Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

SABL (Ashen Wolf x LittleCloud)

Assaulted on all sides the Wendigo was still standing, though unsteady on its crooked and spindly limbs, and it wasn't going to go down without a fight! Leaping back up to the rough walls of the mine to avoid Sable's strike and bellowing out a challenge to the young Hunters below, a challenge that promised them nothing but death and destruction (and perhaps worse) at its cruel monstrous claws.

This time 'Miss Aegean' simply didn't respond to Sable's prodding, any number of pointed put downs ran through his mind, Atlasian high society had if nothing else left her with a very sharp tongue but the faunus boy had proven unusual resilient to her barbs. She also had a number of far less proper gestures that she had picked up from places that her parents almost certainly wouldn't have approved of that she thought might get her point across but, as her coat blazed again with bright crimson dust, her hands were too full of fire to really convey the message. When the monster hit the ground again she was already waiting, striking over and over again with her blazing fists before darting clear to not get in the way of the others, she didn't quite trust them all not to friendly fire anyway.

Lilac was too slow this time to avoid the Grimm's claws, her aura shimmering and crackling as it was pushed almost passed its limit but the tiny huntress stayed resolute "I'm okay!" she declared to reassure her new friends, girding herself for whatever else the creature had in store.

Regardless of her reassurance Henrietta wasn't leaving anything to chance and even though the other Atlasian girl had abandoned the use of wind dust for the moments the gust running through the mine didn't falter. Just like she had done with Sable during the fight with the Mukabe she was going to make sure that no harm came to the other girl, launching a hammer blast of air towards the monster at the same time. "Don't worry! I won't let it hurt you!" She announced, something about brandishing her cane making her feel a little bit bolder than perhaps she normally would.

Of course the problem with a sending a whirling shield of air around one of your friends was that while it might have helped defend them, it wasn't the most subtle way to protect them and it couldn't protect everyone. Abandoning its assault on Lilac the Wendigrimm cleared the distance between it and Meg in a single bound, she had overstretched herself in an effort to end the conflict quickly and prove her superiority over the rest of the rabble and now she was going to pay the price as the monster swung out with those horrible terrible claws.

Meg
Move Move in to close with the Wendigrimm
Standard All-Out/Power Attack +5 Wendigrimm Meg Fire: 1D20+10 = [8]+10 = 18 DC26/21 Toughness vs Damage & Weaken Toughness with Secondary Effect if that hits
Move Move away from the Wendigrimm

Henrietta
Move N/A
Standard Attack Wendigrimm Henrietta Wind Dust: 1D20+8 = [16]+8 = 24 DC23 Toughness vs Damage if that hits. Lilac is Deflected until Henrietta's next turn.

Lilac
Move Staggered
Standard Recover

Wendigrimm
Move INCAPACITATED
Move Move in to Close with Meg
Standard INCAPACITATED
Standard Attack Meg Wendigrimm Corrupting Claws: 1D20+10 = [15]+10 = 25 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/Staggered/Bruised x1
Henrietta Bruised x1
Lilac +2 Defence/Recover Used/Bruised x1

Wendigrimm (INCAPACITATED)/(Bruised x4)
 
The Wendigrimm's claws descended upon the vulnerable heiress, but what greeted her was not sharp, tearing talons. Rather, it was the stark clash of bone against steel, and a dark silhouette holding the monster at bay. It was the kind of thing many a maiden would have dreamed of. A handsome young man, coming to her defense against a deadly monster. Although, Sable would wager that to her, the claws might have been preferable to the alternative.

Which, of course, was the point.

"You're welcome, Princess~" he quipped, glancing over his shoulder as he held back the malignant claws grinding against the shaft of his rifle-halberd. He gave Meg a cheeky wink before looking back at his opponent, unable to hide the growing smirk on his face. That nickname sounded quite a bit more fitting than Maskie, Sable thought wryly, eyes glinting with malice--but whether it was for the monster or the maiden wasn't entirely known.

Sable's heels dug into the cavern floor, and the sharp butt of his weapon sparked against the stone. In matters of strength, the grimm wouldn't be beat; he had to use his head instead. As soon as he formulated a plan--which was very soon with killer instinct like his--a swift riposte followed.

One shot to divert the force. Backstep. Another shot to shift his momentum. Two turning steps to follow it through. A leap to put him above the wounded beast, and a final shot to bring the arc of his halberd down like a headsman's axe upon it!

Sable
Reaction Action: Move into range and Interpose for Meg
Interpose, vs DC25 Toughness: 1D20+8 = [18]+8 = 26 Resists
Interpose, vs DC20 Fortitude: 1D20+8 = [16]+8 = 24 Resists

Move Action: Bouncing outta there
Standard Action: All Out Power Melee Attack: 1D20+8 = [14]+8 = 22 DC (15+8+5=)28 Toughness
Condition: Bruised x2 (Regen in 1 Round), -5 Defense

Meg: -5 Defence/Staggered/Bruised x1
 
Last edited:
Most people would happy to have someone bravely throw themselves in front of them to take the brunt of an attack, doubly so when that attack came from an enormous Grimm, but 'Miss Aegean' was not most people. She knew exactly Sable was up to, now that he'd 'saved' her he was going to try and hold it over her for as long as he could get away with and he hadn't even the decency to at least lose a limb or something in the process.

This had to end and Meg was going to end it now, the only thing colder than the look she was giving the irreverent Faunus was the swirling blue ice Dust that gathered around her hands as she struck out again and again out the beast, though even after the beating it had taken it still had enough wherewithal to weave its spindly and crooked limbs around her blows. To say the Atlasian girl was displeased was an understatement.

"How are you doing this you....?!" She howled in very unladylike frustration, catching herself just before saying something something that might be inappropriate for someone of her standing, especially as they were still being observed as far as she knew.

"We're wearing it down..." Henri tried her best to keep the mood positive, the only reason Meg wasn't the scariest thing in the room was because of the giant monster, sending a battering burst of compressed air towards the Wendigo hoping to at least protect the other girl from a counter attack.

"Yeah!" Echoed her sentiments, not particularly scared of either the masked Atlasian or the Grimm, an endless well of positivity even as the monster stubbornly refused to go down, suddenly appearing in front of it and lashing out with her glowing hardlight blades but finding about as much satisfaction as Meg did before vanishing back to her original position. "When did it get so fast?!"

Still standing after everything they tried, the Grimm threw its head back and let out another inhuman noise, not the baleful howl Sable and Henri had back in the forest but a strange, almost jovial barking noise, if they didn't know any better it was almost like it was mocking them. Driving a claw in to the dripping mass between its exposed ribs it withdrew a ball of the black corrupting that made up its hard and flung it straight towards Sable.

