Dust, Sable gets three uses of Weaken Toughness 8 (Resisted by Toughness)(Limited:Non-Stacking) linked to his attacks.
End of Turn Henrietta Will vs DC20: 1D20+6 = [16]+6 = 22

Lilac
Move Teleport in to Close with the Wendigrimm
Standard Attack Wendigrimm Lilac Dizzying Strikes: 1D20+8 = [16]+8 = 24 DC23+Multiattack Toughness vs Damage & DC18+Multiattack vs Impaired/Disabled if that hits.

Wendigrimm
Move Stand up
Move N/A
Standard Dazed
Standard Attack with Whirling Claws, Sable, Lilac and Henri make a DC20 Defence Check and then a DC25/20 Toughness Save vs Damage.
End of Turn Wendigrimm Will: 1D20+5 = [16]+5 = 21

Initiative
Lilac 27
Wendigrimm 24
Sable 14
Meg 13
Henrietta 12

Status
Sable Bruised x1
Meg Fine
Henrietta Bruised x1
Lilac Dazed/Bruised x1

Wendigrimm (Bruised x2/[SE26/21])/(Fine)
 
Sable smirked smugly. It was always beautiful when a plan came together. The only thing that could make it better was if that Aegean girl could keep her damned mouth shut. "I take thanks in cash or credit," Sable snarked at the snippy heiress, slinging the halberd over his shoulders and dodging past his allies, who promptly descended upon the vulnerable Grimm. "You know, if you want to show your gratitude."

Fortunately for Sable, these Atlas cadets were clever enough to figure out the follow-up on their own, which saved him the work of barking orders to the greenhorns instead of making jabs at some hoity-toity rich girl. However, there was a bit of momentary confusion when Henrietta opted not to smash the damn thing with the business end of her cane. Wait, did canes have business ends?

Sable cocked an eyebrow, but didn't waste any time swiping the offering from the frantic student's hands. No time to waste in the thick of things. He didn't expect to get anything now, and it wasn't exactly cash or credit, but the wolf boy didn't often look gift horses in the mouth--or in this case, gift dust in the color. Not that he had the chance to; almost immediately afterwards, the wendigo rose with the sound of buckling bark and came at them with vengeant claws.

Its claws lashed out far quicker than before and in wide, sweeping arcs that made it damn near impossible to dodge or parry in time. And so, the wendigo's talons pushed aside his weapon and raked his aura. What little solace there was in such an assault could be found in the fact that there was no corruption to worry about this time, and that this attack was more quantity of blows than quality.

Withstanding the assault gave him a few precious seconds to gather himself. With a moment to breathe, Sable opened his fist and looked at the three rounds Henrietta had given him. Although Twilight's Fang loaded dust rounds, but it wasn't chambered to ignite ones like these properly. His tongue clicked irately, which prompted an idea to strike him. Maybe he did after all?

"Fwwt!" Sable whistled at the recovering wendigo. "Catch."

The wolf flicked one of the rounds in the air. The round sparkled red as it drew an arc across the air: up and away from the wolf and down and towards the beast. And as it descended, Sable leapt forward, Twilight's Fang bared.

A single shot rang out, followed by a flash of incendiary light.

Spearhead poised, Sable fired Twilight's Fang, slamming his weapon into the falling dust round, igniting it like the hammer of a gun. Then, with his halberd emblazoned with that white-hot crimson, he levied a burning thrust into the wendigo's core. Following the killing point of his spear led the excess momentum to carry him past the Grimm and its scythe-like claws.

"Scatter!" The wolf barked over his shoulder. "Big bastard can only chase one of us."

"But not too far..." Sable eyed the beast with a challenging gaze. His stance widened, lowering his center of gravity, and his two-hand grip narrowed on his halberd like he was holding an axe--a fitting stance as any against a beast like dark forest incarnate. His intent was clear: he was going to try to cut the monster down again. If there was any doubt about remaining, his low growl surely banished it: "I'm going for another swing."

AOE Mitigation: 1D20+6 = [11]+6 = 17 vs 20. Fails. Toughness DC is 25.
Toughness vs AOE: 1D20+10 = [8]+10 = 18 vs 25. Fails. Bruised. (This should be a +9 'cause of the bruise not +10 but it doesn't make a difference.)

Sable
Free Action: Expend Dust Charge (2/3 Left)
Standard Action: Power Melee Attack -5/+5: 1D20 = [20]+3 = 23. Critical Hit! Enhanced Effect: Increase Effect Values by 5. DC(15+8+5+5=)33 Toughness to resist Damage and DC(10+8+5=)23 Toughness to resist Weaken: Toughness
Move Action: Dart away from the Wendigrimm.
Condition: Bruised x2 (Regen in 3 Rounds)
 
The Wendigo's claws would have scythed through lesser opponents like so much wheat but the cadets of the Special Operative Academy were made of stronger stuff! While the Aegean heiress had already moved clear of the wide sweep of the monster's limbs, Lilac and Henri didn't want to abandon their new friend and bore the full brunt of its attack, their auras holding with only the meerest of flickers.

