Post by Minette Belrose on Oct 24, 2016 18:49:35 GMT -6
 | PLAYED BY CELIA FORTY-TWO (42) APRIL (04) | FEMALE VYTAL FACULTY FAUNUS (CAT, MAINE COON) |
| MINETTE BELROSE / KITA FUJIMOTO | ||
★ APPEARANCE
Minette is a woman that many would describe as quite beautiful; tall, curvy, fair skinned, with long auburn hair that shimmers like gold and piercing crimson eyes. She's certainly that, but make no mistake - she is a huntress through and through. Her long and flowing clothes do wonders to accentuate her curves while also hiding a good portion of her legs, arms, and shoulders, which is good for blending in. Minette is quite muscular, certainly someone who cuts an intimidating figure in more fitted clothes, but not quite so much that she can't hide it with a little extra effort. And hide it she does.
Around most people, and when facing most enemies, Minette prefers to look the part of an everyday person rather than one of the world's elite warriors. She wears a long, crimson dress over a wide-cuffed pale blouse, both of which are trimmed with black along the edges, and a black shawl that hangs around her shoulders with a red brooch on the front.
Her combat attire is something she wears beneath her normal attire, for "emergencies." A black, sleeveless high-collar tee, fit snugly and cut short to show her midriff, and a pair of black shorts made of breathable fabric that hugs her legs gently, that reach down just past her knees, with slits in the sides right at the knee that lead down to split the cuffs, trimmed white. A pair of dark brown wrap sandals adorn her feet, with a surprising amount of support and stability despite how thin they are. This outfit allows her less restricted range of motion, even when her armor is active.
Minette is completely unashamed of her Faunus heritage and fully embraces the world as she is in terms of appearance. She doesn't make any effort to hide or even draw attention away from her black cat ears.
★ PERSONALITY
★ HISTORY
42 years ago, at a large estate in central Menagerie, the Fujimoto family welcomed into the world their second child and only daughter - Kita. Coming from a bloodline near purely of faunus, Kita Fujimoto embodied the traits of her particular species far more closely than most others, being a late bloomer that grew to tower over most of the people she knew and gifted with reflexes and senses that far surpassed those considered average for her people.
The Fujimoto clan were feared and revered as powerful and capable, often holding positions of great power in both the military and government of the small continent their family operated from, and as such, had been involved quite closely with the White Fang for almost as long as both the bloodline and the organization had existed. Kita was no different. At a young age, she was indoctrinated into the Fang as a rite of passage - a symbol of the beginning of her training as a warrior, a weapon to be used by the Fang against whoever it deemed fit. Kita trained under her older brother Koga, quickly learning the power of Aura and picking up various martial arts. Such harsh training at such a young age was a brutal revelation to the little girl, who was brought to heel not out of respect for her family name or the people she was training to protect - but out of fear. The fear of failure, of death. Of loss. Early in her life, Kita grew cold and distant towards those around her, as they in turn did the same to her.
Only her brother brought her any joy. Though he was considerably older than her, the difference a whopping 13 years, the two got along well. While her parents lectured her for not taking her training seriously, and her superiors chastised her for being too weak to be of any real use, her brother was always by her side to wipe the tears away. After rough days, long into the night, her brother would tell her stories - stories of the Hunters in their family. Great, epic stories that he would recite as if from a children’s storybook, exaggerated voices and all, that the two would talk of long into the black hours of night. He trained her, but was never harsher or stricter than he needed to be, for he knew well the burden she carried - she had already proven to have far more potential than even he, and was expected to bring the family glory. Koga left home when Kita was 11, going off to Pinnacle on a string of missions. For a long while, Kita was left to herself to train, until she met two girls.
Silver-haired twins, from a family far to the eastern end of the continent, came to visit in response to a marriage proposal. The Beaumont family, a marriage between her own brother Koga and their eldest daughter, Marceline. The younger sister, Giselle, accompanied her and did most of the talking during the meeting, as Marceline was not much of a conversationalist. Kita sat in on the meeting as well, aside her mother and father, silently listening and avoiding eye contact. The twins brought news of acceptance, and Kita’s parents were jovial.
Koga was not.
Upon his return, the news of his unwitting and unwarranted marriage to a girl he had never even met sent Koga into a rage. He threatened to leave, to disinherit them, but Kita calmed him down back into peaceful talk. Their parents were unyielding in their decision, and Koga resigned himself to his fate. The next year, Marceline and Koga were married, and Marceline came to live with them. Alongside her as before was Giselle, standing proudly beside her sullen twin and her equally unhappy husband. It seemed that neither one of them had agreed to, or had even known about, the marriage until it was already being planned. It had been a surprise to them both, though Kita did not know what to think of it herself.
With her brother unwillingly married off to an equally unwilling bride, tension in the estate was high. Kita could no longer comfortably talk with her brother, as he was commonly out with his wife in public displays of peace between the two powerful families of Menagerie. In a similar position herself, Giselle was there to fill the silence. Kita spoke with younger girl, of their lives, of their families, of the Fang, and of their own duties to their people. Unlike her, Giselle was a stalwart patriot who looked down on those who dared to stand against them, a venomous outlook on the humans that hated them. In particular, Legion had earned her ire - a seething hatred for the nation that had, since even before it had taken on the name it now held, stood for everything that the Fang stood against. Kita was groomed by the intelligent and enigmatic girl, growing to hate humanity more and more with every day the girl spent in the company of the silver-haired fox faunus.
She bid farewell to her family and friends on the eve of her 14th birthday, having stayed an additional year for surgery - the implant and instruction on her weaponry, custom-made for her and planted along her spinal column, the recovery time was long, and the training for it was even longer. She entered a year late, full of hate, pain, and pride, under an assumed name given to her by the Fang.
Minette Belrose.
She was partnered with someone she immediately detested. His name was William, and he stood for everything she hated - he was a human, a swordsman from a prestigious and militaristic family hailing from Legion, a family that her superiors had warned her about. They were not dangerous, per se, but they had openly declared themselves enemies of the Fang. She did her best to bite her tongue, even as he made it readily apparent that he thought himself above her. That wasn’t to say that she stood there and took it, she fired back her fair share of venom. She just made sure to not escalate things to violence. Too often.
The two were completely dysfunctional as duo, no trust, no chemistry, not even a single mission or assignment where they didn’t bicker like the schoolchildren they were. Their styles conflicted heavily. Minette relied heavily on the use of martial arts and close combat, augmenting herself with her powerful aura in lieu of her undiscovered semblance. Her strikes were numerous and precise, but held great power delivered with the crippling force of a car crash. William, however, relied on heavy, singular hits with the pairing of his semblance and blade. His slashes carried enough raw power to split oak trees clean in half, and he would often strike away enemies just as Minette would be wearing them down, and she would end up slowly pushing enemies out of his range as he charged his semblance.
They argued bitterly, out of disgust, out of pride. They stood for every single thing that the other had been brought up to fear and despise. Almost immediately, the two gained a reputation among the school for being highly argumentative and openly violent towards one another, but even after countless counselling session, and even a meeting with the headmaster, they remained beside one another - though neither could understand why. Through the efforts of the counselor, the two were paired off with another set of students: an loudmouthed brawler named Ivory, and a bitter dust mage named Catherine, who were undergoing similar problems. Twice a month, the four were required to operate on a mission together under the guidance of a teacher, a mission just outside their skill range that would force them to work closely together. In addition, they would go to a counselling session once a week individually, and then again as a group at the end of the month.
