|
|
Post by Haze Starling on Dec 14, 2018 6:31:36 GMT
It was sometime past midnight when Haze slipped from the dorm room she shared with her new teammates. She hadn’t been able to sleep; her mind racing with problems and possibilities that the future might hold. The strange people and surroundings didn’t help much either.
She needed a distraction. Something to tire her mind and body.
Training!
It was this thought that had originally brought Haze out into the halls with Argent Façade held lightly in her hands. She moved from shadow to shadow, avoiding any patrols of teachers and other adults. She might get herself hopelessly lost as this was only her second night in the school proper.
Eventually, Haze found herself back in the Amphitheatre. It was empty now…and looked so much larger than she remembered it being at the opening assembly. She spent a moment taking in the surrounding and then made her way for the raised stage.
She pulled herself up easily enough and moved in a little before taking up a ready stance. Her tonfas were gripped comfortably in her hands with the long ends resting along the length of her arm. Those silver eyes closed for a moment and she let out a shallow centering breath.
Haze burst into movement. The tonfas twirling fast and wild in her hands. Every now and again she would kick out with her feet at different angles. She would thrust and jab with the tonfas and anyone watching could see that even blunted, those weapons were dangerous.
No sound crossed her lips as she went through various katas and exercises.
Time passed quickly for Haze as she moved through her forms. The movements and footwork of each started out simple enough but got more and more intricate as she continued. A careful observer would catch subtler movements that, in a real fight, were meant to catch the opponent unawares.
Haze’s last movement was a backward flip that would make an acrobat envious. She landed lightly in a crouch, one leg outstretched to the side. Her arms held in front of her with the tonfas back in place along her arms. She was breathing hard, having put more effort into the training than she might have otherwise. Pearls of sweat beaded along her forehead.
|
|
|
|
Post by Sylvie Larimar on Dec 15, 2018 2:30:17 GMT
A rhythmic, dull clinking sound, like several filled metal bottles being slapped together, rings out in the quiet as Haze pauses, drowning out softer sounds, but not so loud as to bring the faculty running. Stepping out of the shadows is Sylvie, dressed for sleep and barefoot - but still wearing her metal gloves. The sound of clinking is coming from her, clapping with those gauntlets.
"Very nice," she says, adding, "not being sarcastic, you've got some moves."
She too had difficulty sleeping, for her own reasons, and when Haze had stolen away silently Sylvie had followed. It wasn't that she didn't trust Haze - it's that she still didn't quite know what the other girl's agenda might be and until she did, letting Haze out of her sight was a risky proposition, most especially with the girl stealing away alone in the dead of night. So she'd slipped out of bed to follow, keeping to the shadows until it stopped feeling like caution and started to just feel like foolish paranoia.
"The question is, why are you practicing alone, in the middle of the night?" Her tone is genuinely curious, perhaps even... concerned?
|
|
|
|
Post by Haze Starling on Dec 16, 2018 2:31:14 GMT
~It would just have to be you...wouldn't it?~
Haze pulled herself up to standing from her crouch and slowly turned to face Sylvie. She lowered her arms to her side, tonfas still held in a ready position - mostly out of habit rather than any kind of paranoia. Her head canted to the side and she regarded the other girl curiously when she spoke.
Hearing Sylvie's praise, Haze couldn't help but feel a small flutter of happiness. In the tribe she hadn't exactly been coddled. They had expected her to learn well and quickly from her instructors and use that knowledge to better the whole. No one had ever called attention to anything she'd done right...but had been more than happy to punish her for her missteps. Haze had learned quickly to calculate the odds when she could, use whatever she found to her advantage, and that trusting outsiders was almost always a mistake.
"The question is, why are you practicing alone, in the middle of the night?"
She forced herself to smirk at the question, giving the right tonfa a lazy twirl when all she wanted to do was back away and ignore that Sylvie had asked the question entirely. Haze knew she could be evasive and vague, but she had a feeling that her new partner would pick up on it as she had in the forest. Then that would lead to other questions she's was pretty sure she didn't want to answer.
But, short of running away, there wasn't much she could think to do. She and Sylvie were paired for the rest of their time at Beacon - secrets wouldn't stay that way for long.
"I could ask the same of you? You come here to spy on me?" She sneered, the words sounding defensive even as they left her lips.
Haze sighed, her shoulders rounding as she tried to let go of some of her ingrained instincts. She moved to the edge of the stage and lowered herself to sit on the edge. Argent Facade placed almost lovingly in her lap.