Meg
Standard All-Out/Power Attack +5 Wendigrimm Meg Ice: 1D20+10 = [7]+10 = 17 DC26/21 Fortitude vs Damage, Cumulative Dazed&Vulnerable/Stunned&Defenceless/Paralyzed (Limited:First Track Physical Only/Second Track Limited Degree) & Weaken Fortitude if that hits.
EE Standard All-Out/Power Attack +5 Wendigrimm Meg Ice: 1D20+10 = [5]+10 = 15 DC26/21 Fortitude vs Damage, Cumulative Dazed&Vulnerable/Stunned&Defenceless/Paralyzed (Limited:First Track Physical Only/Second Track Limited Degree) & Weaken Fortitude if that hits.
Move Scatter!

Henrietta
Move N/A
Standard Attack Wendigrimm Henrietta Wind Dust: 1D20+8 = [5]+8 = 13 DC23 Toughness vs Damage if that hits. Meg is Deflected until Henrietta's next turn.

Lilac
Move Teleport in to Close with the Wendigrimm
Move-by Standard Attack Wendigrimm Lilac Dizzying Strikes: 1D20+8 = [4]+8 = 12 DC23+Multiattack Toughness & DC18 Will vs Impaired/Disabled if that its.
Move Retreat

Wendigrimm
Move INCAPACITATED
Move Dazed
Standard INCAPACITATED
Standard Attack Sable Wendigrimm Corrupting Shot: 1D20+10 = [2]+10 = 12 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/Fatigue
Henrietta Bruised x1
Lilac Recover Used/Bruised x1

Wendigrimm (INCAPACITATED)/(Bruised x5)
 
Sable grit his teeth, feeling Twilight's Fang clash against its horn as it reared back. There was a sharp crack as the bony fractured protrusion fractured, but there wasn't enough momentum to cleave clean through. He planted his feet against the base of its neck and leapt off, crossing paths with the incoming heiress in the process. There were no words as they slipped past each other. The looks that the two exchanged conveyed everything that needed to be said: a deep blue as cold as ice, and a red glowing with chaotic fire.

The faunus ducked into a three-point roll as his companions assailed the beat with fist, dust, and bullets alike. Yet despite their best efforts, the Wendigrimm refused to abide, thrashing about like a willow, parrying and avoiding the brunt of damage. Suddenly, it hunkered down, body shaking with guttural bellows. It quickly registered to the faunus' ears that those weren't spastic calls, but purposeful, mocking cries.

And that made him very, very annoyed.

"Keep laughin' bud. It's not gonna last long!" Sable called out, diving back in as it clawed at its own chest, tearing away black matter from its now-exposed ribcage to...

...throw it at him?

Needless to say, Sable wasn't expecting that, but he didn't miss a beat. Instead of dodging away, the faunus moved into the attack, followed by the crescent trail of his weapon. Smoky slime splattered past him, split in twain by a swift downwards strike from Twilight's Fang. Without time to wind up for another stroke of the axe-head, he directed his momentum into the spear-point of his halberd, thrusting it into the beast like a bullet.

Sable
Def vs Corrupting Shot (12): 1D20+1 = [2]+1 = 3 Fail
Fort vs Corrupting Shot (20): 1D20+8 = [16]+8 = 24 Succeed

Move Action: Move in!
Standard Action: -5/+3/+2 All Out Power Attack: 1D20+11 = [12]+11 = 23 DC25 for Damage
Condition: Bruised x1 (Regen in 5 Rounds), -5 Defense
 
The Wendigo was proving itself a worthy match for the four cadets but even as fearsome as it was, the monster was still outnumbered and outgunned! Thrusting forward with his spear Sable struck it hard in the chest, drawing a howl of pain from the beast and following his example the girls piled on, Meg darting in, twin trails of flame and ice dancing across her body before thrusting her open palms in to the same spot he had struck, igniting its ragged fur and flooding its ribcage with blistering cold.

Next Lilac simply appeared in the air above the monster with a gleeful "Wheeeee!" letting gravity do its work and sending her dropping down on top of it, slashing her hi-tech blades forward in a clashing cross-strike down its back, even meek Henri managed to martial her Dust and send a bolt of lightning streaking from her cane and striking the Grimm clean in its bony white face. When all was said and done the Wendigo slumped forward, driving Sable's halberd deeper through its body, and with a final strangled howl it began to disintegrate in to so much ash and smoke.

"We did it..." Henri muttered quietly to herself, straightening her glasses and blinking a few times to make sure she really was seeing what she thought she was.

"WE WON!" Much less restrained than the other girl, Lilac launched herself straight towards Sable with both arms outstretched for a victory hug. The only person who didn't seem to be celebrating was the girl in the mask, who simply inserted her Scroll in to the beacon before stalking off out of the mine without a word, sincerely hoping she never had to see any of these people every again.
When all was said and done the hopefuls who had been in the Bullhead that morning had been whittled down to only a handful of cadets that had made the grade, the rest of them were already on their way home with a very strong lecture from Elm, but for those that were left this was it. Normally it was traditional for the Heads of the academies to greet the new intake of students but it was also traditional for General Ironwood to be very busy, what with also running Atlas and everything, so today that duty had fallen to his right hand, Winter Schnee.

"Congratulations are in order." The immaculate women spoke in to the microphone set above the stage in front of them "You have proven yourself worthy of the title of Special Operative Cadet but don't let it go to your head. Those of you standing here today are merely on the first step to become true Special Operatives but in the coming days you will have a chance to prove yourselves. Gerard Orkney, Lin Merlot, Lance Neptune and Trystan Blush, you will be team Galant."

"Alright!" A hulking blonde boy with an equally enormous greatsword strapped to his back hi-fived a boy with blue hair as they headed towards the stage, another boy with long red hair, his eyes concealed by a blindfold and a girl dressed in long white robes following serenely behind them.

"Those are the mean boys!" Lilac whispered indignantly to anyone who would listen, having stuck close to Sable since they had left the mines, along with Henri who hadn't kept the same latch on his arm but stayed near nonetheless, it wasn't like she knew anyone else and she still kind of felt like she owed the Faunus boy anyway...

"Val Helsing, Nick West, Tori Frankincense and Marine Ryder, you will be team Hunter." Winter continued, her voice a metered model of professionalism as the next team took the stage to the same polite applause as the last. The first boy was wiry and looked like he hadn't slept in days, a pair of hooked blades resting on the back of his brown long coat, following him up was a boy and a girl both in what appeared to be white labcoats, the girl dwarfed by the warhammer she was carrying and bringing up the rear another girl followed them silently, a bizarre mixture of a shotgun and chainsaw resting in her hands.

"Wanda Mercury, Nikki March, Daisy Dormir and Alex Liddell, you will be team Wonder." This news was met with the triumphant sound of a horn and a spray of confetti as a girl in a purple top hat cartwheeled up on to the stage and took a deep theatrical bow, following at a more sedate pace a rabbit faunus was giving a piggyback to a girl with mouse ears who appeared to be fast asleep and bringing up the rear was a blonde haired boy who looked incredibly out of his depth.