To the surprise and delight of all four of them, it worked quite well. The team, christened team CRWM (chrome) by its members, was highly revered and respected throughout the school - even though, as individuals, they were still seen as troublesome misfits. Ivory and Catherine shared a lot of playful banter, but by the end, they were always laughing about it like a pair of old friends. Minette and William talked one-on-one in their dorm, one night after her counselling session. William seemed a lot more sullen and a lot less hostile than he normally was, and it threw her off. He asked if they could talk. The two sat down and spoke of their pasts, their mindsets, their struggles and hardships, long into the night.
William was just like her. From a young age, he had been groomed and trained to be a powerful soldier for his family. Though it was uninjured and would have developed just as fine as the other, William’s family had his right arm amputated and replaced with an advanced prosthetic to improve the power of his strikes. He was constantly talked down to and compared to the accomplishments of his “much better” and “more capable” older sister, who had been a mainstay in the Legion Special Forces practically since the day she had graduated Vytal. She had comforted him when the two had still lived under the same roof, and even on her holiday visits while she attended Vytal, but now the two had been out of contact for…
Almost as long as her last chat with Koga.
The two slowly but surely grew past their issues and differences, accepting one another for them and focusing on their similarities instead. A powerful bond was formed between the two, and that openness extended to their teammates. Catherine and Ivory seemed to open up just as quickly after their next group session, and soon the four of them were operating seamlessly as a single unit, tackling missions outside their skill range and overcoming the difficult challenges they presented with determination and teamwork.
The years went on, and the four of them moved on to graduation - however, the final few days were hectic. The two days leading up to the ceremony, Catherine refused to leave her dormitory for any reason, not that her teammates blamed her. She had lost her twin sister, she had died on a mission earlier that week. Ivory did all he could to console her, as did Minette, but she would not respond to any of them. When the day of the ceremony came, she stood with them - but she was different. Cold, sullen, unresponsive. Nothing they said stuck, it was either shrugged off or ignored entirely, and Minette and William conceded they could not help her then. Ivory was not so quick to give up, though by the time he had come up with a plan of action, Catherine had disappeared.
The three of them spent days searching for their teammate, but to no avail. Nobody at all had seen or heard from her since the end of the ceremony, and there was no record of her having left Vytal despite the fact that she was most definitely not on the island. She did not want to be found - they realized that, but far too late.
Ivory followed a vague lead he had found from one of the teachers, who claimed to had seen her boarding a flight to Setek. He left immediately. Minette and William remained behind on the island, waiting for their respective families to come to collect them and their belongings so they could return home. They knew that they would not be able to speak on the same terms after they left, or visit one another, or easily meet up again. William said he would be getting married soon after he left. He would be moving out to Rift, somewhere he could be at peace, away from the life his family was trying to force onto him. Minette told him her thoughts - about her home, about her goals, about her feelings. She told him things she did not want him to hear, and things she had been meaning to tell him for a while but had been to scared to admit. She did not mean to, she did not want to, but she made him feel guilty. Made him feel regret.
That night was strange and awkward, for both of them.
Minette awoke in her bed the next morning alone, all of William’s possessions having been removed from their shared dorm and transferred to his flight. He was already on his way home, and there she was By herself. Waiting for her brother to come help her with her things. It was the first time in many years that she truly felt alone - abandoned.
Along with her brother came a gift from the White Fang. It would be her first mission as a fully operational member of their ranks, she would be heading out east of Rift to establish a radio tower in the wilds where they could broadcast information close to towns without being noticed. Along with it, was her mask. Much to her shame, the mask fit like a glove - her brother even commented that it suited her well. With her mask, and her orders, Minette set out on her first real mission. Her brother accompanied her, though he was not given the same orders, moreso that it was purely for the sake of spending time with his sister. The trip to the settlement was long, and strange Minette mulled over a lot of things, including the Fang, and her family. After talking with William and Catherine, seeing all of the people at school, students and teachers alike, and seeing all the good they did on her missions, it made her think if what she was doing was truly right.
The broadcast station was set on a low mountain far east of Rift, not too far from a small settlement, but far enough to not be easily noticed. Minette was to guard the crew as they set up the equipment. It was supposed to be an easy job. With her brother, it would have been easy, but shortly after their arrival, Koga was called away on urgent business. She would have to do the mission alone, as intended. Things went well for a while, the equipment was set up easily and with few disturbances, and Minette even got to enjoy the scenery of the forest. An odd detail that caught her eye, however, was the strange presence near their camp. Her namesake, a wisteria tree, sat comfortably among the rocks, though it was dying slowly. She didn't want to think about what it might mean.
Shortly after, in the middle of the night, they were set upon by Grimm. They were overwhelmed quickly, and this only drew more and more to them as panic set in. After a hard-fought battle of stamina, Minette stood alone to face the remaining Grimm as the sun was beginning to rise. The equipment was still intact somehow, and so she had still completed her mission. She had to get out alive, though. She was worn down more and more with each passing minute, and eventually, she could not fight any longer.
She was knocked into the wisteria tree, and lay under its withered leaves as the Grimm advanced on their defeated prey. She accepted that she was going to die, and closed her eyes, to wait. She felt something soft and light land on her face, and she opened her eyes again to pick it up and examine it. It was a petal, a purple petal. She looked up, and deep in the branches of the dead tree, she saw one last cluster of violet flowers, desperately clinging to the tree. An odd, but extremely powerful resolve coursed through her veins and she stood up, muscles aching, body hurting, but head held high. Her eyes began to glow with an odd light, and her aura flared violently. With a mighty roar that split the silence of the forest, Minette's semblance came to life for the first time, instilling power and life into both her and the wisteria tree. With her newfound and increased strength, Minette fought her way to victory through the scant few hours that remained of the dawn, until all of the Grimm that had gathered around her had either run away, or perished.
She collapsed just as the sun peeked over the horizon.
When she awoke, she was in a small log cabin that she did not recognize, with a woman and a man standing a ways away, talking among themselves. The man was obviously a doctor, if the white coat and somewhat expensive-looking medical equipment in the room were any indication. The woman, however, was a bit harder to identify. Her polished-silver hair was familiar to Minette, but the leather-brown cloak she wore and the heavy hunting boots threw her off. She let out a groan as she tried to get up, and they turned to her. Minette saw a flash of recognition across the woman's face, but still could not place her. The doctor rushed over to her and gently coerced her into laying back down. He explained to her the various injuries she had, and the fact that she would be out of commission for quite a while, before dropping quite the bombshell on her.
She was pregnant.
Minette kept in contact with the Fang through her brother, though none of them could risk visiting her. When she was finally able to, she walked around the small settlement she had been brought to. The woman who saved her had introduced herself as Marcie, and welcomed Minette into her home. Minette was introduced to Marcie's husband, though, she already knew him. It was William, her former partner from Vytal. The three of them chatted into the night, and when William went out, Marcie talked with Minette. She re-introduced herself - Marceline Beaumont. The girl whom her brother had forcibly married. Unbeknownst to Minette, Marceline had run away during her own time at school - and the two families had been thrown into chaos. As of right now, they were even threatening to go to war. Minette didn't know what to say.