"Honestly...I couldn't sleep. My thoughts wouldn't stop whirling. New surroundings, so many new...people. I figured if I could tire my body out my brain might follow suit." She didn't meet Sylvie's gaze as she spoke this time.
|
|
|
|
Post by Sylvie Larimar on Dec 16, 2018 8:03:42 GMT
Sylvie smirks slightly as Haze turns to face her - is it just her imagination, or does the other girl stand a little taller at the praise? Sylvie's well aware of how unforgiving life amongst bandits can be. Innocence is not cherished, but seen as a weakness to be snuffed out as soon as possible. Between that and the constant threat of both man and Grimm, those born among bandits didn't stay children for long.
She's almost surprised that Haze doesn't seem wary of Sylvie's motives for giving a compliment, not because it wasn't sincere, but just out of unfamiliarity with receiving one. Then the other girl's mouth opens and suspicion and defensiveness come tumbling out. Sylvie manages not to giggle, suppressing it into a faint snort of amusement.
"Absolutely," she says in a wry, jesting tone to the accusation of spying. "Clearly I was sleeping like a baby before you stomped around and woke up the entire school..."
She pauses when Haze sighs and stops bristling, looking away as she offers an honest answer.
Sylvie's closes the distance slowly and smoothly - giving Haze a chance to warn her off with a glare, but if she doesn't, Sylvie ends up sitting next to her new partner, cross-legged and with her gloved hands dangling loosely in her lap.
"I hear you, I could sleep last night with my friends in the same room, but tonight? Forget it. Given the long day we've both had, I'm not sure being more tired would help. Assuming it's even possible," she adds with a wry tone.
Silence falls for a moment. Then Sylvie speaks again, her tone thoughtful and slightly distant.
"I haven't forgotten all the questions I asked when we first ran into each other. Don't get me wrong, I still want to know. You're my new partner, I'm endlessly curious about you. I just don't see a point in pushing. Everyone has secrets and trust isn't automatic. I figure when and if you trust me, you'll tell me."
|
|
|
|
Post by Haze Starling on Dec 16, 2018 18:08:42 GMT
Haze didn't try to warn Sylvie off as she approached. She was fairly certain that with her weapons and reflexes, on the off chance the other girl tried something, she would be alright. Her attention flickered momentarily to the metal gloves that Sylvie still wore, wondering what could be hidden underneath.
Her eyes raised to meet Sylvie’s when she described having similar sleeping issues. Haze’s lips twitched into a ghost of a smile. One hand raised from her lap to tuck slightly sweat-damp back away from her face and sighed. Her body was tired now, but the situation she found herself in wasn’t exactly giving her mind a chance to stop racing.
The last thing Sylvie said made Haze tense right up at first, unable to not hear a threat in the beginning of the sentence even if none was meant. By the end, though, she found she was able to relax again. She was being given space and the ability to choose. Sylvie wasn’t putting her on the spot exactly. That alone made a world of difference.
Haze wasn’t sure she could be completely truthful with her new partner. Not just yet. The gesture of space and time, however, had planted a seed of trust. Maybe this outsider was different than the rest.
“…Thank you.” She managed; her words barely above a whisper, her silver eyes looking haunted.
Then, the ghostly grin that had appeared earlier returned after another long pause.
“I think we can both agree that we have similar backgrounds. I’ll offer you the same thing you offered me. If you don’t trust me enough to share certain answers, I’ll understand…but I am curious about you too.”
Her expression lightened, and her eyes sparkled a little in the moonlight that managed to shine in from high windows.
“So, my first question to you. How does your semblance work exactly?”
|
|
|
|
Post by Sylvie Larimar on Dec 19, 2018 4:37:30 GMT
Sylvie laughs once at the "similar backgrounds" comment, nodding thoughtfully. "Yes, I get that feeling too," she says dryly, adding, "I think I might be more jaded than you are." Her eyes sparkle darkly as she adds, "I just hide it well."
The question about her semblance makes her giggle, though, and she tilts her head.
"It's pretty straightforward, if a bit messy seeming. I have complete control over my blood. I can control its flow, which means I can survive wounds that would make most people bleed out in seconds. But the showier aspect is that I can force it out of my body and shape and harden it at will, forming tools or weapons. Within reason, of course. I need to be in contact with it to control it, and I don't have more than anyone else does, and still need to keep some of it at work in the little job of "staying alive". Pouring too much out can make me weak and light-headed. I've never passed out from it - well, not really," she adds with a lopsided grin.
|
|
|
|
Post by Haze Starling on Dec 22, 2018 2:07:02 GMT
Haze listened quietly as Sylvie explained how her ability worked - storing the knowledge away for later use. If nothing else, knowing what her partner could do in greater detail would help in facing future Grimm...and other obstacles.
