TRP is a post-Great War AU RWBY RP set in Mistral City and Haven Academy with no canons, no rank claims, no maidens, and no god interference. We offer a progression system and site-wide events that change the setting based on player actions.
Chloro gave a light silent chuckle at the lock she produced and the comment that followed. It was a neat little trick she learned soon after unlocking her semblance, and it was certainly useful during some breaking and enterings within the richer districts. It was lucky after all, it fit her perfectly. Her weapons could do with replacing however. Something that could be sorted at a later date.
She kept her head up when Bianca spoke about the deal, and she wasn't stupid with her words. They would need to get used to the skillsets of each other before anything big and risky. So the less risky missions would be the best choice for now. A nod was given as well as a bump to her own chest in agreement and understanding, listening to the rest of her talk. A fair degree of trust? That was nice to hear. Maybe she could train more with ranged weaponry if they were to team together. That would be nice to do.
However, that last statement didn't sit well with Chloro. She shook her head immediately as Bianca finished, and looked to her scroll to reply. If this were dire, she would fight to the last breath. She would finish that fight either taking her last breath or being victorious. It was nothing to do with being cocky and stupid however. "I must disagree Bianca. Whilst you might survive, and whilst me being there might not improve the chances by much, a better chance is better than no chance. Like I said. I do it or I die. Death doesn't scare me, nothing scares you when you've been alone for longer than you can remember. I believe you to be a friend, even if we barely know each other. We've lived similar lives, and that gives me reason to also trust you. So I will fight by your side till I breath my last."
Post by Bianca Sabbato on Dec 15, 2020 11:35:27 GMT -5
I smiled faintly when I saw Chloro bump her own chest as a gesture of approval. However, that small gesture was erased from my face the moment she shook her head in clear disagreement with my words. Being replaced with a brief expression of curiosity.
And when the message finally arrived. The tiniest of frowns made its way through to my face. With a small grimace, I decided to answer with as much honesty as I could muster.
-You don’t seem to understand. I am not questioning your willingness to fight until the end. Or if you are afraid to die or not... I honestly don’t care about this at the moment. It is merely a matter of logic. I fight in the frontlines. Close and personal with the enemy-
For real, being brave and all of that was all fine and dandy. But hearing a person say they would absolutely fight to their early demises against any odds for you was kinda... Like really fucking terrifying. At least for me.
-Logic dictates that if any of us do. I will be the first to die. And when that fact becomes apparent. I don’t want anyone else stupidly risking lives to try and save me if I’m too deep to be saved-
Of course, there would be situations in which a little hand could be needed. But I still didn’t know Chloro well enough. I didn’t have a good judgment on her character to determine if she was able to discern these situations from the lost causes...
Or, more worryingly. If Cjhloro would be absolutely able to tell one from the other but nevertheless decide to fight till the end either way.
A little more thoughtful now, I continued my argument with a removed voice.
-And after I die. I don’t care anymore. I have no desire to be avenged. So I wouldn’t want you wasting your life in someone like me- Like me, who didn’t exactly deserve anyone risking their neck for them... But this was something that didn’t concern Chloro, or anyone else for that matter. So I would need to reconsider my words for a second...
-What I meant to say is, I wouldn’t want you wasting it for a lost cause if I’m already dead or on the verge of perishing. You have plenty to live for. Dying would mean all your potential gets wasted-
Where would that gentle thief that stole from the rich to give something back to the impoverished people living in the Ground District? Swallowed by some distant forest or mountain in a futile attempt to save an insignificant lizard girl?
Yeah, fuck that shit. The girl had people that needed her. I wouldn’t take her away from them.
-I’m gonna be frank with you. I need to become stronger... And to do so, I will put my life at risk a fair amount of times... And I think you are being a little gung-ho about this. How much experience do you have with fighting grimm? How many do you have in general? From your words. I would assume it’s not too much-
And people tended to either overestimate the threat of the most gnarly looking ones or underestimate the power of more simple looking Grimm.
I knew that I was being selfish at asking this from her. I was basically telling her that I didn’t have any problem trusting my life to her, but that I didn’t want to have her life trusted onto me. But it wasn’t because of some kind of mistrust or wariness in regards to the girl.