With each team announcement more and more colour had drained out of 'Miss Aegean's' face until there were only four cadets left unassigned and it was a good thing she was still wearing her mask because the words she mouthed were positively unladylike "Sable Grey, Megara Aegean, Henrietta Bronze and Lilac Langley, you will be team Sable." Winter announced, sealing their fate. "Your dorms have already been allocated and you will find your personal effects already their, your classes begin tomorrow. You are all dismissed."
 
Sable was lucky he had a resting bitch face and a rebellious attitude, or someone would've called him out for being so obviously inattentive. His eyes were half-lidded, his posture was lax, and he'd chosen the darkest corner of the assembly hall to stake his claim. All the fight that had been running through his veins vanished long before the assembly began, only to be replaced by an erratic awareness lethargically twitching at whatever details it could in an attempt to stay awake. It wasn't his fault that Atlas Academy was simply too safe.

Admittedly, it was a strange complaint to have, even for someone of his background. But the Pavlovian response was in full swing here. There was always another job to do, there was always another skill to train, and there was always another early morning and an even later night. The only time he felt safe was when he could rest, and he crested the peak of tiredness back to the point of wakefulness so often that his sleep debt must've been enough to bankrupt the Schnee family.

Speaking of which...

General James "Two Seats" Ironwood wasn't around to give the speech like Sable assumed he'd be, but the lady standing on stage was just about as well-aquainted with him as that guy. If "had part in overseeing his arrest, interrogation, and negotiation of terms" qualified for "well-acquainted" in these circles. Based on what little he knew from those melodramatic serials that certain Mantleites followed, that probably did.

Sable's wolfish ears perked up at the sound of names, and his eyes sharpened at the sight of faces. 'This is important, Sable,' his unconscious mind warned in a familiar, matronly voice, stirring the cobwebs from the cogs, 'Pay attention.' And so he did.

"That so?" 'Gallant' was an ironic name for a team that was half flakes. They definitely looked the part of the dudebro blowhards he'd been imagining, though. "I'll keep that in mind..."

Sable hadn't made the effort to seek any of the girls out, but he didn't really need to. Lilac had been attached at the hip ever since he agreed to be her 'friend', and Henrietta wasn't too far behind her for some reason. Still, it was better to gather with the people you knew than those you didn't. He couldn't really call them his friends, but they fought together without stabbing each other in the back, and that was worth something in his book. Only the Princess was missing, and he could pick her out in the crowd with ease.

She was, of course, alone. Very sad. He'd have a small violin playing if he knew how to play violin.

'Hunter' was the next team up, which Sable thought was a very auspicious name for a group of huntsmen. The matching outfits and the big weapon certainly made an impression, but he knew better than anyone that you should be just as wary of the quieter ones that rejected the spotlight. Already he was imagining ways they could take advantage of their composition... Sable shook his head. He had to remind himself that he wasn't here to take anyone out, he was here to get out himself!

Next one up was 'Wonder', which was an apt name because it was a wonder that they were even Atlas students. Looks could be deceiving, but theatricality and vulnerability were far from what he expected of successful Atlas Academy cadets. Maybe he was just cross about how much that noise made his ears ring. He felt bad for the boy though, but not in a sympathetic way. More of a schadenfreude way. He also had to raise an eyebrow at the sleeping mouse, but then again, he also kind of wanted to sleep right now. He didn't think he could convince anyone here to carry him well, though.

None of the other teams were very notable in his eyes. Most of them he was surprised even made it into the mountain with how many grimm were floating around. Straggling freeloaders, maybe? Or perhaps they had been occupying the only real threat on the mountain...

Sable's team snuck upon him like a mugger in a dark alley: completely unexpected, but also completely expected if you were paying any attention to the strange man following you for the last few blocks. In this case, even yawning along the edge of the dwindled crowd of unsorted students, he did see it coming. It was difficult not to when the divisions began making themselves so apparent. He couldn't stop the smirk growing on his face as the numbers died down, leaving only a fateful four displayed on screen.

And what a four it was. Oh Brothers, it made too much sense! Of course his team would shake out like that; they'd been watching everything. If the thought had occurred to him earlier, maybe he would've been more diligent in scoping out the other students. This, though? This was good too.

"'Last and certainly not least'..." Sable quipped as he lead the three on stage. With his back straight and his chin held high, you could hardly guess he was barely put together. He grinned wolfishly at Megara as they joined her on stage, and then exchanged a knowing look with Ms. Schnee. It was the look of a cockroach that hadn't been squashed. The team name, though, did a good job at hammering through his expectations.

Team 'Sable', led by Sable Grey.


Megara Aegean had been mercifully quiet, and that mask of hers did wonders to conceal the glowering she was no doubt doing. But Sable didn't need his semblance to feel the eyes glaring holes in the back of his head as the newly christened teams headed towards the barracks. For what it was worth, he wasn't particularly content with the arrangement either. It was funny for the first few minutes, but the reality of being the team leader hit him like a truck. It would have been so much easier to coast off of someone else's leadership, but even if he could, Sable could hardly leave that job to any of his teammates: Megara was too much of a princess, Henrietta was too indecisive, and Lilac was... Lilac.

"Home sweet home~" Sable sang as the door unlocked, opening to reveal their barracks. To one side of the room were desks and other living furniture. To the other side were the four bunks set into the walls. Their stuff was arranged in bags (or boxes in his case) in the center of the room, right across from a big window, which made Sable feel a little discomforted. Even with the best collar Atlas money could buy strung around his neck, he didn't like the idea of such a vulnerable, open room. Still, it was nicer than any other place he'd had the luxury of sleeping, but that didn't say much.

"Looks good enough for me," Sable shrugged, and without missing a beat, he staked his claim: "Dibs."

He dumped his box of things onto the bottom bunk furthest into the corner. His personal effects weren't much. Compared to the other girls' belongings, his delivery wasn't simply modest. It was downright sad. He had less than a week's worth of his clothes--not that Atlas' rigid uniform policy would allow for such a thing on campus--and then a bunch of military issue essentials. Not a single piece of hobbyist equipment or extraneous entertainment in sight. Just the bare minimum needed for survival.

'Just like a prisoner,' he thought dryly.
 
"Our new home!" Lilac announced brightly as the door opened, following her new leader's...lead with her own call of "Dibs on top bunk!". It didn't take an genius to work out which of the luggage in the middle of the room belonged to the smaller girl, it wasn't the large green trunks at the bottom of the pile and it certainly wasn't the stacks of immaculate bags monogrammed with 'M.A', but just in case there was any doubt at all in the blink of an eye the big pink holdall was torn open and it's contents scattered everywhere with Lilac herself suddenly perched on the top bunk, her scroll in one hand and a Pumpkin Pete plushie stuffed under one arm.

All the way to their new dorm Meg had been silent, truth be told she'd been in something of a fugue state, her brain simply refusing to accept that the events playing out in front of her were now her life, but suddenly finding herself with a garish pink bra draped over her head snapped her back to reality and she was not happy.