Marcie and William helped Minette get back on her feet, even offering to help her get her own home out here after she decided it would be bad to return to her own. The Fang were leaving her alone for now, and so was her family, and she was going to milk that for all it was worth. The three of them stuck together as Minette's pregnancy advanced further and further along, and eventually, she welcomed into the world a red-headed baby cat faunus girl. She had given thought to the name "Akane," as she intended for her to bear the Fujimoto name just as she herself did. Marcie, however, convinced her otherwise. The Fujimotos were indeed known outside of Menagerie, just as the Beaumonts were. Neither of them were safe bearing their true names. And so, Marcie and Minette came up with a different name.
Agnès Melisande Belrose, daughter to Minette Belrose - a real daughter for a fake woman. For the first few years of her daughters life, Minette spent all the time she could with her daughter, doing her best to learn how to be a mom. There were plenty of kids in the village, but most of their mothers were a bit wary of Minette, given that she was a very large and intimidating person, as well as a huntress. She accepted it, and did the best she could with what she had - not to say she did it alone. Marcie and William were always there to help, in the rare circumstances that Minette actually asked for it. Even though Marcie had no idea about the whole thing, William did his best to be a dad to his daughter. Three years after the birth of her own daughter, Marcie had a child as well. She was small, frail, and grew to bear the same silver hair as her mother. She was named Celia. The two children would grow up in close proximity, as their parents held a strong friendship between them that would hopefully foster an equally strong bond between the two unwitting half-sisters. Agnès would be left with Marcie and William, and she would take on enough missions to pay them as well, though they did not like accepting the money.
As her supplies began to dwindle, Minette took on missions. William remained active as well, and was often out when Minette was home, which meant that they rarely saw one another. Marcie was often out as well when someone else was home, as she hunted game out in the woods. On the rare occasions where both Marcie and William would both be out, Minette would gladly watch the kids. The two grew older, and developed personality and character, each showing a love of fighting in some odd way. Agnès was loud and energetic, and quite the handful. Celia was quiet and a bit of a crybaby, but she had a good heart. There were times though, as they got older, where Celia would not be around. Hoping to hand the reins off to Celia one day and ensure she was developing a valuable skill, Marcie taught her daughter how to hunt and track, and how to shoot a bow. On the other hand, Minette's own daughter showed quite a desire to learn about aura after seeing Minette use if a few times when she went out training during the day. At ten years old, she began to teach her about aura and how it was meant to be used.
Eventually, it became a routine - at a certain point, no doubt after Agnès showed off the results of her own education on the subject, Celia was roped in out of sheer curiosity. Minette began to teach the two girls what aura was and what it could do, and demonstrate how it could be used. Celia thought it was interesting, and spent a lot of her time practicing the techniques by herself. For Agnès though, it wasn't enough. She wanted to learn how to fight, too. Celia, of course, played follow the leader, and the two children, one 11 and the other 8 years old, convinced Minette to teach them a bit of basic combat. On their days off from missions, Minette and William educated them.
It was supposed to stop there, but as the years went by, it was obvious that the two girls wanted to fight. William even jumped in a few times, and taught Celia swordplay on the side, and they went and got their weapons forged when each of them were ready. It was a happy and sad day when Agnès bid them farewell and set off on her way to Vytal academy, but things were okay. The next year, she visited for a while, and Minette was very happy to see her daughter growing into a strong and independent young woman, free of any of the corrupting forces she had to endure in Menagerie. However, things would not last. Agnès returned to Vytal shortly afterwards, and Minette and William were both set to go on missions. William's would take him out to Pinnacle, and Minette's...
Minette's was not actually a mission. She intended to make a few visits, and the return to Menagerie for one final time - to make things official. It took her two weeks altogether, to find her way back to the broadcast station and destroy it, to have her weapon recalibrated by a professional for the first time a many years, and to actually make her way to the island. She was welcomed back warmly, but she could not return the feeling. Some regarded her suspiciously - it had been quite a while since her last response, people were worried something had happened.
She got to the Fujimoto Estate. Her brother was gone, as was Giselle Beaumont, which she had suspected, but her parents remained. They were upset, but not considerably angry. They allowed Minette to explain herself, and explain she did. She explained all of the things she learned from her time in school. She explained everything she realized as she lay dying beneath the wisteria. She explained everything she had learned from being a mom and being surrounded by friends and family who actually loved her.
She took her mask, and broke it in her hands right in front of her parents.
They were too awestruck to respond, as was everyone else in attendance, but one person met her as she prepared to leave Menagerie. Ivory was there at the port. They had kept in loose contact for a while, despite Minette having visited once before many years ago, but he had remained here. His search for Catherine had yielded no real results, and so he had decided to move to a place that would actually welcome him. He agreed with her that joining the Fang had been a mistake, and he was ready to accept the consequences of the mistakes he'd made. "I can get you out of here, but you have to promise me something. Promise me that you'll find her." It was sworn, and Ivory got her on a small boat out of Menagerie. She heard in the news many days later that he had been arrested for aiding in the escape of a wanted fugitive, and was awaiting a trial that would likely result in his execution. Minette silently thanked her friend, and never saw him again. She headed home.
She came home to good news. In her absence, Celia had discovered her semblance - and the 12-year-old girl was only too happy to show Minette what she could do. Marcie, though, seemed to be uneasy. Later, when Minette asked her about it away from Celia, Marcie only had one thing to say. "My sister had the same semblance." She didn't need to say anymore, Minette knew what she had meant by that. Still though, things took a turn for the worst when Legion military officials showed up at their door one day and gave Minette the news that would destroy her.
William was dead.
For several weeks, Minette refused to leave her home. Marcie grieved separately, and Celia was always out in the woods. Everybody split apart and there was nothing any of them could do about it. Winter came, and with it, the holidays. Agnès returned home to see the sullen faces of her mother and her best friend's mother, but not her best friend. She dragged Minette out of bed and kicked open the door to Marcie's house, jarring them both violently awake and demanding to know where Celia was. Marcie said she was outside and wouldn't come back in, and then Agnès stormed off, muttering something about needing to "beat some sense into that dumb kid." Marcie and Minette were alone, but together. It was the first time in quite a while where it had been just the two of them, without William or the kids. Minette broke the silence, the weight on her chest being too much to bear under the grief.
"Agnès is William's daughter."
Marcie wasn't even able to fully process it until Agnès came in through the door, dragging Celia behind her, half-conscious. They were both hurt, Celia moreso, and Agnès looked furious. She set her friend on the couch, and turned to Marcie.
"She's going to Vytal next year."
Marcie shook her head.
"No. Out of the question."
Agnès let out a growl.
"And why the hell not?"
Marcie glared at her.
"Because I'm her mother, and I said no."
The argument went on and on, and Minette did her best to mediate between the two short, angry females. Celia sat on the couch in a daze, she lifted her eyes to look at Minette once or twice, but said nothing until things began to escalate beyond what Minette could control.
"Dad wanted me to go."
That silenced any kind of argument on Marcie's end, and it just made Agnès look away in shame. Marcie marched off into her bedroom, and shouted from the hall.
"Get some sleep, then. We need to get you a passport tomorrow so you can register."
Agnès and Minette walked home in the cold and the snow, silently. Agnès told Minette that she'd be going back to school a little early this year, to catch up on some things. Minette was a little disappointed that she couldn't spend the whole holiday break with her daughter, after having rarely seen her all year, but she understood what kind of workload Vytal had. A few days later, Agnès left, with Celia in tow, to go to Vytal. It took Minette a while to pick herself up after that. Marcie didn't say a word to her afterwards, but would shoot her glares whenever they crossed paths. Minette didn't blame her. She couldn't. Still, she couldn't just let herself rot and mope like she had been doing.
