|
|
Post by lilywilde on Aug 23, 2016 13:28:59 GMT -6
Lily had never been to this school before. She'd heard of it, once, a long time ago, but never really thought she'd be visiting, let alone a student.
She knew that her presence here was an oddity. She saw so many people walking around with their fancy weapons, and she couldn't help but feel inadequate. She found herself feeling claustrophobic. She didn't know there would be so many people. She felt her eyes darting back and forth between each person she came across. Always expecting an attack. She was jumpy, and panicked. She'd agreed to come here, but didn't expect to be left to her own devices so quickly.
She began to panic, her head spinning, she felt her claws come out. She looked from face to face, none of these people were familiar, some of them were giving her funny looks, but that was obviously because of her erratic behavior. She forced herself to retract her claws, before using her semblance to dash into an area where she might not be so open.
She takes off at her full speed using her semblance and dashes into an alleyway, leaving nothing but a trail of white light in her wake. It's darker there, nobody is present, and she can breathe freely for a second.
"I thought I was ready, I'm so not ready." She said to herself hugging her arms around her and slumping against the wall. She was used to being alone. She knew that life. She knew how to look out for herself. The only other living things were enemies, and she only had to decide whether or not she needed to run or fight. That was her life. That was what she knew. All these people, were they enemies? Allies? Were the enemies mixed in among the allies? Would they accept her into their tribe? She had no idea what this life would be like.
The people who saved me were nice, and they promised this would be a good place for me.
She hugged her backpack tight, it was a gift from one of the huntresses and it held all that she owned. A black tattered shawl that her mother had given her, and her few pieces of clothing. As well as a stuffed cat given to her by a huntress who had saved her from the nevermores.
"I need to go to the school. If this is how society feels though, I really don't think I can do this." She said, a tear making it's way down her cheek.
|
|
|
|
Post by Aegle Vitus on Aug 23, 2016 14:37:25 GMT -6
"Hey there champ..." Said a high pitched voice from the mouth of the alley in which Lilly had sought refuge. It belonged to a young looking girl who could be most concisely described as childishly short and oppressively orange. Just barely under five feet tall, she wore a hoodie which was such a striking shade of orange that it almost hurt the eyes to look directly upon it. Atop her head was a mohawk, the same virulent color as her hoodie, which added a full twelve inches to her overall height, and which drooped ever so slightly under its weight. She was wearing a smile, but one filled with a palpable sense of caution and concern.
"Who ya talkin' to?" Aegle asked, making her way slowly into the alley, blocking out the hustle and bustle of the courtyard at her back. Her movements were a curious combination of light and awkward, like a puppet whose joints weren't properly hinged. Which wasn't to say she had any apparent difficulty with moving about. In fact, she moved with an apparent ease and confidence which gave her slightly restricted movements an air of familiarity, and seemed to suggest she was actually a bit more flexible than she initially appeared. Moving closer, a quiet sound appeared to accompany her, most apparent whenever she moved. It was like someone had taken the electric motor out of an RC car and then wrapped it in cloth, muffling but not wholly silencing its soft, mechanical whirring.
"Saw ya duck in here." The orange haired girl offered, by way of explanation, as she hunkered down in front of the curled up faunus. From so close up, the concern on her open face was especially apparent, though there was also evident confusion lurking behind her emerald green eyes.
"Looked like you were runnin' from somethin'... Someone's not chasin' you, huh?" She let her hands hand down between her knees while she squatted, which showed off the thick bandaging that wrapped them from the first knuckle on each finger, before disappearing under the cuffs of her eye strainingly bright hoodie. If she was at all worried about the thought that this strange faunus girl had someone dangerous chasing her, she didn't show it. In fact, she didn't even stop smiling. While her concern was worn plain upon the creased lines of her brow, her lips never abandoned their friendly, almost reassuring smile. From the way her cheeks were creased, it seemed that this strangely dressed young girl did an awful lot of smiling.
"M'Aegle." She said in introduction of herself, pronouncing her name 'Ehhh-Glee', which was strange all on its own. "D'ya think I can help?"
|
|
|
|
Post by lilywilde on Aug 23, 2016 15:03:50 GMT -6
Lily was wary of the strange individual that had shown up suddenly in her empty alleyway.