"This is unacceptable!" She snapped, flinging the offending undergarment to the floor "I have not worked all my life to get dumped with Mantle riff raff and a child!"

"Hey! I'm seventeen same as everyone else!" Lilac shot back before sticking out her tongue and completely undermining her own point, not that Meg was paying particular attention to her though, she had a lot to get off her chest right now.

"I do not care what sort of malfunction the Headmaster was having when he came up with these assignments but I refuse to let you drag me down! You there, Bronze girl." Meg turned her attention to Henri and the poor all but flinched "Surely you have to understand how inappropriate this is?!"

"I don't think we should question the Headmaster...?" Henri squeaked back, practically melting under the other girl's harsh glare.
 
Sable's ruminations were interrupted by the sudden appearance of fabric over his face, which cast everything in a pink light. Gingerly, the faunus lifted the garment from his face. It was not exactly the most titillating thing in the world; it was a pair of pink panties with a cute animal print. Very appropriate for someone like Lilac, he supposed. Lips curling up in bemusement, he bundled the garment in his fist. "I dunno, kid. This design says otherwise," he joked, tossing underhand to the bunk atop his. "Maybe you oughta prove it by cleaning up after yourself, eh?"

Sable didn't actually care that much about the mess. As long as there was a roof, he was content to live in far worse squalor than a few strewn about undergarments. But as the newly-christened leader of Team SABL, it was becoming readily apparent that it was up to him to ensure that this team conducted itself smoothly. Gods knew that they'd probably start eating each other without a firm, guiding hand.

If only he'd gotten a team that could run itself! Sadly, he got one with a bratty, insubordinate heiress. How troublesome. Not even a lick of gratitude for saving her earlier, either!

"You done yet? 'Cause your yapping is already getting old, Princess." Sable yawned, casting a sharp-eyed gaze at Megara. He knew that if he gave her an inch, she'd take a mile. So he'd have to put her in her place, and that was better done sooner than later. He stood from his bunk and sauntered over to the leggy bluenette. He challenged her enraged gaze with his a cool, disaffected look. "The bigwigs upstairs thought you weren't fit to lead. That's all. But I'm sure acting like a spoiled brat is proving them wrong."

"Now you can either quit your bitching or I can bend you over my knee." He smirked. "You can consider that an order from your leader, if it makes you feel better."
 
While it wasn't how she normally liked to resolve problems it was obvious really that she was going to have to resort to the only thing a Mantle dweller like Sable would understand and that was brute strength. Her plan was flawless, she already had the height advantage over him and a quick show of force would certainly put him in his place, unfortunately for Megara she had overestimated how much her martial training counted for against Sable's practical combat experience and while she managed to grab hold of his shoulders, he had already slipped free before she could introduce him to the nearest wall.

This had all gone so much better in her head...but she wasn't willing to concede defeat (for now) without at least one last parting shot.

"Listen, I don't who you but I'm watching you and you can play at being a leader all you want." As she spoke she slowly moved one hand up, unhooking her mask underneath her hair, letting it dangle from one ear to reveal the rows of sharp pointed teeth that lurked behind her aristocratic scowl "But the second I smell blood in the water you're going to wish that you'd stayed in whatever hole in the dirt you crawled out of."
 
When Megara's fingers found the fabric of his uniform, Sable couldn't help but let out a smug "Oh?" This kind of reaction was well within the faunus' expectations, but admittedly, he didn't think she'd resort to violence so soon! No matter, though. It wasn't the first time someone tried to grab him, and he was sure it wouldn't be the last. Slipping away was a simple matter of quickly stepping back at the moment her fingers curled in, and thus the angered heiress was left with nothing but thin air and a very smarmy looking faunus boy.

"My, my. How uncouth." He brushed off his shoulders and crossed his arms, eyeing the insubordinate student with a half-amused, half-interested gaze. "Wanna try that again?"

After an initial failure, he suspected that she wouldn't have the balls to go for a second and keep digging the hole she'd made for herself. Now he was simply wondering how she planned to save face... which proved to be a rather (in?)appropriate turn of phrase, given what she'd opted to do.

Though Sable's poker face betrayed no hint of shock at this scandalous development, it definitely took him by surprise--enough that he couldn't do anything but stand there while the gears turned, even. An faunus aristocrat? Now that was a bit more interesting than simply an uppity rich girl! He could only imagine what kind of grief she'd gotten throughout her life with a look like that, in a place like this... How she needed to struggle with her peers looking down on her.... But did it make him more sympathetic to him?

If you asked Sable: not really. Remnant ate people up and spat them out every day, rich and poor alike. Why should he care about someone who'd throw him to the dogs for a crumb of recognition? He'd done worse to better people.

"Oh. Wow. I'm shaking in my boots. You've definitely scared me straight," the wolf agreed dryly, eyes narrowing. He was absolutely not shaking in the slightest. He wasn't even wearing boots. Megara didn't know how lucky she was that Sable had an audience to consider, else he'd have opted to give her a classically Mantlesian dressing down. His voice took on a much sharper intonation: "Good thing you're a fucking shark; I won't have to worry about knocking your teeth out if you tried."

A brief spot of activity from his control collar made the hairs on the back of his head stand straight. Tone it down, Sable reminded himself. You've got an audience.

"Unlike you, I don't have anything to hide," he sneered, punctuating his boldfaced lie with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Watch all you want. As long as you can follow orders and play nice with the others, I don't really care."

He eyed the remaining girls on their team. "What are you two looking at?" he snipped, "Let's get these bags out of the way."
 
This was getting her nowhere, instead of rising to her leader's latest comment Meg simply rolled her eyes, letting out a sigh as she reaffixed her mask. This wasn't over, not by a long shot, but she was confident that time was on her side, all she had to do was play the long game and wait for Sable to inevitably slip up and then she could send him back down to Mantle where he belonged.

With that thought in mind to soothe her ego she turned her attention to her luggage but it seemed like the day had one last indignity left to deal her. While the pair had been arguing Henrietta had already gotten to work unpacking to try and distract herself and of course she didn't want to get anywhere near the two of them, dragging her trunk to the unoccupied bunk beneath Lilac which left only one bed left...

"Nothing! I'm almost done unpacking!" Henri squeaked, standing to attention by her almost empty trunk like there was about to be some kind of inspection.

Internally Meg seethed but she'd lost enough face for one day and decided not to let it show, simply getting on with the task at hand, setting up a pair of dummies in one corner of the room, one to hold her shimmering multihued coat and the other (more substantial of the pair) left bare, before moving to unpack her clothes. Luckily for her though, she wouldn't have to wait long before a distraction suddenly appeared to take her mind of things...

"Salutations!" The dorm room door swung open with a loud WHAM and in marched a new face, all bright green eyes and orange curls surveying the room in front of her "I am so happy you are making new friends Sable." She said with a wide innocent smile.
 