She applied, for a teaching position in Vytal. She had been a huntress for longer than most of its students had been alive, and would have quite valuable experience in her field. At first, she acted as a Professor in teaching History and Unarmed Combat, separately of course. However, after the recent passing of Vytal's headmaster, she was moved into the spot previously held by its current headmaster. Now, Minette serves as the assistant headmaster at the academy. In addition to her position as an authority, she also serves as the school's counselor - she hopes she can help the students the same way the old counselor helped her.
Minette is a woman that many would describe as quite beautiful; tall, curvy, fair skinned, with long auburn hair that shimmers like gold and piercing crimson eyes. She's certainly that, but make no mistake - she is a huntress through and through. Her long and flowing clothes do wonders to accentuate her curves while also hiding a good portion of her legs, arms, and shoulders, which is good for blending in. Minette is quite muscular, certainly someone who cuts an intimidating figure in more fitted clothes, but not quite so much that she can't hide it with a little extra effort. And hide it she does.
Around most people, and when facing most enemies, Minette prefers to look the part of an everyday person rather than one of the world's elite warriors. She wears a long, crimson dress over a wide-cuffed pale blouse, both of which are trimmed with black along the edges, and a black shawl that hangs around her shoulders with a red brooch on the front.
Her combat attire is something she wears beneath her normal attire, for "emergencies." A black, sleeveless high-collar tee, fit snugly and cut short to show her midriff, and a pair of black shorts made of breathable fabric that hugs her legs gently, that reach down just past her knees, with slits in the sides right at the knee that lead down to split the cuffs, trimmed white. A pair of dark brown wrap sandals adorn her feet, with a surprising amount of support and stability despite how thin they are. This outfit allows her less restricted range of motion, even when her armor is active.
Minette is completely unashamed of her Faunus heritage and fully embraces the world as she is in terms of appearance. She doesn't make any effort to hide or even draw attention away from her black cat ears.
★ PERSONALITY
POSITIVE - Warm - Open-minded - Considerate - Protective - Charitable | NEGATIVE - Dishonest - Self-depricative - Emotional - Obsessively Reminiscient - Hypocritical |
★ HISTORY
42 years ago, at a large estate in central Menagerie, the Fujimoto family welcomed into the world their second child and only daughter - Kita. Coming from a bloodline near purely of faunus, Kita Fujimoto embodied the traits of her particular species far more closely than most others, being a late bloomer that grew to tower over most of the people she knew and gifted with reflexes and senses that far surpassed those considered average for her people.
The Fujimoto clan were feared and revered as powerful and capable, often holding positions of great power in both the military and government of the small continent their family operated from, and as such, had been involved quite closely with the White Fang for almost as long as both the bloodline and the organization had existed. Kita was no different. At a young age, she was indoctrinated into the Fang as a rite of passage - a symbol of the beginning of her training as a warrior, a weapon to be used by the Fang against whoever it deemed fit. Kita trained under her older brother Koga, quickly learning the power of Aura and picking up various martial arts. Such harsh training at such a young age was a brutal revelation to the little girl, who was brought to heel not out of respect for her family name or the people she was training to protect - but out of fear. The fear of failure, of death. Of loss. Early in her life, Kita grew cold and distant towards those around her, as they in turn did the same to her.
Only her brother brought her any joy. Though he was considerably older than her, the difference a whopping 13 years, the two got along well. While her parents lectured her for not taking her training seriously, and her superiors chastised her for being too weak to be of any real use, her brother was always by her side to wipe the tears away. After rough days, long into the night, her brother would tell her stories - stories of the Hunters in their family. Great, epic stories that he would recite as if from a children’s storybook, exaggerated voices and all, that the two would talk of long into the black hours of night. He trained her, but was never harsher or stricter than he needed to be, for he knew well the burden she carried - she had already proven to have far more potential than even he, and was expected to bring the family glory. Koga left home when Kita was 11, going off to Pinnacle on a string of missions. For a long while, Kita was left to herself to train, until she met two girls.
Silver-haired twins, from a family far to the eastern end of the continent, came to visit in response to a marriage proposal. The Beaumont family, a marriage between her own brother Koga and their eldest daughter, Marceline. The younger sister, Giselle, accompanied her and did most of the talking during the meeting, as Marceline was not much of a conversationalist. Kita sat in on the meeting as well, aside her mother and father, silently listening and avoiding eye contact. The twins brought news of acceptance, and Kita’s parents were jovial.
Koga was not.
Upon his return, the news of his unwitting and unwarranted marriage to a girl he had never even met sent Koga into a rage. He threatened to leave, to disinherit them, but Kita calmed him down back into peaceful talk. Their parents were unyielding in their decision, and Koga resigned himself to his fate. The next year, Marceline and Koga were married, and Marceline came to live with them. Alongside her as before was Giselle, standing proudly beside her sullen twin and her equally unhappy husband. It seemed that neither one of them had agreed to, or had even known about, the marriage until it was already being planned. It had been a surprise to them both, though Kita did not know what to think of it herself.
With her brother unwillingly married off to an equally unwilling bride, tension in the estate was high. Kita could no longer comfortably talk with her brother, as he was commonly out with his wife in public displays of peace between the two powerful families of Menagerie. In a similar position herself, Giselle was there to fill the silence. Kita spoke with younger girl, of their lives, of their families, of the Fang, and of their own duties to their people. Unlike her, Giselle was a stalwart patriot who looked down on those who dared to stand against them, a venomous outlook on the humans that hated them. In particular, Legion had earned her ire - a seething hatred for the nation that had, since even before it had taken on the name it now held, stood for everything that the Fang stood against. Kita was groomed by the intelligent and enigmatic girl, growing to hate humanity more and more with every day the girl spent in the company of the silver-haired fox faunus.
She bid farewell to her family and friends on the eve of her 14th birthday, having stayed an additional year for surgery - the implant and instruction on her weaponry, custom-made for her and planted along her spinal column, the recovery time was long, and the training for it was even longer. She entered a year late, full of hate, pain, and pride, under an assumed name given to her by the Fang.
Minette Belrose.
She was partnered with someone she immediately detested. His name was William, and he stood for everything she hated - he was a human, a swordsman from a prestigious and militaristic family hailing from Legion, a family that her superiors had warned her about. They were not dangerous, per se, but they had openly declared themselves enemies of the Fang. She did her best to bite her tongue, even as he made it readily apparent that he thought himself above her. That wasn’t to say that she stood there and took it, she fired back her fair share of venom. She just made sure to not escalate things to violence. Too often.
The two were completely dysfunctional as duo, no trust, no chemistry, not even a single mission or assignment where they didn’t bicker like the schoolchildren they were. Their styles conflicted heavily. Minette relied heavily on the use of martial arts and close combat, augmenting herself with her powerful aura in lieu of her undiscovered semblance. Her strikes were numerous and precise, but held great power delivered with the crippling force of a car crash. William, however, relied on heavy, singular hits with the pairing of his semblance and blade. His slashes carried enough raw power to split oak trees clean in half, and he would often strike away enemies just as Minette would be wearing them down, and she would end up slowly pushing enemies out of his range as he charged his semblance.