Then came time for the counter-attack! Sable's blazing halberd struck a savage blow to the monster, brilliant flames leaping from the weapon to its patchy black fur and igniting it, it's roar no longer a terror inspiring undulating cry but one of outright pain.

"There's something I would like to show you, but it simply wouldn't be polite." The Heiress shot back from behind her mask as her coat began to whip up behind her in a suddenly appearing gust, it seemed like Henri wasn't the only rich girl with a penchant for wind dust, launching herself at the Grimm and unloading a flurry of accelerated blows to batter and unbalance it before springing clear again.

Seeing Sable deal such a heavy blow to the Wendigo even managed to rally Henrietta's courage and twisting twirling her cane in her grip like a baton she added her own icy chill to the wind whirling through the mine, forming an enormous block of ice above its head, then of course gravity took its course while she scampered off to put the beacon between her and it.

Surprisingly the only one of them that didn't move was flighty Lilac, simply shifting her weapons to their blaster configuration and opening fire, maybe her aura had taken more of a hit than she was letting on? Wait did that actually happen..? Regardless of whether it did or not she was still the only one now standing in front of the beast and to the mind of a predator she looked just about the perfect morsel and it swung out at the pintsized girl with its dripping claws.

Meg
Move Move in to Close with the Wendigrimm
Move-by Standard All-Out Power Attack +5 Wendigrimm Meg Wind: 1D20+10 = [12]+10 = 22 DC26+Multiattack Toughness vs Damage & DC20+Multiattack vs Trip if that hits
Move Move away

Henrietta
Standard Attack Wendigrimm with Ice, DC18 Defence and a DC23 Toughness Save if that fails
Move Scatter!

Lilac
Free Activate Rewind
Move Dazed
Standard Attack Wendigrimm Lilac Rapid Fire: 1D20+8 = [16]+8 = 24 DC23+Multiattack vs Toughness if that hits. Lilac Rewind: 1D20+8 = [18]+8 = 26 Heals Bruise

Wendigrimm
Move INCAPACITATED
Move Dazed
Standard INCAPACITATED
Standard Attack Lilac Wendigrimm Corrupting Claws: 1D20+10 = [19]+10 = 29 DC25 Toughness & DC20 Fortitude vs Impaired&Dazed/Stunned&Disabled/Transformed&Controlled if that hits.
Initiative
Lilac 27
Wendigrimm 24
Sable 14
Meg 13
Henrietta 12

Status
Sable Bruised x2
Meg -5 Defence
Henrietta Bruised x1
Lilac Staggered/Bruised x1

Wendigrimm (INCAPACITATED)/(Bruised x3)
 
"And here I thought Atlas girls were supposed to be prudish," Sable retorted, shrugging off the heiress' verbal jab like it was nothing. Smarmy additions lingered on the tip of his tongue, begging to be let loose against the sassy Atlesian, but he wisely refrained from throwing more fuel on that fire. There was, after all, a more pressing fire that he ought to be piling the hurt on. The scent of charred grimm filled his nose, which registered smoke and rotten eggs more so than burning hair and flesh--a very unpleasant, but no less victorious smell to accompany its baleful bellows.

His grip tightened and his grin widened. Sable was looking forward to turning those wails into an abrupt silence.

Meg and Henrietta dived in after him, piling hurt upon the weakened monster in their own ways. Windy blows fed the flames, each strike flaring with a burst of flame. Crashing ice descended upon it, shattering into tiny shards that melted and evaporated in the heat. Sable glanced over to Lilac and double-took as she fired off a barrage of lasers at their foe.

Hadn't she just been struck square in the torso? Her aura seemed to be in perfect condition now, and he was absolutely certain that was no trick of the eye. He knew what he saw, and he trusted his senses more than anything--ironic, given what he could do with senses himself--even though they failed to reconcile. A function of her semblance? But what in the world combines teleportation and healing?

Then the shortstack took another hit to the face. What a well-timed course correction. It seemed like fate had a sense of humor.

But while the Wendigo was off balance lashing out at Lilac, Sable took the opportunity to strike. The faunus charged in, leaping up for a high strike before killing his momentum with his gun and diving down to the ground. Another shot provided a much needed boost in momentum, letting him slide across the stone while he delivered a circular slash to the Wendigo's legs!

Sable
Move Action: Move into range
Standard Action: Improved Trip Melee Attack: 1D20+8 = [10]+8 = 18; On Hit: Contested Acrobatics Roll: 1D20+8 = [3]+8 = 11 vs Lower of Athletics or Acrobatics.*
Move-by-Action: Move outta range.
Condition: Bruised x2 (Regen in 2 Rounds), -5 Defense

*Yeah, that's not gonna do anything lol.
 
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