Their earlier fights in the forest made more sense now that she understood what had been going on. The spears and weapons had been Sylvie's blood. And it had always slipped back into those gloves of hera. Gloves that she was still wearing at this very moment. Strange. Haze's eyes flickered down the the gloves and then up to the one chunk of red hair curiously.
"Do you need the gloves to control it better? I may have missed things in the fray, but from what I can remember things mostly formed from your hands right?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Sylvie Larimar on Dec 22, 2018 4:10:19 GMT
Sylvie's lopsided grin gets a hint of strange emotion on it - shyness? The girl acted like she'd never heard of the feeling, much less experienced it.
"Well, there's a couple of reasons for that," she says, hedging slightly. "In theory, I can bleed through unbroken skin, but that tends to hurt. So it's easier to go through an existing opening. Since I need to bleed less if my arms do the work of wielding a weapon, it's convenient to have it appear in my hands."
She glances over at Haze to catch the other girl looking at the streak of red in Sylvie's hair and giggles, albeit a little maliciously.
"When I met Orchid, we ended up in a bit of a scuffle. She managed to grab some hair and pull it out. Didn't quite bleed, but damned if I'm gonna let her ruin my hair. And if she tries it again, I'm prepared."
The red strands of "hair" suddenly move of their own accord, spreading over the blue hair into a close-fitted skullcap of gleaming blood red.
"Vain of me to not just cut it shorter, but damn if I'll let her win, even that much."
Sylvie looks back down at her gloved hands and looks thoughtful.
"There's one question I'd like to know the answer to tonight." She snorts softly and waves a hand in dismissal, adding, "relax, it's pretty small and specific."
"Are you planning to stay the course? The full four years, I mean. I'm not asking beyond that, just want to know if I should not get used to having you on the team."
|
|
|
|
Post by Haze Starling on Dec 22, 2018 6:13:54 GMT
Haze caught Sylvie's hesitation, but true to her word earlier, she didn't push. She simply nodded as the other girl spoke and filed away more information for later.
At the mention of Orchid Haze sighed heavily. That one was prickly as a porcupine and as nice as a predator during meal time. She didn't envy Scarlet or the rest of team SOUT. There was a chance the group would mellow Orchid out, maybe even manage to bring her out of her shell...but Haze doubted it.
The story about the fight and then noticing Sylvie's blood red patch move and change on it's own diverted her attention outward again. Her eyes widened just a touch from surprise and obvious interest. Her lips quirked up in a grin as Sylvie declared that she wouldn't let Orchid get the better of her again. Now she was curious to see a rematch...
Of course she tensed up when Sylvie put forward her question. The dismissive wave and snort followed by her assurance made Haze redden and frown with embarrassment, her shoulders hunching a little. Already this girl knew her well enough to expect hedging from a direct question. She should be better than this.
"Are you planning to stay the course? The full four years, I mean. I'm not asking beyond that, just want to know if I should not get used to having you on the team."
Haze straightened and looked at Sylvie directly as she answered; all traces of embarrassment gone.
"I have no plans on leaving. I came here to become a Huntress. To better my skills so I can keep the Grimm from killing more people. I can't guarantee the full four years. Anything can happen between then and now. But as things stand I'm here for the duration."
As she spoke of her resolve, Haze's eyes became distant for a moment, as if viewing another scene - another place. She gulped and shook her head to clear it just as tears started to threaten. When she looked back at Sylvie she smiled, all traces of grief vanished like it had never been.
"What about you?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Sylvie Larimar on Dec 22, 2018 7:05:28 GMT
Sylvie's lips twitch slightly in amusement at the sudden flood of information, more than she's even asked for, really. Then she catches a flash of the grief before it's hidden again and the amusement fades away, along with the helmet of blood. She gives a short laugh at the refusal to set the future in stone.
"That's why I only asked about your planned timeline. Guarantees are for townies and con men."
"you're more of an altruist than I am though," she adds in a dry tone. "Being a huntress is a decent living that pays well, sure, defending the weak, that's grand." Sylvie's tone doesn't change, but her eyes take on a cold, angry glitter, "but I'm here to make sure that I'm never the weak one again."
She blinks and smiles, adding, "and hang out with my friends, of course," her tone bright again, almost foolishly so.
"So how's your semblance work?" Sylvie asks, changing the subject abruptly. "The mist seems hardly visible to me, but it seems to do a number on the Grimm. Are you able to control who sees what?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Haze Starling on Dec 23, 2018 18:16:54 GMT
Haze opened her mouth to contradict something Sylvie had said but quickly decided against it. She was not up for opening the can of worms that action would bring. So instead she shook her head and jumped onto the next available subject.