It was only one person though, it wasn't the same as all of those strangers surrounding her. If there was a threat here, she knew where it would come from. If there was danger, she knew which way to run. She jumped to her feet, and wiped the tear from her face. As the stranger began asking them questions about whether or not she was running from someone, she started to become wary.
"Nobody chases me." She said, looking over the orange individual who was sizing her up. "I am just..." She considered telling her about her anxiety, about how she felt like all of the people around her were closing in on her, ready to strike, dangerous, but she bit back her tongue and said nothing. She was through needing other people's help. The huntresses and hunters who'd saved her were the exception, not the rule. She was strong. She could deal with a few people. She had to be able to. Otherwise her promise to herself would never be met.
"You need not worry about me. I am strong. If someone were to chase me, they would not find me easy prey. I have no need of assistance." She narrowed her eyes at the strange girl with the strange haircut, and extended her claws. A warning.
|
|
|
|
Post by Aegle Vitus on Aug 23, 2016 15:25:06 GMT -6
So far as taking the warning or, more accurately, the threat which Lilly directed at her, Aegle seemed wholly non-plussed and unthreatened. Though, from the vaguely confused expression she donned as the faunus stood, her lack of reaction could pretty certainly be blamed on her have failed to take the meanining in Lilly's words. Despite the fact that being crouched down the way she was would put her at a decided disadvantage if things became violent between them, Aegle made no immediate moves to straighten back up. Instead, she openly scrutinized the taller faunus, looking puzzled and uncertain. Even her smile had receded, though not entirely faded, slightly at the other girl's cautionary words.
"Well I'm glad I don't gotta worry about you, I guess." Aegle finally said, made to stand back up. Again, it was with a certain amount of weightless ease that she rose to her feet, and again there was the nearly audible sound of something whirring which emenated from her as she moved.
"Ya sure you're okay though? Nobody runs around like you did without bein' in a little bit of trouble." Despite standing up again, she still had to look up to meet Lilly's eyes, and their new positions made apparent one more curious thing about the orange combed girl. She stood with a slight slouch, with one shoulder just slightly lower than the other. Her baggy hoody did a good job hiding it, but that it was still apparent despite the voluminous garment suggested much.
"S'a cool trick, by the way. Was that your semblance? I've never met someone with a speed semblance before."
Had one only been paying attention to Aegle's side of the conversation, they might have been forgiven for believing both parties involved were old friends. Her body language, her tone and her irrepressible smile all played a stark contrast to Lilly's decidedly more guarded approach. This disparity only grew even more apparent when Aegle's emerald eyes alighted upon Lilly's ears, and immediate grew wide with wonder.
"Oh gosh." She said softly with the exact intonation a small child might use when first seeing a firework display. "You're a faunus aintcha~"
Given the precise state of faunus-human relations in Remnant, read: not especially great, it was a strange tone to assume when pointing out another's animal heritage.
"I ain't never met a Faunus before. Didja hear somethin' then? S'that why you ran in here? I bet you hear all sorts a stuff with ears like those." Then, in violation of the uneasy equilibrium between their respective attitudes at that moment, Aegle took a hasty step towards Lilly to more closely examine her ears.
While a casual observer would have been perfectly able to identify what a terrible idea this was, Aegle, awed by Lilly's animalistic traits, blithely approached her as if the feline faunus hadn't just warned her not to try anything funny.
"D'ya mind if I touch them?" She asked eagerly, already raising a hand towards Lilly's decidely vulnerable eyes, without so much as a thought for how invasive she was being.
|
|
|
|
Post by lilywilde on Aug 23, 2016 15:42:37 GMT -6
Lily watched the orange haired person's movements warily. As they moved closer, she moved back until she felt the wall press against her back. She growled lightly, but it didn't seem to deter the orange person's advance any. She held her claws out, but something that one of the Huntresses that'd saved her stayed her hand.
"This isn't the wilderness. Once you arrive, you'll need to be on your best behavior. Do not start any fights, do not attack anyone, and do your best to fit in. You'll be an outsider, which is fine. Learn the culture, learn how people act, and always try to learn something new about the way of the world. You may not like it at first, it may seem strange to you, but you'll be rewarded for it in the long run. Trust me, society is great once you understand a little better how it works."