It was simple logic. Again. Her life was something so precious I was feeling uneasy about the idea of her throwing it away to try and protect me, I didn’t deserve that treatment. I was at peace with whatever happened with me, that’s the reason why I didn’t mind putting my life into her hands, even if she fucked up and I ended up dying, well, that was life for you, I guess.
-My problem is that I know that people often confuse stupidity with bravery. Or mistake heroic sacrifices with having an ego that simply doesn’t allow them not to intervene. And I know this well because I am one of those persons. And the one thing I don’t want Is dragging other people to die with me, only because of my selfishness. I don’t want that on me-
But even I would run away if I saw a threat well beyond my capabilities. Since every extra day that I got to live meant more people saved in the future. Still. If I merely was the unlucky one, and it was my time to go. I would welcome it with open arms if that allowed my comrades to escape.
-Hence the reason why I’m weary. I’m not asking you this because of you, I ask you to do it for me. At least until we get to know each other better. And it’s not like I will go taking any unnecessary risk, or seeking my own death like a madwoman. If we detect something like a beringel or a feilong I’m turning tail as fast as you are... But in the niche case that something bad ends up happening. I wanna be able to do my job-
My job wich was basically to go against something and kill it or die trying. Both options were perfectly valid conclusions. So there was no possibility of failure. But if you throw in there the need to protect someone else... Then things got complicated.
Not like Chloro would need protection under normal circumstances. But if she really is gonna go in with that attitude of “fight until the bitter end" Then things could be complicated. I didn’t need that much pressure on myself. Nor I needed to endanger another student needlessly.
-Mistral’s main problem is that it has too few huntsmen. If you die because you felt like trying to save me is not solving that issue. Only making it worse. The heroic thing to do when you have the semblance and skills necessary to retreat is to go away when things look too dire. Live to fight another day, live to save another person that will need you in the future, and who has no use for a Chloro that got herself killed needlessly-
Softening both my tone and my expression. I looked at Chloro right in the eyes. Hoping she understood where I was coming from. If we went on a mission, she would be my responsibility whether we wanted it or not. So she needed to pay heed to my words.
-I’m sorry if I sound like a bitch. That’s why I’m asking you... If you could do this for me. At least during our first missions... I know I’m asking a lot, but It will also be my first... And I’m a little nervous about taking someone else with me-
A little nervous was an understatement. I was fucking terrified. But no one ever grew out of such fears without facing them.
If I wanted to become the best huntress I could be, I needed people I could rely on. And I had a strong feeling that Chloro could be one of them, but I simply couldn’t give in right now. It would be irresponsible and incredibly unfair to her.
It seemed that Bianca wasn't giving up her fight about the deal. Yes, she made good points. Yes, she was right in a sense, but she did make a few errors. Whilst what she said with Chloro being needed by others, yes. That is true, some people on the streets still depended on her. But when it would come to a mission that went tits up, Bianca would be the one in need. The one who needed help, even if she refused to believe or accept it. She turned to her scroll momentarily, then to her weapons she left on the countertop, thinking for a moment before back to Bianca as she spoke. She definitely needed new gear for the missions, she had a small feeling her crossbow that was starting to decay and the long-rusted sword would not handle many more fights.
Then turned to her scroll and began typing again. This time, with conviction and no pauses. "I understand what you are saying. Yes, logic dictates that to survive another day is the best course of action. You are, as you said, a close quarter fighter and would like to fulfil that role. I get that, but I can fill more than just a similar close-quarter combatant. Living on the streets and being a huntsman does not seem all that different to me. It's about knowing when to cut losses, knowing when a risk is worthy taking, and understanding what is truly a dire situation. If anything, the life on the street has given me enough experience to understand such circumstances. I appreciate you want me to turn tail in dire situations, but it is those situations that can blossom into opportunity."
She would send the first half before continuing. She was not budging on this. "Yes, Grimm are different to the lowly street rats in the Ground District. I know that first hand from years ago. I understand that you don't know me enough to judge my own skill and vice versa. But we are still here, despite the odds within the city as of recent. It has been a while since fighting Grimm, but I know enough to get by. They're not so different to myself. Their reckless abandon is my desperation. Desperation in people will make them do unpredicable things, and Grimm are far from predictable. Even if it is just my word, trust me. I can handle myself. This isn't my first time and nor shall it be my last."