Hah! An Atlesian without a uppity riposte or a self-important insult to spare? Nothing to offer, but rolled eyes and a resigned sigh? She could act as disaffected as she wanted, but Sable knew better. That reaction could only mean one thing, and so, upon his mental chalkboard, the faunus marked down yet another outstanding victory for the S in Team SABL! The first of many, no doubt; as much as he understood this was a victory, he also knew that the look in Megara's eye meant that this was only a single battle in a much larger war...

One he was going to win, obviously. Still, what a troublesome teammate he'd been saddled with. He could only wonder if the other teams were getting along just as swimmingly as they had.

Thoroughly satisfied with the way things had worked out for him, Sable returned to sorting out what meager belongings he'd been allowed to have (not that he had many to bring in the first place). For someone with such a bold personality, he was surprisingly modest when it came to organization. He didn't take up anymore space than he had to; he even took steps to sort his things and make sure the space he had to occupy was truly minimal, indeed. By the time his box was empty, you could make a compelling argument that the SABL dorm was really only the ABL dorm. Maybe he'd worked as a house-servant somewhere?

...Or maybe he was just good at hiding stuff.

Regardless, on his bed, his cast-off scroll blinked ominously. A message had arrived for him, and if he took the time to read the thing, maybe he would have known what was coming next. But instead of his scroll, his eyes were locked firmly on the mannequins Megara was setting up on the other side of the room. He reached out for a weapon that wasn't there, and instead ended up rapping his knuckles against the wall. He clicked his tongue and drew his hand back, turning away from those creepy, creepy things with a quiet grumble.

Sable's attention turned to the rest of his group, who seemed to have taken his order to heart. Henrietta was quietly working away, Lilac was chipping away at her pile, and Megara had fallen in line as well. He wondered what they all planned to do afterwards; class would start tomorrow, so the time left was precious. He reckoned he owed the short one some noodles, but would he even be allowed to leave the island?

Speaking of which, Sable had a meeting of his own once he was done setting up, didn't he? Now that his things were out of the way, the faunus decided that he as well start heading off to meet with his contact. A spot of fresh air and a bit of space would do him some good after that little altercation.... Wisely, he decided to exercise a bit of prudence here. No need to worry the team with the truth, after all. He picked up the empty box laying next to his bed. "I'm gonna toss this box," he announced, striding over to the exit, "Don't eat each other while I'm gone."

WHAM!

"...Nevermind."

'Oh Brothers,' Sable thought. 'What ever happened to meeting in an office?'

In many ways, Penny Polendina was a lot like Lilac and Henrietta. She was all sheltered cuteness and bright-eyed energy. But in the most important way, she was a lot like Megara: a persistent thorn in Sable side. Ever since Atlas got their collar on him, the faunus had been leashed to the chipper Atlesian agent. She would insist they were friends, but he considered her more like a handler than anything. In theory, the concept was nothing terribly new to someone like him, but in practice..

Well, it was more than sufficient to prepare him for handling his team's more erratic quirks, he supposed.

"People usually knock first, Penny," Sable crossed his arms, pinching the corner of the cardboard box between his fingers. He cast an aside glance at his team and quickly decided that the less they knew, the better. "Whatever. Don't worry about it," he brushed off her entrance with a dismissive tilt of his head. "Shouldn't you be somewhere else?"
 
"Somewhere else?" Any meaning that Sable might have intended to imbue his statement, bar the obvious, sailed cleanly over Penny's head which she tilted cutely to one side until her eyes lit up with understanding, or at least that's what she thought was happening "Oh, I am having tea with Ceil! But that is not until later, did she invite you too?"

Of course the orange haired girl's arrival hadn't exactly gone unnoticed by the rest of team SABL. Meg simply didn't care, she didn't recognise the girl and she clearly knew Sable so that clearly meant she was just more Mantle trash, honestly were they just letting anyone in to the cadet program now? This was all going to go in a letter that was going to find its way to the General's desk, on Aegean company letterhead no less! Sable might have won this round but he wasn't going to be so insufferable with the full weight Atlasian bureaucracy against him.

Henri was slightly less dismissive but she still didn't get involved, she didn't know Penny after all and she didn't want to interrupt them so she simply contented herself with putting the way the last of her things. Lilac however lacked any such social graces and quickly vanished from her bunk only to appear in between the pair of them.

"Hi! I'm Lilac what's your name?" She asked brightly.

"I'm Penny! It is nice to meet you!" Oh god there was two of them...

"Ooo are you Sable's girlfriend?"

"I'm his friend and I am a girl." Penny replied, utterly unaware of the significance of the statement, and that was all Lilac needed to hear.

"Sable's got a girlfriend! Sable's got a girlfriend!" The pink girl sang while she bounced around the room and that was going to be the backing track to this conversation.

This all went completely over Penny's head obviously and she plowed right on ahead with her mission to assess Sable's team "So are you going to introduce me to your friends?"
 
Sable blanched.

Then he reddened.

Then he darkened.

And then he threw his box at Lilac.

It hit the wall behind her with a loud thump before falling haphazardly upon the carpet all bent out of shape. Sable felt his collar sting, evoking pale, shallow ripples along the back of his neck--a courteous reminder of the consequences if his intent had been a bit more aggressive. "Oh Brothers, will you shut up!?" The faunus barked over his shoulder at the violet irritation filling the air with lies. He'd faced the horrors of the underworld with a swift fist and a steely face, but he was clearly on the back foot when it came to the everyday heart attacks of highschool socialization. The most annoying part was that he couldn't use the truth to clear up the misunderstanding!

"A cool, handsome guy like me is allowed to have friends who are girls, you know!" Sable let out an indignant huff. He had plenty of friends who happened to be girls... Or well, he acquaintances who were girls. Real friendship was a bit hard to come by in the backstreets. Either way, he was on damage control now, and the only damage he knew how to control was how hard he swung his halberd! But Sable was canny: he knew that to defeat a fool, he needed to think like a fool. "Or are you telling me that you were asking me out back in the exam, 'friend'?"

With a gruff grumble, he turned back to his orange-haired parole officer. She would certainly be no help in this matter. She was the one who started it!

"Am I allowed to answer 'No'?" Sable asked innocently (or as innocently as someone so naturally rough could seem, at least). He didn't need Penny to speak to know the answer would be negatory on the outset, though. After a mostly-silent beat, he let out a defeated sigh. "Fine... They're not my friends, though."

Rather than a proper introduction, Sable opted to break them down as members of a unit. That was probably what she--and the administration she represented--was fishing for anyway: could he work with these people, and could they work with him? "You've met Lilac already," Sable said simply, thumbing at the singing student. "I can't say I have a good read on her as a person yet. And as you can see, she needs some discipline... but she fights well-enough, so I can only complain sometimes."