They argued bitterly, out of disgust, out of pride. They stood for every single thing that the other had been brought up to fear and despise. Almost immediately, the two gained a reputation among the school for being highly argumentative and openly violent towards one another, but even after countless counselling session, and even a meeting with the headmaster, they remained beside one another - though neither could understand why. Through the efforts of the counselor, the two were paired off with another set of students: an loudmouthed brawler named Ivory, and a bitter dust mage named Catherine, who were undergoing similar problems. Twice a month, the four were required to operate on a mission together under the guidance of a teacher, a mission just outside their skill range that would force them to work closely together. In addition, they would go to a counselling session once a week individually, and then again as a group at the end of the month.
To the surprise and delight of all four of them, it worked quite well. The team, christened team CRWM (chrome) by its members, was highly revered and respected throughout the school - even though, as individuals, they were still seen as troublesome misfits. Ivory and Catherine shared a lot of playful banter, but by the end, they were always laughing about it like a pair of old friends. Minette and William talked one-on-one in their dorm, one night after her counselling session. William seemed a lot more sullen and a lot less hostile than he normally was, and it threw her off. He asked if they could talk. The two sat down and spoke of their pasts, their mindsets, their struggles and hardships, long into the night.
William was just like her. From a young age, he had been groomed and trained to be a powerful soldier for his family. Though it was uninjured and would have developed just as fine as the other, William’s family had his right arm amputated and replaced with an advanced prosthetic to improve the power of his strikes. He was constantly talked down to and compared to the accomplishments of his “much better” and “more capable” older sister, who had been a mainstay in the Legion Special Forces practically since the day she had graduated Vytal. She had comforted him when the two had still lived under the same roof, and even on her holiday visits while she attended Vytal, but now the two had been out of contact for…
Almost as long as her last chat with Koga.
The two slowly but surely grew past their issues and differences, accepting one another for them and focusing on their similarities instead. A powerful bond was formed between the two, and that openness extended to their teammates. Catherine and Ivory seemed to open up just as quickly after their next group session, and soon the four of them were operating seamlessly as a single unit, tackling missions outside their skill range and overcoming the difficult challenges they presented with determination and teamwork.
The years went on, and the four of them moved on to graduation - however, the final few days were hectic. The two days leading up to the ceremony, Catherine refused to leave her dormitory for any reason, not that her teammates blamed her. She had lost her twin sister, she had died on a mission earlier that week. Ivory did all he could to console her, as did Minette, but she would not respond to any of them. When the day of the ceremony came, she stood with them - but she was different. Cold, sullen, unresponsive. Nothing they said stuck, it was either shrugged off or ignored entirely, and Minette and William conceded they could not help her then. Ivory was not so quick to give up, though by the time he had come up with a plan of action, Catherine had disappeared.
The three of them spent days searching for their teammate, but to no avail. Nobody at all had seen or heard from her since the end of the ceremony, and there was no record of her having left Vytal despite the fact that she was most definitely not on the island. She did not want to be found - they realized that, but far too late.
Ivory followed a vague lead he had found from one of the teachers, who claimed to had seen her boarding a flight to Setek. He left immediately. Minette and William remained behind on the island, waiting for their respective families to come to collect them and their belongings so they could return home. They knew that they would not be able to speak on the same terms after they left, or visit one another, or easily meet up again. William said he would be getting married soon after he left. He would be moving out to Rift, somewhere he could be at peace, away from the life his family was trying to force onto him. Minette told him her thoughts - about her home, about her goals, about her feelings. She told him things she did not want him to hear, and things she had been meaning to tell him for a while but had been to scared to admit. She did not mean to, she did not want to, but she made him feel guilty. Made him feel regret.
That night was strange and awkward, for both of them.
Minette awoke in her bed the next morning alone, all of William’s possessions having been removed from their shared dorm and transferred to his flight. He was already on his way home, and there she was By herself. Waiting for her brother to come help her with her things. It was the first time in many years that she truly felt alone - abandoned.
Along with her brother came a gift from the White Fang. It would be her first mission as a fully operational member of their ranks, she would be heading out east of Rift to establish a radio tower in the wilds where they could broadcast information close to towns without being noticed. Along with it, was her mask. Much to her shame, the mask fit like a glove - her brother even commented that it suited her well. With her mask, and her orders, Minette set out on her first real mission. Her brother accompanied her, though he was not given the same orders, moreso that it was purely for the sake of spending time with his sister. The trip to the settlement was long, and strange Minette mulled over a lot of things, including the Fang, and her family. After talking with William and Catherine, seeing all of the people at school, students and teachers alike, and seeing all the good they did on her missions, it made her think if what she was doing was truly right.
The broadcast station was set on a low mountain far east of Rift, not too far from a small settlement, but far enough to not be easily noticed. Minette was to guard the crew as they set up the equipment. It was supposed to be an easy job. With her brother, it would have been easy, but shortly after their arrival, Koga was called away on urgent business. She would have to do the mission alone, as intended. Things went well for a while, the equipment was set up easily and with few disturbances, and Minette even got to enjoy the scenery of the forest. An odd detail that caught her eye, however, was the strange presence near their camp. Her namesake, a wisteria tree, sat comfortably among the rocks, though it was dying slowly. She didn't want to think about what it might mean.
Shortly after, in the middle of the night, they were set upon by Grimm. They were overwhelmed quickly, and this only drew more and more to them as panic set in. After a hard-fought battle of stamina, Minette stood alone to face the remaining Grimm as the sun was beginning to rise. The equipment was still intact somehow, and so she had still completed her mission. She had to get out alive, though. She was worn down more and more with each passing minute, and eventually, she could not fight any longer.
She was knocked into the wisteria tree, and lay under its withered leaves as the Grimm advanced on their defeated prey. She accepted that she was going to die, and closed her eyes, to wait. She felt something soft and light land on her face, and she opened her eyes again to pick it up and examine it. It was a petal, a purple petal. She looked up, and deep in the branches of the dead tree, she saw one last cluster of violet flowers, desperately clinging to the tree. An odd, but extremely powerful resolve coursed through her veins and she stood up, muscles aching, body hurting, but head held high. Her eyes began to glow with an odd light, and her aura flared violently. With a mighty roar that split the silence of the forest, Minette's semblance came to life for the first time, instilling power and life into both her and the wisteria tree. With her newfound and increased strength, Minette fought her way to victory through the scant few hours that remained of the dawn, until all of the Grimm that had gathered around her had either run away, or perished.
She collapsed just as the sun peeked over the horizon.
When she awoke, she was in a small log cabin that she did not recognize, with a woman and a man standing a ways away, talking among themselves. The man was obviously a doctor, if the white coat and somewhat expensive-looking medical equipment in the room were any indication. The woman, however, was a bit harder to identify. Her polished-silver hair was familiar to Minette, but the leather-brown cloak she wore and the heavy hunting boots threw her off. She let out a groan as she tried to get up, and they turned to her. Minette saw a flash of recognition across the woman's face, but still could not place her. The doctor rushed over to her and gently coerced her into laying back down. He explained to her the various injuries she had, and the fact that she would be out of commission for quite a while, before dropping quite the bombshell on her.
She was pregnant.
Minette kept in contact with the Fang through her brother, though none of them could risk visiting her. When she was finally able to, she walked around the small settlement she had been brought to. The woman who saved her had introduced herself as Marcie, and welcomed Minette into her home. Minette was introduced to Marcie's husband, though, she already knew him. It was William, her former partner from Vytal. The three of them chatted into the night, and when William went out, Marcie talked with Minette. She re-introduced herself - Marceline Beaumont. The girl whom her brother had forcibly married. Unbeknownst to Minette, Marceline had run away during her own time at school - and the two families had been thrown into chaos. As of right now, they were even threatening to go to war. Minette didn't know what to say.