She paused for a few moments to let the information sink in before she walked back to her weapons, sheathing the sword and keeping the hand crossbow low. "I will admit, I require new weaponry before we go on a mission. These will not last another winter. We should go, we've been in here for too long now."
Post by Bianca Sabbato on Dec 16, 2020 7:52:47 GMT -5
I started reading Chloro’s message, and from the get-go, I had a feeling that she was only agreeing on the beginning to drop a massive “but” at the end... And as I kept reading, I realized I was right about that, much to my chagrin.
Gonna drop the bullshit for a second now. Her whole talk about turning dire situations into opportunities sounded like fortune cookie nonsense to me... I got what she meant if we were talking about living on the street or trying to steal something.
But you couldn’t take a general mindset, even a pretty nice one like that of opportunity, and try to apply it to any situation, pretending it would magically work.
Basically, because if we were the fuckers with the worst luck on Remnant and came face to face with a goliath or something. Then there was no such thing as a great opportunity. Surviving was our greatest reward since taking on something like that was by no means our responsibility.
I hoped Chloro could forgive me, but the bit about the grimm being not so different from her was also something I was having problems grasping. She was really asking me to trust in her word and nothing else. Since whatever idea she was trying to get through was obviously not reaching me. So there must have been a communication problem somewhere down the line.
Was it maybe an attempt to convince me she knew grimm? Because she was apparently similar to them in possessing a vaguely defined trait that you might as well find in a horoscope?
-Just try not to get yourself killed... Chloro... You make me worry, you know? Even if we aren't that close, I think you are a good girl-
I muttered bitterly. As I finished reading her last message. Apparently, she also needed a weapon. I knew the school armory had some things laying around. But nothing too high quality, to be honest, mostly placeholders until we managed to fix broken weapons or buy new ones.
-Haven may be able to lend you some weapons, but they don’t have anything too fancy. Are you looking for replacements for those ones? Or looking forward to finding new stuff? I know some people joined Haven with shit weapons and used their money to buy new stuff. So anything is valid-
I replied, already moving towards the open door. I hadn’t failed to notice the horrible state her weapons were in, the sword was still usable, but the crossbow looked like it would collapse on itself at the first glancing blow.
About leaving this place already... Yeah, I didn’t wanna explain why we were trespassing an abandoned building. I mean, I could put any bullshit excuse, like saying we had heard suspicious noises and were investigating... But honestly, it was too much of a hassle, better to get out and about before anything happened.
As we were exiting. I waited to see if Chloro would lock the door again or something. Her semblance had left me very curious, so It wouldn’t hurt to see it in action one more time.
-Regarding what we were talking before...- I began, a little uncertain about what to say to her proposition. So lost I was that I had to make a long pause before continuing.
In part, she had all the tools to be one incredible partner. She was discreet, fast, cunning, reliable, and to make things better, she even knew a little about my past living on the street. So there was some implicit trust there... On the other. I really didn’t understand her way of looking at things.
Well. I’m lying. I understood. It simply frightened me. Maybe once we talked with a professor about this, they could give me more insight about what to do? Or tell me if what I thought was right or wrong...
But for that to happen. First, I needed to see how Chloro operated during a mission. And how reckless she would truly be. For now, I really hoped it was just me being paranoid.
-Ok... Fine... I have a feeling you will try and do this without me if I don’t comply... So I’ll trust you. You have my word on that-
And with that, the deal was sealed. More or less. I looked straight at Chloro, waiting for an answer on her part.
-We are going to make you better, faster, stealthier, so I don’t have to worry in the least about your capacity to hold your own and disengage when necessary-
I finally declared, with enough conviction to be sure we would either do exactly that or die trying.
I really hoped it would be the first one. I wasn’t really in the mood for dying yet anyway.
For someone she's just met and technically re-met again, she was getting awful sappy with her. She made an internal retch before just shaking her head with a smirk. "I make everyone worry, good or bad. I can handle myself." As for the weaponry, Chloro has looked at them. They weren't inspiring at all and she's had a few ideas, but nothing solid. She'd probably wait till her current tools broke under severe use before replacing them. Yet, she'd need to seek someone who wasn't faculty to make her stuff as knowing her, she'd have ideas for something they can't do.