"My semblance...? Well it's a little less intrinsic than yours. I can hinder the enemy's sight or hide myself and allies in the mists. Sometimes I can completely obscure a creature's sight, sometimes it only makes things around them more indistinct... harder to focus on. If the enemies are particularly numerous or more powerful...like that Ursa Major in the forest, I find I have to concentrate more to affect them the way I want. It took a lot more to hinder the Ursa's attacks against Orchid and Scarlet then it did to affect the rat we faced alone."
She shrugged, her gaze slipped away and rested on her tonfas. Her fingers traced along one of the leather grips as she continued to speak.
"I've also been able to hide or mask a lot of people but again, it requires way more concentration and I become a lot less physically helpful in a fight. I am sure it will get easier with time and practice but before now taking on those kinds of odds were...tactically unsound."
Haze rolled her eyes a little as the voice of one of her teachers resounded in her head, echoing her last words back at her. She smirked at her hands, flexing her fingers and then shaking them to clear a cramp before it fully started. She rolled one of her shoulders and looked back to Sylvie.
"The mists can also be infused with dust and I have found a few interesting uses through experimentation. My teachers were a little less thrilled with my discoveries though...." Her silver eyes glinted mischievously for a moment.
Haze decided to keep her ability to teleport through the mists to herself for now. Technically Sylvie had seen it first hand during their group fight with the Ursa, but she might mistake it for simply using the mists to obscure herself from everyone. She had only ever been able to transport herself via the mists thus far so her team didn't need to know about that just yet. Besides, she had already given up quite a bit just now.
"I've heard my family is supposed to have a hereditary semblance, but..." Haze shrugged again, spreading her arms out in a kind of 'what are you gonna do' kind of gesture.
|
|
|
|
Post by Sylvie Larimar on Dec 25, 2018 2:10:23 GMT
Sylvie's almost surprised that Haze doesn't object to being called altruistic - amongst bandits it's hardly considered much of a virtue. But maybe she likes being underestimated, or maybe she just didn't want to explain further. Or maybe, just maybe, Sylvie hit the nail on the head. She's surprised herself before.
She lets herself be distracted by the shiny, shiny semblance discussion and listens raptly, eyebrows quirking from time to time, but mostly letting Haze talk without too much interruption, beyond the occasional knowing or encouraging nod and murmur.
When Haze mentions hereditary semblances, Sylvie's eyebrows shoot up and then she laughs brightly.
"Is this where I'm supposed to start asking all sorts of prying questions to try to get you to elaborate?" She grins and shakes her head, adding, "nope, not falling for it," in a teasing tone. "I'm more interested in how dust might interact with your semblance, but I can make some educated guesses."
She looks thoughtful for a moment, then comments, "I've never tried using dust with my semblance. It could be spectacular, but it will probably hurt like hell."
|
|
|
|
Post by Haze Starling on Dec 26, 2018 4:44:41 GMT
Haze smirked and shook her head again at Sylvie's routine. She left the other girl to imagine all the kinds of trouble adding dust to her semblance could create. Hell, maybe Sylvie would come up with something she hadn't yet thought of...
"Yeah, your semblance makes it a bit tougher to add dust. The best you have crystals and getting that under your skin to interact with everything might...sting. I think I've heard of someone who tried that tactic. I can't remember why they did what they did, but it didn't end well at all."
She sighed and brought a hand up to her shoulder to rub out a bit of soreness starting there.
"But you never know, we might be able to come up with something. Its not like we don't have the time if you're willing to give it a shot sometime in these four years." She found herself grinning at the other girl.
|
|
|
|
Post by Sylvie Larimar on Jan 7, 2019 2:38:34 GMT
Sylvie looks thoughtful at the comment about crystals and shrugs. "Like something ending badly ever stopped me?" She comments, equal parts cryptic and rhetorical. "But I don't have to get crystals into my system, as you've noticed it's perfectly possible for my blood to come out and play. The question is, would it be recoverable after, or would, say, fire dust, result in cooked blood pudding?" She shrugs again and gives a slightly crazy grin before adding, "only one way to find out, right?"
She notices Haze trying to discreetly massage out a sore spot and she shakes her head.
"Want me to try to get that for you?" She offers, tone fairly friendly and helpful, though she grins and jokes, "can't have you non functional for the first real day of classes. If you embarrass me I'll have to kick your ass, even if I have to line up after the teachers."
|
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Mar 4, 2019 21:11:18 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Haze Starling on Mar 14, 2019 21:26:39 GMT
Haze scoffs playfully at Sylvie's joke, rolling her eyes and shaking her head a little.
"Hah! This is nothing. I have trained in way worse conditions. Your reputation will be safe enough I think."
After a moment, though, she moved a little closer so that Sylvie could reach more easily.
"But if we want to make certain..."
((ooc: sorry its so short for a return post))
|
|