Marcie and William helped Minette get back on her feet, even offering to help her get her own home out here after she decided it would be bad to return to her own. The Fang were leaving her alone for now, and so was her family, and she was going to milk that for all it was worth. The three of them stuck together as Minette's pregnancy advanced further and further along, and eventually, she welcomed into the world a red-headed baby cat faunus girl. She had given thought to the name "Akane," as she intended for her to bear the Fujimoto name just as she herself did. Marcie, however, convinced her otherwise. The Fujimotos were indeed known outside of Menagerie, just as the Beaumonts were. Neither of them were safe bearing their true names. And so, Marcie and Minette came up with a different name.
Agnès Melisande Belrose, daughter to Minette Belrose - a real daughter for a fake woman. For the first few years of her daughters life, Minette spent all the time she could with her daughter, doing her best to learn how to be a mom. There were plenty of kids in the village, but most of their mothers were a bit wary of Minette, given that she was a very large and intimidating person, as well as a huntress. She accepted it, and did the best she could with what she had - not to say she did it alone. Marcie and William were always there to help, in the rare circumstances that Minette actually asked for it. Even though Marcie had no idea about the whole thing, William did his best to be a dad to his daughter. Three years after the birth of her own daughter, Marcie had a child as well. She was small, frail, and grew to bear the same silver hair as her mother. She was named Celia. The two children would grow up in close proximity, as their parents held a strong friendship between them that would hopefully foster an equally strong bond between the two unwitting half-sisters. Agnès would be left with Marcie and William, and she would take on enough missions to pay them as well, though they did not like accepting the money.
As her supplies began to dwindle, Minette took on missions. William remained active as well, and was often out when Minette was home, which meant that they rarely saw one another. Marcie was often out as well when someone else was home, as she hunted game out in the woods. On the rare occasions where both Marcie and William would both be out, Minette would gladly watch the kids. The two grew older, and developed personality and character, each showing a love of fighting in some odd way. Agnès was loud and energetic, and quite the handful. Celia was quiet and a bit of a crybaby, but she had a good heart. There were times though, as they got older, where Celia would not be around. Hoping to hand the reins off to Celia one day and ensure she was developing a valuable skill, Marcie taught her daughter how to hunt and track, and how to shoot a bow. On the other hand, Minette's own daughter showed quite a desire to learn about aura after seeing Minette use if a few times when she went out training during the day. At ten years old, she began to teach her about aura and how it was meant to be used.
Eventually, it became a routine - at a certain point, no doubt after Agnès showed off the results of her own education on the subject, Celia was roped in out of sheer curiosity. Minette began to teach the two girls what aura was and what it could do, and demonstrate how it could be used. Celia thought it was interesting, and spent a lot of her time practicing the techniques by herself. For Agnès though, it wasn't enough. She wanted to learn how to fight, too. Celia, of course, played follow the leader, and the two children, one 11 and the other 8 years old, convinced Minette to teach them a bit of basic combat. On their days off from missions, Minette and William educated them.
It was supposed to stop there, but as the years went by, it was obvious that the two girls wanted to fight. William even jumped in a few times, and taught Celia swordplay on the side, and they went and got their weapons forged when each of them were ready. It was a happy and sad day when Agnès bid them farewell and set off on her way to Vytal academy, but things were okay. The next year, she visited for a while, and Minette was very happy to see her daughter growing into a strong and independent young woman, free of any of the corrupting forces she had to endure in Menagerie. However, things would not last. Agnès returned to Vytal shortly afterwards, and Minette and William were both set to go on missions. William's would take him out to Pinnacle, and Minette's...
Minette's was not actually a mission. She intended to make a few visits, and the return to Menagerie for one final time - to make things official. It took her two weeks altogether, to find her way back to the broadcast station and destroy it, to have her weapon recalibrated by a professional for the first time a many years, and to actually make her way to the island. She was welcomed back warmly, but she could not return the feeling. Some regarded her suspiciously - it had been quite a while since her last response, people were worried something had happened.
She got to the Fujimoto Estate. Her brother was gone, as was Giselle Beaumont, which she had suspected, but her parents remained. They were upset, but not considerably angry. They allowed Minette to explain herself, and explain she did. She explained all of the things she learned from her time in school. She explained everything she realized as she lay dying beneath the wisteria. She explained everything she had learned from being a mom and being surrounded by friends and family who actually loved her.
She took her mask, and broke it in her hands right in front of her parents.
They were too awestruck to respond, as was everyone else in attendance, but one person met her as she prepared to leave Menagerie. Ivory was there at the port. They had kept in loose contact for a while, despite Minette having visited once before many years ago, but he had remained here. His search for Catherine had yielded no real results, and so he had decided to move to a place that would actually welcome him. He agreed with her that joining the Fang had been a mistake, and he was ready to accept the consequences of the mistakes he'd made. "I can get you out of here, but you have to promise me something. Promise me that you'll find her." It was sworn, and Ivory got her on a small boat out of Menagerie. She heard in the news many days later that he had been arrested for aiding in the escape of a wanted fugitive, and was awaiting a trial that would likely result in his execution. Minette silently thanked her friend, and never saw him again. She headed home.
She came home to good news. In her absence, Celia had discovered her semblance - and the 12-year-old girl was only too happy to show Minette what she could do. Marcie, though, seemed to be uneasy. Later, when Minette asked her about it away from Celia, Marcie only had one thing to say. "My sister had the same semblance." She didn't need to say anymore, Minette knew what she had meant by that. Still though, things took a turn for the worst when Legion military officials showed up at their door one day and gave Minette the news that would destroy her.
William was dead.
For several weeks, Minette refused to leave her home. Marcie grieved separately, and Celia was always out in the woods. Everybody split apart and there was nothing any of them could do about it. Winter came, and with it, the holidays. Agnès returned home to see the sullen faces of her mother and her best friend's mother, but not her best friend. She dragged Minette out of bed and kicked open the door to Marcie's house, jarring them both violently awake and demanding to know where Celia was. Marcie said she was outside and wouldn't come back in, and then Agnès stormed off, muttering something about needing to "beat some sense into that dumb kid." Marcie and Minette were alone, but together. It was the first time in quite a while where it had been just the two of them, without William or the kids. Minette broke the silence, the weight on her chest being too much to bear under the grief.
"Agnès is William's daughter."
Marcie wasn't even able to fully process it until Agnès came in through the door, dragging Celia behind her, half-conscious. They were both hurt, Celia moreso, and Agnès looked furious. She set her friend on the couch, and turned to Marcie.
"She's going to Vytal next year."
Marcie shook her head.
"No. Out of the question."
Agnès let out a growl.
"And why the hell not?"
Marcie glared at her.
"Because I'm her mother, and I said no."
The argument went on and on, and Minette did her best to mediate between the two short, angry females. Celia sat on the couch in a daze, she lifted her eyes to look at Minette once or twice, but said nothing until things began to escalate beyond what Minette could control.
"Dad wanted me to go."
That silenced any kind of argument on Marcie's end, and it just made Agnès look away in shame. Marcie marched off into her bedroom, and shouted from the hall.
"Get some sleep, then. We need to get you a passport tomorrow so you can register."