"They don't have much, but I'll see what I can do. Once I have new tools to use, I'll let you know." As they left the building, she'd look around again just to make sure no one was watching before placing her hand on the door and focusing, before another loud trigger was made and with a quick rattle of the door, it was locked again. As they walked, she would turn to walk backwards so she can keep looking at Bianca as they spoke. Not many people were around and the sun was beginning to dip. When the deal was made, Chloro gave a nod as well as placing her fist over her chest, a gesture she uses to understand and accept. It was easier than trying to say "Thank you" or some shit anyway.
"I'm always working on myself every day to better myself. Thank you for trusting me too, I will not let you down. You have my word. She sent the text through before looking over her shoulder to the setting sun and stopped walking, sending a quick message. "This is where we part ways, I've still got a job to do. See you soon Bianca." She gave another nod before parting ways, letting her trait take hold and vanishing as she began to run off into a nearby alleyway, before one last message came through when she was gone. "It's good to see you again."
Post by Bianca Sabbato on Jan 1, 2021 22:12:08 GMT -5
I nodded wordlessly when Chloro mentioned looking at the armory for new tools. It was probably a good idea to do so, considering how worn out hers appeared to be.
They may work well for intimidation and deal with a street thug or two. But I didn’t want to see what would happen when that blade had to be tested against an Ursa. Or against criminals with their aura unlocked.
Exiting the building, I returned Chloro’s ambiguous gesture, not really knowing what it meant in the slightest. But I didn’t think it was her own eccentric way to flip me the bird, so I trusted it was something positive.
...I would need to start investing in learning some sign language, just in case... With Chloro attending Haven, it would be a matter of time before I absolutely needed to work out a better way to communicate with her. So I could give the girl a more comfortable time with us.
Writing everything on a scroll or a notebook must grow tiresome after a while.
Besides, it was a useful skill for missions as well, when you absolutely needed to be silent but couldn’t afford the luxury of taking out your scroll neither.
I smiled at her small assurance that she would work her hardest for this. So I was left feeling a little more reassured after that, knowing she was not half-assing things and getting herself in danger.
-Good luck with that. I will be rooting for you!- I called out, watching her slip away into a nearby alley. Likely off to keep with her daily “work” as per usual by her own account.
I couldn’t care less about her stealing, to be honest. And I believed her when she told me it was to give it to the poor.
Considering the number of problems we were facing in Mistral. A thief girl was not something worthy of losing a prospective huntress about.
Even if our past interactions had been few and brief. Chloro struck me as a good girl, and even if my judgment was never my strong suit. I believed it to be sharp enough to notice when someone was bullshitting me, and Chloro didn’t seem to be doing that right now.
Giving one last look towards the now closed door behind me, I couldn’t help but feel that she might be alright wherever she may go. She was a natural survivor and was most likely used to getting into near-death situations. But managing to slip by anyway.
So I was probably just being overly paranoid... Well, at least I hoped that was the case.
As I was about to turn back and return to Haven for the day, I heard my scroll sound one last time and fished it out to read one final farewell message.
I... I had to really think about the meaning of it. I was sure that Chloro had no problem with seeing me again... But was it the same for me?
Not for Chloro herself, of course. But since this had been the first time I had stumbled with someone else from my past life. At least without meaning it.
It left an open door for the question of who else may I inadvertently find now that I was getting more used to roaming the streets again.
I feared I had, unknowingly, started to attract a little more attention than what I was comfortable with. And the question was if I was ready for the kind of consequences that attention may have been tied to.
What I had said for Chloro applied to me as well, it seemed. I needed to get stronger so I would be able to face whatever this damned city decided to throw against me next.
I was sure not every new encounter would be as friendly as the one I just held with the mute girl... This city hosted many demons inside of it, more than probably any other place in the world.
And I just realized some of them could be way closer than what I had expected.
For some reason, I suddenly felt a pit open up in my stomach. Looking around, I found the streets were almost empty. But I still couldn’t shake the feeling of something being... Off. Like something being really wrong for some reason... Like I was in danger.
The streets could be dangerous. It was not a feeling I was unaccustomed to. But this time that sensation came to me like a hammer, being way more marked than usual. Fishing out my scroll, I tipped a brief message to Chloro before starting the ascent to the mountaintop.
-Good to see you too-
Pressing the send button. I went on my way, paying special attention to my surroundings for now. Sticking to the most well-illuminated streets, and where there were as many persons as possible, I ran back to Haven. Back to training. With the certainty that I absolutely could not afford to slack off now.