Was this what she meant? Was this how people acted towards each other here? She didn't know how to tell, she felt panic setting in as the hands came ever closer to her ears, and she bit her tongue, trying to force her claws back inside of her hands. She didn't want to accidentally start a fight here and now. The repercussions were potentially severe. She shut her gunmetal grey eyes and retreated inside of herself, hoping the moment would pass and she would not be injured in any way.
When the other girl's hands made contact with the soft short fur of her ears, Lily felt her face begin to flush as she let out a small squeak. It sent a strange shiver down her spine, and goosebumps formed on her skin. "W-What are you-?" She started to ask, but wound up biting her lower lip as a squeak slipped past her lips. "S-Stop!" She squealed, thinking of dashing away again using her semblance.
|
|
|
|
Post by Aegle Vitus on Aug 23, 2016 15:56:19 GMT -6
"They're so fuzzy!" Aegle cooed happily, heedless of Lilly's pitiable protests, as she coddled both of the faunus girl's ears, one with either hand. If Aegle thought there was anything strange or inconsiderate about invading another being's personal space and then fondling their ears, she definitely gave no indication of it. Still, despite her brash behavior, she was exceptionally gentle. Though, as the petting persisted, it became apparent that she might not have had that much of a choice in the matter. In fact, she seemed to have difficulty applying any significant amount of pressure with her fingers alone.
"Oh wow, ya've gone all strawberry colored." The orange haired girl giggled liltingly, her shrill voice absolutely full with amusement. Apparently getting bored, she finally surrendered one of Lilly's ears and lowered one hand back to her side, and whirred quietly as she dropped it. From so close, it was really impossible not to hear the quiet mechanical sounds which emanated from Aegle whenever she moved.
"Relax~" She laughed quietly, after another couple seconds spent petting, giving Lilly's remaining ear a delicate rub between fingers and thumb, before relinquishing her hold on it as well.
"Don't look so serious. All I did was stroke them."
From the smile she wore, which would have looked right at home on a cat who'd just gotten hold of a particularly fat rat, it was pretty clear Aegle wasn't just self-assured that she'd done nothing wrong, she was, in fact, very pleased with her good fortune at getting to pet a faunus' ears.
"Whatta-you do to keep 'em so soft?" The pint-sized girl asked inqusitively, as the hand which had just recently left Lilly's ear settled on her own. "Mine aren't nearly that soft..."
After a couple of seconds, as what she'd said finally sank in, Aegle offered a faint shrug.
"Then again, mine aren't all fuzzy like yours." She mused introspectively, rubbing her own ear thoughtfully as she spoke.
|
|
|
|
Post by Zari D. Thorn on Aug 23, 2016 16:57:05 GMT -6
A droplet of tea escaped into the air only to fall downward onto the grass below. The man who let the tea droplet escape watched it do so as he continued to drink the remaining ninety-nine point ninety-nine percent of his cup. Though it was a shame, Zari shrugged it off before looking up into the air. The sky was bright and lovely, though it wouldn't be as peaceful as it once was. With all the events happening in the world, things were getting out of hand fast. Many more students coming and going. Some leaving for good. The idea of having his students in combat caused Zari to feel a certain way. Not happy nor sad. Nor proud or sorrowful. He didn't know a word for it, so until he could figure it out, he'd leave it be.
For now, his red and green eyes shifted down into the courtyard. The livley area was filled to the brim with young Hunters and Huntresses. A part of Zari felt proud at the sight. His students were growing up to look like fine adults. Even the freshman were looking remarkably healthy today. A faint curl formed on his lip. With a deep breath, Zari stood up from the bench he had been sitting on and began walking away. He twisted the cup he drank from back onto his thermos. A cup or so of green tea still remained in the metallic container. Probably just enough for his evening snack before he headed home.
To quickly, make it back to his lecture hall, Zari aimed to bypass the normal route by using a short-cut. As the middle-aged, yet still charming, professor walked into the mouth of the alleyway, his eyes laid upon a pair of young ladies. Who were so close it made Zari worry. Either one was being bullied or a pounding of a different sort was about to take place. Either-or, not on campus. Differently no or . Fixing his hair to cover his red eye, Zari tapped his foot and cleared his throat. "Uh-hem." His voice would carry throughout the alleyway. His white dress-shirt would contrast his gun-metal-grey vest which melded into the walls of the alley. An elegant appearance over all-- save his quizzical expression which would die away quickly. "I hope I'm not interrupting something here. But as a teacher, I find your current positions to make me worry greatly. I once caught a couple attempting to rendezvoud in a simiar location. Must I also draw up detentions for you?"