Agnès and Minette walked home in the cold and the snow, silently. Agnès told Minette that she'd be going back to school a little early this year, to catch up on some things. Minette was a little disappointed that she couldn't spend the whole holiday break with her daughter, after having rarely seen her all year, but she understood what kind of workload Vytal had. A few days later, Agnès left, with Celia in tow, to go to Vytal. It took Minette a while to pick herself up after that. Marcie didn't say a word to her afterwards, but would shoot her glares whenever they crossed paths. Minette didn't blame her. She couldn't. Still, she couldn't just let herself rot and mope like she had been doing.
She applied, for a teaching position in Vytal. She had been a huntress for longer than most of its students had been alive, and would have quite valuable experience in her field. At first, she acted as a Professor in teaching History and Unarmed Combat, separately of course. However, after the recent passing of Vytal's headmaster, she was moved into the spot previously held by its current headmaster. Now, Minette serves as the assistant headmaster at the academy. In addition to her position as an authority, she also serves as the school's counselor - she hopes she can help the students the same way the old counselor helped her.
★ COMBAT NOTES
WEAPONS
Due to her build, training, and general skillset, Minette is a primarily physical fighter that employs the use of martial arts in her fighting style, along with a mixture of other techniques and tactics. With her experience, her potent aura, and her raw physical strength combined, Minette is a monstrously powerful force in hand-to-hand combat, and though she is at a disadvantage at a range, her speed can easily close gaps between her and unprepared opponents.
To suit her needs, Minette employs a set of mechanically-enhanced limb armor to improve the force of her physical strikes. The gloves are made of a sturdy and somewhat heavy metal and a leather-padded Kevlar skin beneath. The metal of each armored piece is cut into sections that fit neatly over the natural formation of the body like a puzzle made of simple polygons, with small gaps in between for proper articulation. Along the forearm and the shins, the metal pieces are larger, splitting off into smaller pieces as they get further towards the smaller and more complicated joints of the hands and feet.
The boots are mostly solid metal, with plating that covers everything below the thighs all the way down to the soles of the feet. Pieces cover the knees, the front and back of her lower legs, her ankles, and three sections for each foot, with soles made from a heavy-duty textured rubber. The forearm plating is a solid piece that begins just before her wrist and ends just before her elbow, which continues into the multitude of interlocking pieces of the hand armor.
Each important joint the armor covers, the ankles, the knees, and the fingers, are supported at either side by a pair of disk-shaped actuators that enhance the fluidity of each strike and further reinforce her body by supporting the proper movement of her body within the armor. All of the actuators can lock into place and aid in resistance and defense.
As the armor responds directly to input from Minette's nervous system, it was necessary for her to be implanted with a central control unit for the weaponry - one that had a link to her brain. Along Minette's spine, from the back of her neck all the way to the base of her tail, is an array of triangular metal plates, stacked over one another like scales, with dim violet lights glowing in the small gaps between. Though few ever see it, this is the central control unit implanted in her and constantly upgraded by her estate's resident doctor, as it was the only way for her to so precisely control the weapon her family designed and built for her.
When not in use, the armor portions will shrink into a pair of wide metal vambraces over black gloves, which can easily be removed.
MISC.
Minette can open a small compartment in the forearm and shin plating of her armor, that pops up out from the underside of the forearm plate or the side of the shin plate and contains only a small, angled valve that fits a vial of dust. Due to how beneficial it is for her in particular, Minette keeps a large supply of Earth and Water dust on hand at most times, along with a smaller amount of Ice dust, all in vials of powder. She has used other types in the past, and is fully capable of doing so still, but prefers the three types she already has.
The warmth of a home washes over you, comforting and nostalgic as your mind replays sensory memories in your head - the colors, the scents, the feelings of the best times you had in your childhood and in happier days, A presence is there, radiating this comforting sensation, a ball of warm, fuzzy light that sits gently near you. You know who it is, or who it is supposed to be, though you find yourself unable to put a name to it. Minette's aura is one of comfort and reassurance, rather than cold intimidation or a drum of war - as Minette herself is, it is a reaffirming presence. An extra touch of emotional and mental support in the face of even the worst crises. But still, something lays beneath it. A haunting feeling of...fear? Pain? Something will nudge at the back of your mind, but it will never really grow much bigger than a distant worry. From her time in Vytal, Minette learned and refined four of the aura abilities she now has. It was not until her time at the Monastery, when she had her daughter, that she was given an opportunity to learn the fifth.
Offensive Enhancement: 2 AP - The first ability she learned, the one she entered into Vytal with. Originally, it was a skill taught to her by her own father, a way to further enhance her already immense power. It is characterized by an ethereal lavender flame that burns over Minette's body, casting her in a ghostly light and tinting her normally crimson eyes a deep violet.
Defensive Enhancement: 2 AP - The second ability she learned, courtesy of her partner William. The gaps in her armor fill with a violet light and seem to grow exponentially stronger, able to withstand far more punishment and strain than usual. Minette herself retains the same glowing eyes she has during her Offensive Enhancement.
Mending: 2-7 AP - The third ability she learned, with some help from her stubborn friend Ivory. When in use, Minette's hand and eyes glow in a deep but gentle violet light, healing the wounds of whoever she is in contact with.
Aura Unlocking: 100 AP - The fourth ability she learned, a very old and useful skill she learned partially from a book, with some minor clarification from her old friend Catherine. Minette puts her hand upon her target and recites a mantra that she learned in the book she got the skill from. Though not as draining as it used to be, she still prefers not to use it outside of special circumstances.
FUJI MUSUME
Beneath the weight or her name, her job, her duty, and her past, Minette has fought to keep herself above the waves as the pressure of her entire world bears down on her. Only a handful of things in Minette's life have been easy, and only a smaller number among those have been things that turned out to be "good" things. Minette's life, from start to finish, has been a rollercoaster of emotional and physical pain, but she has put up with it. She has fought tooth and nail to keep herself from giving in, from showing even the slightest hesitation or despair, always standing strong, even in the worst of storms.
"Fuji Musume" is the physical manifestation of her unflinching resolve in the face of hardship. Though the effects of its power only benefit her, she uses it as a source of leverage to protect others thanks to its nature forcing her into a different style of combat. Over the years, she has pushed her semblance to pass it's own limitations, originally only able to put about a fifth as much aura into it.
When activated, her semblance summons from deep beneath the earth a massive Wisteria tree, thirty feet in width and twice that in height, with pure green leaves and clusters of vibrant lavender blossoms. So long as Minette stays within one quarter mile of the tree, she will receive it's beneficial effects - accelerated healing, enhanced reflexes, a dulled sense of pain, improved strength, and boosted morale. The tree will, essentially, give her anything she needs to fight on, including Aura. If Minette wishes, or if she needs to, she can draw power away from the tree to restore a large portion of her Aura, although doing so will kill the tree.
The tree itself is simply that - a tree. It has all the weaknesses that its particular variety has, toned down only slightly due to it's otherworldly nature, and must be summoned in an area that has at least some kind of soil. It cannot be moved, nor can it be dismissed and re-summoned, as Minette can only use her semblance once per day - if she decides that it is necessary to use it at all.
When under the effects of the tree, a veil of gentle lavender will flare around Minette, and her eyes will glow a deep violet. Wisteria petals will dance around her in her fierce, swift movements, trailing behind in her wake as she carves a brutal path through her enemies. In terms of numbers, Minette's tree will simultaneously give her twice the power of an average aura Offensive Enhancement, twice the durability of a Defensive Enhancement, and a constant (but considerably slower) automatic Mend. (Minor cuts and bruises will take a full minute to heal, whereas something as severe as a broken bone won't have enough time to fully heal under her semblance alone)
Costs:
Summon Tree: 500 AP
Tree serves as a tank that holds 500 AP after being summoned.