He guided Penny over to the busy, bespectacled brunette. He snapped his fingers to get Henrietta's attention. "This is Henrietta Bronze. Yes, like that Bronze," he threw his arm over the slender girl and pulled her in, eager to tease the mousey student a little bit. He ruffled her hair playfully. "She minds her business and plays well with others. Perfect teammate as far as I'm concerned. She's a very good girl, ain't that right?"

With that introduction concluded, Sable released Henrietta, but instead of approaching Megara, he just pointed in her vague direction. "That's Miss Megara Aegean. Honestly, I'm surprised she hasn't told you already." he introduced dryly. With a stage whisper, he added: "Between you and me, she's a bit of a problem child, but I've got my eye on her. Either way, she's a real fighter, that's for sure."

Finally, he gestured to his side and introduced Penny to the rest of the group. "Bronze, Aegean. This is Penny. Say hello. Get a good look at her. All that. With any luck, you won't be seeing much of her."

He did not clarify that statement. After a moment's pause, he looked over to the ginger-haired agent.

"That a good enough introduction or do I need to start getting fancy with it? Maybe throw in some deep bows and expensive little snacks?"
 
With a squeak of surprise suddenly LIlac wasn't where she had been, letting her leader's projectile hit the wall behind her and land on the floor in a crumpled heap, unfortunately for Sable where the small pink girl was now was standing right next to him and canny he might be but if he thought that he could simply think like a fool to stymie her then he did not understand the depths of Lilac Langley!

"Girls don't ask out boys Sable." She giggled, latching on to his arm again until her eyes went wide as she was hit by another eureka moment "Wait...are you asking me out!?" Lilac gasped, obviously she wasn't jumping to any kind of conclusion and so where did this leave poor Penny?! "Ohmigosh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to steal your boyfriend! I didn't know he thought I was so hot!"

Penny, the poor confused girl, looked at Lilac for a moment, then to Sable, then back at Lilac again, she had less than no idea what was going on right now but she was going to do her best! "Uh...don't worry, I can be your friend too?" She replied in a statement that certainly wasn't going to find its way out of this room and get twisted by the rumour mill, no sir.

Luckily for the dignity of everyone involved there was introductions to be made and with a snap of his finger Sable had Henri standing at attention, nearly dropping the textbooks she was organising, maybe that was an Atlasian thing?

"Like the manufacturer?" Penny asked as Sable pulled his teammate close, turning her face an adorable shade of crimson behind her glasses "It's so nice to meet you!"

Whatever reply Henri had for her was completely derailed as he continued to praised her, she opened her mouth but words simply refused to come out, this kind of treatment wasn't exactly big in Atlas at the best of times and especially not with this level of physical contact, feeling his hand running through her hair and hearing him call her a good girl had just about short-circuited every last part of her upbringing, settling instead for just nuzzling back against his had for a moment before catching herself. After a few moments of effort she just about managed to stammer out a "N-nice to meet you too..."

In the background Megara rolled her eyes, was that girl really supposed to move in the same circles that she did? Regardless it looked like it was her turn and if Sable really wanted the orange haired girl to leave as quickly as it seemed like he did, then she obviously wanted her to stick around. "Ignore him." Meg said as she approached the pair, gracing Penny with a far kinder tone than the one that she had been using up until right now "Megara, Megara Aegean, yes from the...well we like to think of ourselves as a fashion house, it's pleasure to meet you. Penny was it? I heard you were going for tea later, you simply have to come back some time, I have a wonderful imported Mistralian blend." She introduced herself, extending a hand to the other girl, Sable might have won the first battle but this wasn't over yet.

"It is nice to meet you too, that sounds lovely!" Penny replied brightly, shaking the offered arm with enthusiasm before launching in to her own questions with childlike innocence "Why are you wearing a mask? Do you have a cold?"
 
"..."

A suggestion that ludicrous did not even deserve a response. Lilac was exceedingly lucky that Sable did not have another box on hand, else she'd have been met with an unfortunate fate. Instead, what filled that empty hand was his face because he simply could not help but groan in the face of such absurdity. Incomprehensible grumbling emanated from his palm as he weighed the costs and benefits of trying to clear up this entirely-one-sided misunderstanding.

A long sigh slipped between his fingers and in the end, common sense (or was it fatigue?) outweighed his indignation, earning Lilac a tug on the ear and a scolding in response: "If you keep acting like a brat, I'll have to start treating you like one." And with how he'd threatened to spank Megara earlier, that wasn't a statement to take lightly!

Thankfully, introducing the other two girls went much more smoothly... for a given value of the term, at least. Henrietta certainly provided little push-back with the way she seemed to freeze, and subsequently melt, beneath his teasing arms. Henrietta's weak-willed demeanor was something she'd have to work on if she wanted to survive in the real world, but the wry look on his face made it clear to anyone watching that he was having a bit too much fun at the sheltered rich girl's expense. Although when a light pressure nuzzled back against his palm, he paused. She paused too.

The brief beat of silence that followed ensured that both parties knew very well what she'd just done. It was just long enough for the faunus to start feeling a little awkward, so he detached himself and moved on.

That left only Megara, and after he 'introduced' her, he couldn't help but notice that she was still approaching. Immediately, the warning bells started going off in his head. The way she talked was the final nail in the coffin. Nobody goes from bitch to belle in three seconds flat without some kind of angle.

"Gee, Miss Aegean. How come I don't get warm receptions like that?" Sable interrupted, arms crossed, glare locked firmly on his opposition. Unlike his naive handler, the faunus suspected his teammate's intentions immediately, and his keen intuition gave him a good idea of what she might have been up to... even if the way to combat her obviously feigned politeness wasn't entirely clear to him.

Fortunately, an opportunity quickly presented itself. He'd always been better on the offense, anyway.

"I don't know about a cold, but she is a bit frigid," Sable jabbed. If Megara wanted to try and expose him, then he could poke a sore spot or two. It was only fair. "Why don't you let the little lady know?"
 
"You'll never get a girlfriend like that, unless they like that I guess...." Lilac replied with the maturity she was obviously known for, sticking out her tongue and obviously not taking his threat seriously in the slightest, letting go of his arm once again and scurrying back to her bunk with a carefree giggle to resume watching videos on her Scroll.

Penny was of course still baffled but gave the small pink girl a cheery "It was nice to meet you." anyway as she watched her bounce away.

Unfortunately for poor Penny, things weren't about to get any less confusing as Henri froze up like a deer in headlights, the fact of what she'd just done hitting her like a ton of bricks, she could practically hear her classmates laughing at her and feel the stern weight of her parent's disapproval pressing down on her like that ton of bricks. To her mind the awkward moment seemed to drag on like an hour until finally she managed to will her limbs to cooperate again and with a blurted "I'M SORRY!" she made a beeline for the door, fleeing as fast as her aura could carry her.

Ignoring all the awkwardness, Meg continued her charm offensive and if Sable thought she could be knocked off her game with a single pointed comment then he was going to be sorely disappointed, she'd been in ball rooms and board meetings at her parent's side practically since she could walk, more than beating monsters to death with her bare hands this was her element and what's more it wasn't like she had never had to field questions about her odd choice of attire before.