It was then, upon closer inspection, that Zari discovered an inconsistency in his mind. "I don't believe I know you two. I have remembered almost everyone in my classes. You are freshman yes?"
|
|
|
|
Post by lilywilde on Aug 23, 2016 18:09:35 GMT -6
When the older man intruded, she felt a rush of relief, as a torrent of information ran through her mind and she began to process the various nuances of his speech all at once.
She learned plenty in short order. First, this was not common behavior, secondly, it seemed to be frowned upon, and thirdly, they might be in trouble because of it. She used another burst of speed leaving a trail of white light behind her to scale the wall she was leaning against. Once she was higher on the wall, she pushed off of the brick and landed about six feet away from the weird sounding orange girl. She felt a piece of brittle trash break under her foot as she landed, and plucked a small shard of the hard material absentmindedly out of the sole of her foot. Her feet were far too thick for anything like that to even cause a small amount of pain. She went back to defensive. There were two people present, and two potential threats to her person. She had learned that the first person may have been nearly as oblivious as she was herself to how things worked, or, that she was just didn't care. The second person, seemed to seethe authority, and the fact that He surmised that Lily was a freshman so quickly likely meant that she was in some way related to the school. She resisted the urge to bring her claws back out just yet.
Her cheeks were still flushed from the strange sensations she'd felt after the gentle ear touches, and her mind was slightly fuzzy, but she decided to trust this person just enough to share some basic information.
"I am indeed a freshman," she said formally, before adding on "I do not know what this 'detentions' is, or whether one is needed. I am supposed to start school today." Her eyes kept darting between the two. She was on edge, and worried about whether to run. Did she reveal anything that could used against her? No... Who were these people, and why were they even here? The first was attracted because she rushed into the alley like she did. So movements like hers were uncommon and taken note of... The other though? What had they done to draw them in? What did they mean about finding other students here? Were students not allowed to meet outside of classes? She still had so much to learn.
|
|
|
|
Post by Aegle Vitus on Aug 23, 2016 19:05:09 GMT -6
"Huh?" Aegle murmured as she turned towards the mouth of the alley. She moved with neither urgency nor alacrity, but instead reacted to the older man's sudden appearance the way another person might have responded to being casually approached in a familiar setting. What her reaction certainly was not, was anything so much as resembling embarrassed, abashed, furtive or conspiratorial, which only further cemented the impression that she didn't believe she'd been doing anything wrong. Naturally, she had no idea what was going through the professor's head when he'd happened upon Lilly and herself, nor even the faintest inkling of what he'd suspected he walked in on. The look of noticeable, yet mostly disinterested, surprise which had managed to work its way onto her open face simmered down as she got a better look at the heterochromatic man. While she had never been credited for her observational or problem solving skills, Aegle knew a teacher when she say one. Something about the way every educator held themselves had impressed itself upon her since her return to the education system. As he spoke, however, the look of disinterested curiosity on her face slowly transformed into consternation and, then, outright hostility.
"Detention?" She repeated harshly, her already shrill voice sharpening the word to a razor's edge. While the list of things which worried Aegle was tiny, and the list of things she feared fractional by comparison, what she could not stomach was the idea of anything which might have a negative impact on her schedule. "What for?!" She'd only understood a small portion of the words which had come out of the professor's mouth since he'd shown up, and her limited comprehension rendered her unable to determine what crime she had committed. Let alone what crime was so grave as to risk cutting into her training time. Indeed, it was the confused sense of righteous injustice which made her ask her question in such a blatantly challenging fashion, in a tone she would not usually use on a person in authority. Fortunately, Lilly acted before Aegle could say anything else on the subject, zipping up the wall in a blur before performing a graceful leap to the opposite side of the alley. The burst of motion was enough to distract Aegle before her indignant glare could set Zari's hair on fire.
Lilly further diffused the situation which Aegle had been preparing to turn volatile by explaining that she was, in fact, a freshman at Vytal, just like Aegle, and that today was her first day.