Tree AP decreases by 5 per minute, will decrease faster if harmed directly (proportional to strength of attack).
Dismiss Tree: 5 AP (Returns all remaining AP from tree to Minette)
Tree can only be summoned once per day.
WEAPONS
Due to her build, training, and general skillset, Minette is a primarily physical fighter that employs the use of martial arts in her fighting style, along with a mixture of other techniques and tactics. With her experience, her potent aura, and her raw physical strength combined, Minette is a monstrously powerful force in hand-to-hand combat, and though she is at a disadvantage at a range, her speed can easily close gaps between her and unprepared opponents.
To suit her needs, Minette employs a set of mechanically-enhanced limb armor to improve the force of her physical strikes. The gloves are made of a sturdy and somewhat heavy metal and a leather-padded Kevlar skin beneath. The metal of each armored piece is cut into sections that fit neatly over the natural formation of the body like a puzzle made of simple polygons, with small gaps in between for proper articulation. Along the forearm and the shins, the metal pieces are larger, splitting off into smaller pieces as they get further towards the smaller and more complicated joints of the hands and feet.
The boots are mostly solid metal, with plating that covers everything below the thighs all the way down to the soles of the feet. Pieces cover the knees, the front and back of her lower legs, her ankles, and three sections for each foot, with soles made from a heavy-duty textured rubber. The forearm plating is a solid piece that begins just before her wrist and ends just before her elbow, which continues into the multitude of interlocking pieces of the hand armor.
Each important joint the armor covers, the ankles, the knees, and the fingers, are supported at either side by a pair of disk-shaped actuators that enhance the fluidity of each strike and further reinforce her body by supporting the proper movement of her body within the armor. All of the actuators can lock into place and aid in resistance and defense.
As the armor responds directly to input from Minette's nervous system, it was necessary for her to be implanted with a central control unit for the weaponry - one that had a link to her brain. Along Minette's spine, from the back of her neck all the way to the base of her tail, is an array of triangular metal plates, stacked over one another like scales, with dim violet lights glowing in the small gaps between. Though few ever see it, this is the central control unit implanted in her and constantly upgraded by her estate's resident doctor, as it was the only way for her to so precisely control the weapon her family designed and built for her.
When not in use, the armor portions will shrink into a pair of wide metal vambraces over black gloves, which can easily be removed.
MISC.
Minette can open a small compartment in the forearm and shin plating of her armor, that pops up out from the underside of the forearm plate or the side of the shin plate and contains only a small, angled valve that fits a vial of dust. Due to how beneficial it is for her in particular, Minette keeps a large supply of Earth and Water dust on hand at most times, along with a smaller amount of Ice dust, all in vials of powder. She has used other types in the past, and is fully capable of doing so still, but prefers the three types she already has.
AURA
The warmth of a home washes over you, comforting and nostalgic as your mind replays sensory memories in your head - the colors, the scents, the feelings of the best times you had in your childhood and in happier days, A presence is there, radiating this comforting sensation, a ball of warm, fuzzy light that sits gently near you. You know who it is, or who it is supposed to be, though you find yourself unable to put a name to it. Minette's aura is one of comfort and reassurance, rather than cold intimidation or a drum of war - as Minette herself is, it is a reaffirming presence. An extra touch of emotional and mental support in the face of even the worst crises. But still, something lays beneath it. A haunting feeling of...fear? Pain? Something will nudge at the back of your mind, but it will never really grow much bigger than a distant worry. From her time in Vytal, Minette learned and refined four of the aura abilities she now has. It was not until her time at the Monastery, when she had her daughter, that she was given an opportunity to learn the fifth.
Offensive Enhancement: 2 AP - The first ability she learned, the one she entered into Vytal with. Originally, it was a skill taught to her by her own father, a way to further enhance her already immense power. It is characterized by an ethereal lavender flame that burns over Minette's body, casting her in a ghostly light and tinting her normally crimson eyes a deep violet.
Defensive Enhancement: 2 AP - The second ability she learned, courtesy of her partner William. The gaps in her armor fill with a violet light and seem to grow exponentially stronger, able to withstand far more punishment and strain than usual. Minette herself retains the same glowing eyes she has during her Offensive Enhancement.
Mending: 2-7 AP - The third ability she learned, with some help from her stubborn friend Ivory. When in use, Minette's hand and eyes glow in a deep but gentle violet light, healing the wounds of whoever she is in contact with.
Aura Unlocking: 100 AP - The fourth ability she learned, a very old and useful skill she learned partially from a book, with some minor clarification from her old friend Catherine. Minette puts her hand upon her target and recites a mantra that she learned in the book she got the skill from. Though not as draining as it used to be, she still prefers not to use it outside of special circumstances.
SEMBLANCE
FUJI MUSUME
Beneath the weight or her name, her job, her duty, and her past, Minette has fought to keep herself above the waves as the pressure of her entire world bears down on her. Only a handful of things in Minette's life have been easy, and only a smaller number among those have been things that turned out to be "good" things. Minette's life, from start to finish, has been a rollercoaster of emotional and physical pain, but she has put up with it. She has fought tooth and nail to keep herself from giving in, from showing even the slightest hesitation or despair, always standing strong, even in the worst of storms.
"Fuji Musume" is the physical manifestation of her unflinching resolve in the face of hardship. Though the effects of its power only benefit her, she uses it as a source of leverage to protect others thanks to its nature forcing her into a different style of combat. Over the years, she has pushed her semblance to pass it's own limitations, originally only able to put about a fifth as much aura into it.
When activated, her semblance summons from deep beneath the earth a massive Wisteria tree, thirty feet in width and twice that in height, with pure green leaves and clusters of vibrant lavender blossoms. So long as Minette stays within one quarter mile of the tree, she will receive it's beneficial effects - accelerated healing, enhanced reflexes, a dulled sense of pain, improved strength, and boosted morale. The tree will, essentially, give her anything she needs to fight on, including Aura. If Minette wishes, or if she needs to, she can draw power away from the tree to restore a large portion of her Aura, although doing so will kill the tree.
The tree itself is simply that - a tree. It has all the weaknesses that its particular variety has, toned down only slightly due to it's otherworldly nature, and must be summoned in an area that has at least some kind of soil. It cannot be moved, nor can it be dismissed and re-summoned, as Minette can only use her semblance once per day - if she decides that it is necessary to use it at all.
When under the effects of the tree, a veil of gentle lavender will flare around Minette, and her eyes will glow a deep violet. Wisteria petals will dance around her in her fierce, swift movements, trailing behind in her wake as she carves a brutal path through her enemies. In terms of numbers, Minette's tree will simultaneously give her twice the power of an average aura Offensive Enhancement, twice the durability of a Defensive Enhancement, and a constant (but considerably slower) automatic Mend. (Minor cuts and bruises will take a full minute to heal, whereas something as severe as a broken bone won't have enough time to fully heal under her semblance alone)
Costs:
Summon Tree: 500 AP
Tree serves as a tank that holds 500 AP after being summoned.
Tree AP decreases by 5 per minute, will decrease faster if harmed directly (proportional to strength of attack).
Dismiss Tree: 5 AP (Returns all remaining AP from tree to Minette)
Tree can only be summoned once per day.
AURA POINTS: 1010
TOUHOU, Kagerou Imaizumi as Minette Belrose PLAYED BY CELIA
coded by electric of gangnam style