"Well perhaps if you were as pleasant as your friend here you would have, you really could learn a thing or two from her you know." She began in the most condescending tone she could muster before turning her attention back to Penny "I'm perfectly fine but between you and me these are going to be all the rage next seasons, everyone who's everyone is going to wearing them."

Penny, bless her soul, listened to the explanation with wide eyes, I mean Megara had said her family were a fashion house right? She had to know what she was talking about!

Meg took just a moment to glance towards Sable to gauge his reaction before plowing forward for her coup-de-grace "In fact I think I might have a few extras...just a little something from me to you." She finished, heading back to fish one out of her luggage.

"Oh thank you very much." Penny beamed back happliy

"Think nothing of it. What are friends for?" Replied as she turned back to the room, a smug grin hidden beneath her mask.
 
Sable's eye-sockets must have been graves, because his eyes were rolling like there was no tomorrow. At the very least, he'd gotten Lilac out of his hair for now. It was the small mercies that made life bearable, he supposed. Although he couldn't shake the feeling that this wouldn't be the last time he'd have to deal with the sprightly students' misreading of the current situation, that was simply something he would have to face in the same way he usually did to inconveniences: head on, at a later point.

When Henrietta's embarrassment boiled over, Sable didn't try to stop her. From a certain perspective, Henrietta running off was a good thing. Now if only Meg or Penny could follow suit. He wasn't picky, and it would certainly tie up most of his current problems with a neat little bow!

"I don't know about that," Sable's narrowed gaze stabbed at Meg's condescending logic. "Maybe it's because you're not as jealous of her as you are me? You know envy's a bit out of style, Miss Fashionista."

Alas, here he was, forced to verbally spar with a teammate whose tongue had been sharpened much more keenly than his own. Their tongues were snakes of two different breeds, and without physicality to back it up, his words were much less sinuous than Meg's. Still, the faunus' eyes rolled as they often did, unafraid of broadcasting his distaste for his teammate's politicking.

"Oh! Well would you look at the time!" Sable declared abruptly, not even feigning to look at a watch or clock himself. He simply refused to let this charade continue! Without laying hands on the ginger-haired girl, his gestures indicated that they should get a move on. "Let's not distract Megara and the others from unpacking too much now. Besides, I'm sure you're here for more than a little meet and greet with my team, right?"
 
"Jealous?" Meg scoffed as she walked back over to her leader and his friend, a sea green mask marked in one corner with the Aegean family crest dangling from one finger "You're several million lien and far too much of the right breeding short for that sort of thing." And then she turned her attention back to Penny and it was all smiles and sunshine again as she held out the mask.

"Thank you!" Penny said again as she took it, already trying it on.

"I tried to pick one to match you eyes, I'm sure you'll be the envy of all your friends." Stopping just short of reaching out and patting the orange haired girl on the head, she'd already seen how that had worked out for Sable and wasn't exactly willing to cede the ground she'd managed to claw back with a fiasco like that. Then it was time to go! The nature of Sable's sudden declaration might have flown right over Penny's head but Meg took some smug satisfaction in his decision to retreat.

"It was nice to meet you." Penny gave the room one last sunny wave before turning on the spot and marching out into the grey corridor before she span back around to face her 'friend' "Are you ready for your classes tomorrow Sable?" She asked "I hope your friend with the glasses is okay."
 
"Wowl Blood and money," Sable crossed his arms, nonplussed by Megara's retort. Each word of his dripped with sarcastic deference, to say nothing of his expression. "Would the young mistress prefer this lowly faunus act surprised that's where your mind went? I can do quite the convincing gasp, if I say myself." He outstretched his arms into an exaggerated pose, taken aback by some imaginary slight. It was, surprisingly enough, not a terrible rendition, but it did not remain long. Sable was all too eager to ferry himself and Penny out of the room, which he did with little regard for Meg's smugness.

"Like I said," Sable grunted mostly to himself than to his companion. He blinked twice at Penny, debating whether or not he ought to enlighten her on the true nature of Megara's gift. Ultimately, he decided it wasn't worth fighting it; the naive little thing wouldn't get it anyway, and it didn't look half bad either. "Problem child."

Once they absconded from the dormitory, it was like a great weight had been lifted from Sable's shoulders. He stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders, banishing tension along with the burden of truth. It was just him and Penny now. Though the halls were left largely vacant, his keen hearing could pick up commotion going on in the other lodgings: teams introducing themselves, unpacking their things, and making conversation, no doubt.

"Is that your idea of a joke?" He cocked a skeptical eyebrow at Penny. "You're lucky I've got a sense of humor." There were a lot of reasons Sable wasn't your average Atlas Academy student (the most obvious one notwithstanding), and among them was the fact that Sable had never attended a huntsman academy before, contrary to what his official identification information suggested.

"I'm combat ready, at least," he shrugged. Physical performance and common sense only went so far in a weighted grading scheme; if he didn't know better, he would've thought the ones on top were intending to fail him out of the system before making good on their word!

"I'm sure you'll find out sooner or later if I'm classroom ready, too." he added, and as if to answer the question of how, he tapped the monitoring collar around his neck, which fed surface-level data on Sable's condition to Penny. As it stood, there was little deviation from his standard condition.

"Henrietta'll be fine. I'll make sure of it," Sable waved off her concern for his teammate, stepped past the android girl, and waved for her to follow him away from the dormitory door. Once they arrived at a quieter corridor, he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.

"Look, I don't know what your angle is, but just remember what we're both here for," Sable narrowed his eyes. His sharp glare was the most he could muster without laying hands or squaring up on her, which he figured would be a terrible idea given she had the leash to his collar. "I don't need you getting too buddy-buddy with my team. 'Cause if they find out about our arrangement and this all goes tits up, it's not you who gets in trouble."

Having to account for his team knowing about Penny would be another needlessly complicated cog in the delicate, already-complicated machine of his life. How was he going to explain why-- Oh, Brothers. He'd forgotten something important.

"...Do you even attend classes?"

Please no, he hoped.
 
Penny might not have been the most perceptive girl in the world (a direct feed of Sable's data certainly helped though) but she still smiled as the tension lifted from Sable once they stepped out of the dorm, bopping from side to side slightly to the rhythm of muffled music coming from behind the closed door of a nearby dorm "I'm sure you will do just fine as long as you do your best!" She assured him before following after him to a quieter corner of the building, anyone would thought he was the one holding the leash and not the other way around.

In their new more private spot, the orange-haired girl's swaying from side to side slowly came to a halt as the music faded in to inaudibility meaning that Sable had the full attention of those big green eyes as his own narrowed. "Oh! Don't worry, I understand. I will give you your space so that you can get to know your new friends and settle in!"

It was debatable exactly how much of anything Penny actually understood giving a jaunty salute, but there wasn't going to be much to time contemplate that great mystery because Sable had just said something that he might live to regret...