"Oh, Hey~" the orange haired girl piped chipperly, all traces of wounded protest vanished from her, once again peppy and friendly, dog whistle of a voice. "Welcome to Vytal, Kitty-Cat."
If there was anything racially insensitive about referring to Lilly based on her faunus features, Aegle's tone suggested she either didn't know or didn't care. If either of the pair present had known her, they almost certainly would have picked the former. With tensions already taut, however, it was really just a coin flip as to which assumption Lilly or Zari would make.
"Wow! You weren't even close to goin' the right way if ya wanted to get to the school~" Aegle's grin had returned in full force, while her tone seemed to suggest she thought she was talking to a forgetful younger sibling. She indicated some vague direction beyond the alley wall, her grin growing wolfish with self-satisfaction.
"I can show you if you think yer gonna get lost again. Just gotta walk towards the big tower." She told Lily in what she evidently thought was an extremely helpful and considerate manner, totally not meant to be patronizing. Which isn't to say it didn't sound exceptionally patronizing, because just about everyone who wasn't Aegle could tell it did. She didn't help matters when, a moment later, she quietly added.
"Gosh, I dunno how ya missed it. You can see it from pretty much everywhere on the island."
If her off handed, unintentionally insulting, lightness in tone and condescending comments made it seem like she'd forgotten there was a professor present, that was mostly because she totally had. It was only as she was moving to reunite with Lily and, in her mind, show the faunus the way that she noticed Zari again. Aegle stopped abruptly, and once again inclined her head to meet the professor's dual-tone eyes.
"Oh right." She said shortly. While all the warmth and friendliness had not vanished entirely from her spritely tone, both qualities were certainly muted with the reminder of the man who wanted to give her detention. Aegle moved towards Lily, oblivious to the fact that the faunus certainly did not want to be anywhere near her, a conspiratorial expression playing plainly across her open face.
"Ya know..." She said quietly, though not nearly quietly enough to avoid being overheard, "He doesn't know our names. Can't give us detention if we don't tell him them..."
|
|
|
|
Post by Zari D. Thorn on Aug 23, 2016 19:48:32 GMT -6
Zari watched as Lily bolted away with impressive speed. His eyebrow raised as he followed her movements with ease until she landed before him. A small sigh would escape his lips before he looked to the sky. It seemed that nothing at all was going on. Though nothing naughty or foul anyway. The man supposed he would let it go for now. "A detention is a form of punishment, my dear." He clarified before shifting his eyes towards Aegle. It was obvious to him that the mere mention of punishment angered the girl. In short-- Zari vastly over-estimated the actions taking place. Note to self, don't go to extreme cases so quickly, he thought. Clearing his through, Zari turned back to Lily. "I guess this is the first time you have been to a school before? I only ask because it is made clear to even young children what detention and punishments are. However I will not administer one today. It seems I was quick on the draw here."
Placing his gloved hand out, Zari offered to shake hands with Lily. "Like the young miss, I welcome you to Vytal. May you train hard and improve your skills. And please, learn many things. I am Professor Zari D. Thron. Trainer in Aura and combat. And with that being said..." He once again turned to Aegle, this time with a playful smirk, "...since I am a teacher, if I don't know a students name, I can easily find out in our records. You two seem to be a pair of characters. One that just arrived. And another who is an endurance test on vision itself." After saying that, his smirk vanished into a stark and straight lip. "However I would like to not do such things. I'm a man that takes pride in training and growing his students. Please, remind me of your names. I promise you won't receive punishments. I misjudged what I saw."
No matter what their answers, Zari would take a few steps forward and stopped. "By the way, what the young orange lady said was right. If you go to the tower, you can basically find your way around the whole campus. It will be difficult for a new comer though. Plenty of students out and about today. It is sure to be crowded everywhere you look." He would have preferred if they were all training or studying. But teenagers will be teenagers. "Anyway, I am sorry if I came off as tyrannical. Just making it safe for all my students. From the entrance of this alleyway, it seemed that someone was being bullied." His eyes shifted to the side before his hand covered his mouth. "Or lewd things."
Taking out his thermos, the pale-haired man waved the metal container in the air and offered some to the girls. "Care for some tea? Just a cup left."
|
|