"I am receiving special tutoring from Ciel." She explained proudly, a new idea hitting her like a bolt from the blue, causing her to shake her hands up and down excitedly in front of her "Ooo ooo but I could ask permission to sit in on some of your classes!"

They might have moved away from the first year dorms but that didn't mean they were completely alone, at the end of the corridor where it terminated in to a left turn another figure lurked. Well maybe not lurked, that was a little bit of an impolite word for Henri, the shy girl simply didn't want to interrupt their conversation. Honestly she'd be just as happy to not have ran in to them at all, her glasses were snapped in two and and she had a red mark on the side of her face, all the poor girl wanted to do was get back to her dorm and read the book she'd borrowed from the common area
 
"..."

Sable's already narrowed eyes narrowed again, until they were so close together that it seemed that his eyes were just barely closed shut. Normally, he'd have been suspicious of her intent. But frankly, she was either a good enough actress to deserve pulling the wool over his eyes, or she was just that naive and oblivious. Sable wagered it was the latter, because anything else would have just annoyed him that much more. He stopped leering at the girl and let out an approving "Hmph".

"Guess that's the best I can get," he frowned. It wasn't exactly his reasoning, but a win was a win. There was need to spend energy correcting her misconception: they weren't his friends, not really. They were his teammates. Getting the two of those mixed up had always caused more issues than they solved, and even if school life was nothing like his life before, he'd be a fool to think it was any different.

Unfortunately, if he thought he was in the clear, that was certainly not the case.

"Great," Sable nodded at first.

"Great," Sable groaned soon after.

He hadn't known Penny for more than a week or two, but the faunus already knew well what that look of hers meant. It was the kind that only came around whe had an idea that she wasn't going to let go of, no matter what. As much of a downer as he could be, what could he really do in the face of such unbridled enthusiasm? No, the only thing he could do was redirect it. "Chill out, Freckles," Sable raised his hands, gesturing for her to put the brakes on it. "Some of the classes. Not all of the classes. Not even most of the classes, you hear? 'Cause it'd be too distracting, and we wouldn't want that, right?"

Before she could think about that--you know, assuming she thought about it, which he suspected she wouldn't--Sable changed the subject. "Anyway, I ought to head back before they start spreading rumors about you and me. Later, Freckles," he turned away and gave her a carefree wave, then thumbed at his neck. "You know where to find me."

However, as he walked back, he took an unexpected turn for reasons that would become readily apparent when....

"Fancy meeting you here."

Sable swooped out of the corner to pin the mysterious spy!

Stealth if it matters: 1D20+8 = [19]+8 = 27

Sable Grab: 1D20+5 = [14]+5 = 19
 
"Sleep well!" Penny waved as she watched Sable depart, blissfully unaware of what was running through his head. As far as the cheery girl was concerned today had been very productive! Sable's friends had all seemed very friendly and she was sure that he would do just fine in class. If he didn't well that just meant that he was going to need a little extra tutoring and she was just the girl to do it! Anyway she had a tea party to keep with Ciel and she knew that she would want to hear all about her day! Turning in the opposite direction, she marched off down the corridor on her merry way,

Sable didn't have the time to enjoy this little moment of solitude though as he soon spotted someone doing their best not to be seen from around the corner. Springing into action he was rewarded with the sound of a familiar shriek and the thunk of a book hitting the ground, followed by the clink of her broken glasses following suit.

"I'm sorry!" Henri blurted out "I wasn't spying on you or anything I just didn't want to interrupt you!"

At least that had been her intention, but from what little she'd heard of the conversation there was clearly more to both her leader and the orange haired girl than met the eye, suddenly bumping in to him during the entrance exercise didn't seem so coincidental. Was this whole thing a set up by her parents? What about the rest of her team? Did he know about her 'condition'? Her mind raced with questions, none of which she had the answer to and even if she had managed to avoid his surprise attack the end result left her frozen between him and the wall in a panic.
 
Although his target had managed to evade his initial grab, Sable didn't let up. Simply avoiding him did little to stop him from stomping forward, backing the little spy against the wall through sheer force of presence alone. Now, Henrietta wasn't nearly as short as Lilac, but with the big bad wolf bearing down on her like that, she might as well have been. It was painfully clear to his assailant that she was terribly fortunate that the worst of his aggression was under lock and key...

And even more fortunate that he'd recognized this snoop by the sight of her face, if not the sound of her voice.

"You're lucky, Rich Girl," Sable growled at the apologetic heiress, arms crossed as the last echoes of her clattering things faded away. The faunus' expression was as hard as ever, but the simmering aggression in that looming figure seemed to have relaxed just a hair now that he knew who he was dealing with. His harsh tone didn't change, though. "Where I come from, 'rudely interrupting' would be the least of your worries."

As he scolded his teammate, Sable's cogs silently turned in his mind, trying to suss out the problem he was currently facing. How much had she heard? He couldn't remember saying anything terribly indicative of his purpose for being here, but he couldn't put it past her to piece together the puzzle, even accidentally. At the same time, what could he do about it? He couldn't verify it without showing his hand, nor could he silence it with any true permanency. Troubling, troubling, troubling...

"Since you're so keen on knowing, here's a fun fact on the house: I don't like gossips, so keep whatever Atlesian court bull-- Hn." Sable began, only to cap it off with a terse grunt. In his haste to cover his own tracks, he'd neglected something else that was also quite troubling. His scowl flattened and his brow furrowed. Narrowed eyes darted across her vulnerable mien, over her red-marked cheek, and down to her scattered belongings. Then Sable reached out and tilted Henrietta's chin up, meeting her eye to eye.

"Who hurt you?"
 
"Please don't hurt me!" Henri squealed as Sable bore down on her and gave his stern warning, she had no idea that the collar around his neck was forcing him to keep his violent urges in check (as far as she knew that was simply the latest thing in hip Mantle fashion) and as he trapped her between him and the wall tears began to well up in her eyes.

A few seconds later and she'd more or less got her breathing under control, but she still didn't dare to meet his gaze and dropped to her knees to pick up her scattered belongings, stowing the halves of her glasses in her pocket and clutching her book protectively to her chest. Rising back to her feet she still didn't move, she had seen Sable fight and wasn't exactly confident that she could have pushed passed him even if she had wanted to.

"I won't say anything..." She muttered, much like her leader her mind was racing trying to put everything she'd just seen in order, if this was all just a set up by her parents then even if she tried to confront him he was unlikely to reveal anything anyway and what if she was wrong? Then she was just going to alienate one of the only friends she'd made at the Academy! Her deep bred instincts just told her in was best not to rock the boat.

Then suddenly she froze again, her chin captured by the faunus boy forcing her to look back in to his eyes "I uh...please don't laugh." She began, her cheeks tinging red with embarrassment "I thought the door to the common area would open automatically and it didn't and I ran in to it...nobody hurt me, it was an accident."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom