[Bianca Sabbato]

I was fucking tired.

Yep, that was a pretty simple way to summarize my whole situation. Coming back from a hunt that had taken me longer than usual. I spent hours tracking a grimm, going left and right, running in circles, and following tracks that took me nowhere... Al for a single, miserable creep. One so pathetic even a regular person with a sharp stick could have killed him without much difficulty.

So I was left to walk home in shame, head low, and my spear covered by a thick layer of cloth... Lately, the Ground district was feeling even more dangerous than before, with a killer on the loose and all of that... So I preferred to lay low when going in and out of there.

But I needed a little rest before walking all the way back to Haven. So my eyes quickly scanned my surroundings. A love hotel here, a small inn there. Both useless, I wasn’t that tired, I only needed to rest for a little while... Ah... Around a corner, I managed to catch a glimpse of a small bar/club.

I was also thirsty, and not in the usual sense. Well, maybe a little... But most importantly! I needed a drink. So onwards I went.

I entered the building and was immediately assaulted by the strobe lights and loud music blasting us from the corners of the room. The thing was pretty full, probably because the night was just falling, and people started getting out of their jobs.

There appeared to be a small dance floor. And a bunch of people having a good time with plenty of booze and debauchery flowing freely all around them. It looked fun, maybe I could sweep in after a while, but right then, I needed to rest my feet for a moment.

I took a seat around the bar and asked for their cheapest beer with a dejected expression. The barman shot me a weird look but complied nonetheless, discretely telling me that this was probably not the best place for me to be tonight.

I arched a brow but replied that I would be fine, that I wasn’t planning on staying for long anyway. That didn’t seem to calm the man in any way. But he let me be.

After a couple minutes of drinking my booze in silence, I finally understood what he meant when, from behind me, a booming voice started calling for my attention. I turned around and had to groan at the image in front of me.

-So, what do we have here? I wasn’t aware that this place catered to animals as well. They must really think of everything. Next time I will bring my dog along!-

The speaker was a fat man (although not without a healthy layer of muscle underneath), bald, sported a long grey beard, and used sunglasses inside like an asshole. Over a discolored t-shirt, he wore a leather vest filled with more skulls and patches than you could count.

The main one was on his back and looked like a biker gang logo. They called themselves “The Road Death”. Apparently.

Never heard of them, but then again. It was probably one of the many dime-a-dozen small gangs that appeared and disappeared periodically from public consciousness. Nowadays, very few groups managed to preserve themselves in time without at least one or two chances in their names and leadership.

-Whacha say, missy? Cat got your tongue?- Asked the burly man, laughing aloud and elbowing his pals around him. All in all, there must have been around 10 of them altogether. And not even one had a decent sense of fashion.

Taking a sip from my beer, I tried to ignore the thugs first. But as I realized they weren’t going away. I turned towards them with a deadpan expression. They seemed to have drawn even closer to me, forming a rough semicircle that shut all of my possible exits.

-Fuck off... I have no time to waste on you- I answered as a matter of fact. I was a little too pissed off to be diplomatic at this point. My response eluded roaring laugher and exchanged jokes between the presents, as some patrons behind them looked with worried expressions at the scene.

-Ohh... Looks like the crawling animal has some backbone on her. I’m not surprised one like you can only respond with prepotency, that’d be so typical of faunus...-

And here we go again. It’s like a bingo card. Wonder how many spots will this asshole manage to fill.

-Coming here to impose your barbaric traditions, like abandoning your children and copulating with wild animals. Running the culture that once made Mistral a great place to live-

-I was born here...- I replied drily. Finishing my beer in one go. It was a decent one, nothing to write home about. He did miss the part about faunus eating human babies and conspiring against the glorious human race.

-Coming to commit crimes, threaten our old and corrupting our daughters. Draining money from us to send to their homelands in Vacuo or, havens help me, Menagerie.-

-I have no family...- I, again, called out. Getting a little bored of his crap. To be honest, I would like to corrupt their daughters as much as possible. But I wasn’t so excited about doing any of the other activities suggested by this fine gentleman here present.

-And don’t get me started about their women...-

Huh? What was that? This was a new one... He could shit-talk me. But it was my duty to protect the honor of the fair faunus girls of this city!

-Hey! Faunus women are pretty dope, you know...- I called out accusatorily. But he seemed out of it for a second, like he wasn’t even paying attention to me. He began his tirade and... It was... Something.

-...Sultry, filthy animals... With your fluffy ears and... Shinny, smooth scales, long serpentine tongues... And your well-defined bodies from doing physical labor... Sweat dripping out your furry tails... Ruining our bloodlines with your Lecherous temptations...- Finished up the man, breathing heavily and with fat drops of sweat running down his temple.

…

For a second, the rest of the bikers turned around and looked at their leader with inquisitive eyes. Clearly unsure of what they had just heard or what it meant.

On the sides, I saw one of them nervously scratch his arm. And on the opposite side, a green haired one whistled distractedly as he decided it was a good time to look at any other place except at their boss.

-Uhh...-

Welp. He had a point there. Faunus chicks rocked... Although I’m wasn't sure what the actual fuck was all of that about. Did this motherfucker had unresolved issues? It wouldn’t be the first time someone tries to hide their own inclinations behind intolerance...

-What? It’s not like that!-

What? I was sure I was only thinking about that. Did I say it aloud?

-I haven’t said a thing- I responded, a little freaked out. Nah, there was no way...

-H-How you dare to even suggest something like that!?-

-Something like what!?- Did this dude read minds? Or was he so transparent he was calling himself out on his mind?

-That’s it! Teach her a lesson, boys!-

Cracking their knuckles, a couple of the bikers looming over me displayed wicked smiles as they started advancing towards me. In the distance, the bouncers gave exactly one look in my direction before deciding the whole issue was beyond their paycheck.

-...The fuck did I do now?-

---

1266 / 1266 Words

[Jackie Bariole]

The joint was one among many in the Ground District, and so typical an example of the district's fair as to be utterly generic and unremarkable. So much, in fact, that Heidi didn't even know its name. It was just one more seedy den of dance, drink, and drugs in a warren full with the very same. On more place to get drunk, dosed, or dangerously intimate with a complete stranger. And, like most places in the Ground District, it offered all this with the potential promise of that other precious panacea which Heidi most keenly desired. Because this dive, like all other dives in the district, was a haunt for criminals and scum and whatever else slid through Haven's cracks to congeal in its lowest layers. It was a place of violence; a battery of pent up anger, resentment, and abject desperation that needed only the slightest prompting for a spark and, just then, Heidi fit right in. Like most people in places like this, the beer in her hand was mere pretense; It was the dive's other entertainments which she was after. In particular, Heidi was after that most potent panacea, the likes of which could not be found in classier establishments with more discerning clientele, where desperation and destitution hadn't stripped away restraint and common sense. In short, she was looking for a fight. The dive did not disappoint. Heidi was only just finishing her first beer when she heard raised voices, all full up with bravado and malice, which so often preceded the precise form of entertainment she was after. Scanning across the bar, it was not hard to find the source. Already, a small patch of empty space was forming, as those closest to the source stepped back in apparent anticipation for what was to come. Heidi only half listened to what was being said, the exact reasons for the fight being quite immaterial to her, and instead closely examined the persons involved. The aggressor, much like the joint he found himself in, was so typical as to almost be generic. Had Heidi tossed her beer bottle into the crowd, she likely would have hit someone just like him. Ugly, loud, stupid, and wholly emblematic of the exact kinds of circumstances and life decisions which lead to picking a fight with a random stranger in a bar. He held himself straight and tall, with his chest puffed and a sneer on his pig-like face, swaddled in self-assurance and brutal ignorance, wholly convinced of his own potency, security, and strength. He was also playing to an audience; there was at least six more just like him hanging on his every word. Sipping the dregs of her beer, Heidi noticed the patch he wore on his vest, and spied several others just among the onlookers. Heidi didn't recognize the patch, but it wouldn't have mattered if she had. Who he was, and who his friends were, these details were as irrelevant to her as his pretense for the fight he was so clearly fishing for. That reason, Heidi gathered, wasn't anything special. In fact, it was a reason that, having grown up in Mantle, she was quite familiar with. All the more reason for her to pay his exact words as little mind as possible; She'd heard it all before and doubted he was the sort to come up with anything original. Looking to the target of his ire, it wasn't hard to spot why she'd drawn his attention; It was about five feet long and covered in scales. Heidi actually thought it was pretty cute, in an inhuman sort of way. It seemed an awfully foolish thing to start a fight over. The faunus was also pretty cute. Her skin was a nutty brown, her figure trim with athletic tone, and her hair densely braided into thick locks. At a glance, Heidi would guess the erstwhile aggressor had picked his prey poorly. This particular faunus didn't seem the sort to show her belly to the first bully to raise his voice at her. Then again, perhaps he had noticed, as Heidi had, the confident boredom she regarded him with. Perhaps he recognized this, as Heidi did, for the sign of someone familiar enough with violence and conflict as to be unthreatened by either coming from the likes of him. Perhaps he knew she could and would defend herself if he took things further than racist declarations, and simply assumed he had enough friends nearby that it wouldn't matter. Perhaps he was even right; Seven to one was bad odds for most people, even those who knew how to handle a fight. Heidi doubted it though; If this bully and his six cronies had a thought between them, she'd have been mightily surprised. Most likely the only thing they had noticed was the faunus girl's tail and the fact that she was alone, and therefor unlikely to be backed up if things turned violent. Heidi pilfered a fresh bottle of beer, its cap still on, from behind the bar, then rose to her feet and began making her way towards the biker. From his tone, she guessed things were about to tip beyond confrontational. His friends could sense it too. Some were getting into position to back the bully up, while a couple others moved to either side of the faunus, bracketing her against the bar. Barring an aura, she was in a really sore spot. Even with an aura, she was surrounded and woefully out numbered. Not impossible odds for someone with academy training, but certainly not good odds either. Getting close was easy; The bully and his friends were too focused on the faunus girl, and they only noticed Heidi when she brushed between the two in the back to throw her arms around the two in the front. "You tell her!" Heidi cheered, right into the stunned face of the bully, whom, like his friend, she held fast across the shoulders. Standing nearly six and a half feet tall, Heidi had a couple of inches on both men. That fact, combined with her disarmingly bright smile, kept them from immediately throwing her off, and gave her the time she needed to fasten her hold around them. In the mean time, the two thugs she'd brushed passed bristled at her back, though they, like the pair in front, were too taken aback by Heidi's actions to know what to do about her. The bully was coming around however, his surprise melting back into wary annoyance. "How fortunate Haven is to have men like you," Heidi purred, as she draped herself more completely across him without quite forcing him to support her whole weight, "Brave enough to say what we all must surely be thinking..." The compliment had the intended effect, forestalling any protests, as Heidi pressed herself closer still. Dressed as she was, in a tank top and cut of denim shorts, very little of her body was left to the imagination and a great deal of that body was now snuggly squeezed against the biker's side. Noticing this, the bully paid her an unconscious smile. The lack of anger caused his friends even greater confusion. The pair behind Heidi did not attack, while those to either side of the faunus girl hesitated in their advance. "Well, I..." The biker started to speak, but Heidi cut him off. "Such brave, capable men," She cooed, leaning her tanned face nearer to his, bringing her golden eyes level with his own. His friend up front, whom Heidi still held across the shoulders, looked slightly put out as the atlesian drew even closer. Close enough that she could smell the whiskey and cigarettes on the bully's breath. "Such strong, virile men," Heid touched her nose to the biker's, and was rewarded by an anticipatory intake of breath. His arm moved around her now, accepting her advance, and even more tension bled out of his friends, who could only awkwardly watch to see what happened. Heidi eased her arm up and looped it around the biker's thick neck, her unopened beer dangling from her hand. "Seven strong men," She said, hoping the faunus girl would take the hint, "Brave enough to confront a faunus all on her own." Her words brought suspicion back to the biker's eyes, but it was soon smothered when Heidi's lips pressed against his. He was too shocked at first to return the kiss, but soon reciprocated. Even more tension bled out of the group then, with those to either side of the faunus looking on with bemused grins, while those behind Heidi leered. The one beside Heidi looked even more dejected. He wasn't a terrible kisser, surprisingly, though the experience was soured somewhat by Heidi's overwhelming contempt for the man. Biting the bully's lower lip, Heidi broke away and turned her attention towards the, as of yet, neglected half of the pair. He was better looking, at least, though that was hardly a high bar. Certainly, he wasn't good looking enough to be anything but surprised when she tangled her fingers into his greasy hair and hauled him close for a deep kiss of his own. He was a clumsy kisser, but enthusiastic. All the while, Heidi's thumb circled the cap on her unopened bottle of beer, betraying the utmost ease and contentment with her behavior. Her ease and apparent lack of concern further eased the gathered thugs, and their momentum dwindled down to nothing. Sighing, Heidi pulled back, though her hand remained firmly ensnarled in the biker's hair. Looking to the bully, she put on her most disarming smile. There was a faint 'pop' as she flicked the cap off her beer with the tip of her thumb. The bully didn't notice, but his friends did. Those to either side of the faunus in particular. "Spare a smoke?" She asked, before taking a sip. Wordlessly, and without taking his other hand from her ass, the bully fished out a pack of cigarettes and offered one. Heidi accepted it with her mouth, then arched an eyebrow expectantly. The bully, grinning vacantly, stowed his pack and then fished out a silver lighter. He lit the cigarette, and Heidi dragged deeply, causing the tip to glow a cherry-hot. "Thanks, darling." She cooed delicately. Then she leaned back and smashed his nose with his friend's forehead. There was a deeply satisfying crunch, and both men collapsed in a tangled, squawking heap at Heidi's feet. Heidi plucked out her cigarette, took a sip of her beer, and admired her handiwork. "There," She said to the half-dozen stunned bikers surrounding her and the faunus girl, "Isn't that better?"

---

Words - 1,786
Total - 1,786

[Bianca Sabbato]

Welp. Diplomacy had been proven useless once again. It looked like these fuckers were bent on getting a fight, so I could do nothing but comply with their wishes. They -And I’m being honest here- didn’t look very strong.

So I would go soft on them at least until they proved a serious threat to me. If that came to happen, all bets were off, and I don’t think anyone could blame me for that.

Drawing an exasperated breath, I set my discarded drink on a side as I left the chair, standing at the full height of my not so impressive 1.60 meters. A little slouched as I assessed the situation around me.

7 guys surrounding me, and knowing how these narcissists pricks usually operated. Chances are the leader won't dirty his hands until the others are down or having problems. So 6 for now.

Of those six, two unarmed ones were coming at me from the sides. While the others laid in wait further back. I had Nerei... I had a spear on my back, but that would probably be a little too much escalation on my parts. I had my grenades... That definitely would be overkill.

I would make do with my fists for now. If I needed a quick weapon, I could use my semblance to get me something... Anyway. Up to work we go!

Except. Before I could do anything. A new arrival made her presentation. And boy, was she a big presence in the scene. Wich was not such a difficult feat when you are as tall as she was, not Berwyn tier, but something close to two meters nonetheless.

At first, I believed her to be a friend of the bikers. But just a few seconds of watching her behavior convinced me that. Even if she was acquainted with them, the confidence in her words and the way she strutted around made it clear that she must have been at least their leader.

Running with that reasoning, I prepared myself to add a new unknown to the battle plans. But, again, the girl surprised me when she started addressing them as strangers. And they seemed to have no idea of who the hell was she either.

The scantily-clad woman kept talking, and I, for the life of me, couldn’t get a proper reading of her. She seemed to be speaking sarcastically, but the gangsters were too stupid to catch on it.

But she also looked like she was... Seducing them? Something smelled really fishy about all of that, but the bikers, probably more used to think with their dicks than with their brains, were none the wiser.

Doubling down, she started making up with them... And I can only say I was conflicted by the sight before me...

It was kinda gross. A part of me is only saying that because I shirked away from males like the council shirked from faunus rights. But the other, more rational part of me was put off by the scene for completely different reasons.

She was a hot girl, and they were some slimy assholes. Even if she was so horny as to interrupt an incoming fight to get some vitamin D. This thing had to be suspicious to at least one of them! Hell, I wasn’t exactly known for my restraint, but even I would only go so far as to get a little tongue before telling her to fuck off.

Was she trying to help me? If that was the case. I wouldn’t let a person whore herself out for my sake if that was the case... But even if I humored that possibility, there was some feral anticipation in the gestures of the woman that made me feel a little uneasy.

And then, the reason for her bizarre tactic made itself apparent... And, again, I didn’t think she needed to take things that far if all she wanted was to beat their asses. It was like she was putting on a show, and I was left to wonder who was supposed to be her public. The other bikers? Me? Herself?

Whatever the case. Things would go ballistic soon, and I could take advantage of the situation to escape and leave all of this behind, but... Even in her own bizarre way, she had stepped in for me. I couldn’t let her all alone after that!

One of the orbital pricks snarked at her and made to grab a bottle. Breaking the butt of it on the floor and aiming to charge at her.

He was stopped in his tracks by the appearance of my tail coiling around his wrist.

He should be careful with that, even may end up hurting someone. And by someone, I mean himself.

Taking the improvised weapon from his hand, I contemplated the sharp crystalline edge as he helplessly tried to get free from my grasp. That gave me an idea since I had his arm grasped so neatly beside me.

Pressing the broken bottle onto the backhand of the drunken attacker. But instead of sinking into his hand and creating a really painful, but no really dangerous wound on his body. The slight flickering of aura prevented further damage to the biker.

Good, he seemed to have an aura, that simplified things.

Grabbing him by the collar, I threw him over my shoulder and right at one of his friends, sending both of them scrambling into the floor.

Another tried a lazy frontal kick at my midriff. But I back stepped out of the way without much trouble, sending a small kick towards his balancing feet to make him stagger and fall flat on his ass. Not an overly effective maneuver, but it managed to make some space between the bikers and us, so I counted it as a win.

Taking a step towards her, I briefly stretched my arms as I addressed the weird lady.

-Nice moves, girl. Thanks for the help... But you shouldn’t get yourself in trouble for me. I can look after myself-

I told her as the gang assessed the situation and made for improvised weapons and switchblades now that they realized how outmatched they actually were.

I saw one of them retreating a couple meters back and fishing on one of his multiple unnecessary pockets for a scroll.

-C-Call for reinforcements! Get all the boys in here!- Called out one of the bikers currently on the floor as he struggled to get up.

-...Things may get ugly here- I called out, shrugging as I prepared for the thugs to come. While also keeping an eye open to see what the woman would do.

---

1111 / 2377 Words

[Jackie Bariole]

Heidi admired her handiwork. There was nothing terribly subtle about smashing someone's face with his friend's forehead, but subtlety was terribly overrated in her opinion. Few acts of subtlety could have garnered the dumbstruck expressions which surrounded her. "G'offa me!" The bully slurred, uncoordinated in his efforts to shove his groaning friend off of him; Both men were suitably stunned and Heidi disregarded them for the moment, to turn her attention upon those who remained. Of the five men still standing, only one had recovered enough to actually do something. Even his reaction was delayed however; clearly, coming to terms with what he'd just seen was straining his inflexible sensibilities. "Gonna pay for that!" He snarled, the creativity of his threat confirming Heidi's low opinion of the man. She arched an eyebrow as he made a weapon from a broken bottle. Even if she'd wanted to, Heidi couldn't have kept herself from laughing. As things were, she chuckled scornfully and stood, hips cocked and chin raised, challenging him to take his shot. A cleverer man would have seen her lack of concern and thought better of it, but it was painfully clear that he wasn't a clever sort of man. Unfortunately, Heidi never got the chance to show the man just how stupid he was. His lunge was promptly intercepted by the faunus girl's tail, who just as promptly disarmed him. Heidi pouted playfully, but her disappointment was tempered by interest as the faunus scooped up the man, showing remarkable ease given her size, and threw him. Heidi, stepping lazily aside, watched the surprised thug fly past and collide with one of his friends at her back. Suffice to say, it was an extremely attractive display; those sinewy muscles obviously weren't just for show. In the time it took Heidi's focus to return to her, the faunus girl had taken another biker off his feet. She carried herself well and, while she was obviously taking this whole thing more seriously than Heidi was, it was clear she wasn't terribly threatened by the likes of these men. Backing towards Heidi, the lizard girl muttered something about being able to take care of herself. Heidi could hardly deny the truth in that, and so simply shrugged and took another sip of beer. They were quite the couple; one, short and slender, and defensively posed, with eyes warily watching their surroundings; the other, tall and picturesque, and lazily dragging on a cigarette, with eyes only for the short and slender faunus before her. Heidi's smile betrayed her thoughts; it was almost a pity things were about to get very, very violent. Almost. They were arraigned all around the pair now, with one helping to untangle the pile of limbs and curses the faunus girl had recently made. They were armed, but their weapons meant as much to Heidi as their bare hands. Switch blade or knuckles, pipe or pistol, it was all about the same to her. "Things may get ugly here." The faunus said, waiting on the bikers to make a move. "You think so?" Heidi asked lightly, unconcerned, as she polished off her beer, "Suppose I'll start taking things seriously, then." First hefting it for weight, she casually sent the empty bottle at the thrown man, who had only just gotten back onto his feet. Less a throw than an absent flick of her wrist, the bottle still flew like it had been fired out of a cannon. At the same moment the bottle left her hand, Heidi lunged past the faunus girl at a thug brandishing a knife. In the time it took her thrown bottle to shatter across the side of its target's head, causing a protesting coruscation of energy across his body as his aura flexed, Heidi had cleared the few meters between herself and her quarry. To his credit, the thug wasn't caught entirely flatfooted. With his surprised abundantly clear on his face, the knifeman sidestepped and ducked the atlesian's backhand. With practiced speed, he rose hard under her raised arm and plunged his blade into Heidi's stomach. With midrift bare, there was no cloth to conceal what happened next. The tip of the switchblade scraped harmlessly off Heidi's abs, twisting the thug's wrist in the process. There was no flash of aura, as there had been with the thrown man. The blade simply did not penetrate. Unconcerned, Heidi snatched a hold of the knifeman's wrist and wrenched him around. The thug, unable resist, yelped in pain and dismay, and dropped his weapon to the boards at Heidi's feet. With him disarmed, Heidi merely shoved the knifeless knifeman towards the wide perimeter of staring patrons which had formed around them. The crowd hastily parted and the knifeman flopped onto his side. "Don't be such a baby," Heidi chided as she watched the thug writhe and gasp while cradling his arm, "It's not as though I broke it." To punctuate her point, she scooped up his dropped weapon, much to the considerable consternation of him and his friends. Rather than brandish the switchblade, however, she simply held it up and snapped the brittle blade off with her thumb, as easily as a normal person might break a twig. It was about then than the gravity of the situation dawned on those men still standing. Having watched the faunus easily toss a man, half again her size, and having watched everything Heidi had just done, their ignorant bravado was traded for grim resolution. "Fuckin' huntresses." The man with aura said as he brushed bits of glass and drops of beer from his hair. "If you like," Heidi answered with a shrug, happy to see he was taking things a little more seriously now, "Tell me, how many friends did your buddy just call in?" She looked towards biker with his scroll out, and the smaller man paled visibly. "Enough to teach you and that stray a fuckin' lesson." The bully snarled nastily. The blood from his shattered nose had painted a trail from where he'd fallen to where he now stood, propped against the bar with a whiskey bottle in his hand. Heidi plucked up her cigarette, crossed her arms, pursed her lips, and looked decidedly unimpressed. "You sure?" She asked, "Because you don't seem all that charming. Hard to believe you have that many friends." It was two to one at present, with three of the seven bikers on the floor doing little to suggest they'd be up for fighting any time soon. The one Heidi had used to club in the bully's nose hadn't even tried to move from where he'd fallen, though he was feebly clinging to the leg of a nearby stool, the one the faunus had hit when she threw his friend was making a loud hacking sound beside one of the tables, his wind knocked right out of him, while the one Heidi had disarmed was still grimacing at his badly bruised forearm and trying to make his fingers bend. Men were remarkably fragile, all things considered, and it really didn't take much to take the fight out of them. "Is it five, maybe ten? How about twenty?" Heidi asked as she glanced over her shoulder, shimmering golden eye briefly admiring the faunus girl, "Because I've got to say, I doubt you can even count high enough." Heidi's contempt for the bikers was mostly for show. It was her way of impressing upon them just how slim their chances against her were. She wasn't usually so considerate as to intimidate men who wanted to fight her, but she also knew there was a fine line between attractively dangerous and dangerously violent. Given that she wanted to at least chat up the faunus girl once this was all over, it suited her best to be seen as the former. That meant restraint, however little she wanted to actually show it, however much these men didn't deserver it. If the faunus girl wanted an almost comically one sided fight between a handful of street toughs and a pair of trained huntresses, Heidi would be happy to follow suit. If, however, they were approaching the faunus girl's capacity for violence against other sentient creatures, Heidi would gain less by giving into her more brutal inclinations than she would be being patient and charming. "You want to find out how many friends this two-legged maggot has?"

---

Words - 1,383
Total - 3,169

[Bianca Sabbato]

After our small exchange. I witnessed with no small amount of surprise how the human woman launched herself forward at an incredible speed, brushing past me and engaging one of the thugs with practiced ease.

I have to admit such a display left me more than impressed. Despite the woman's impressive height, she was... Incredibly fast. More than Kishka, or even Ryan. I had to wonder if it was the work of a semblance that allowed her to move this fast. Or if she was simply that strong in and out of herself.

I raised an eyebrow for a second when she made no motion to evade the thug lunging at her with a blade. But I had a slight suspicion that ended up being correct when the blade bounced harmlessly off her abs. I knew there was a joke to be found about that, but I was busily analyzing the fight to get onto that train of thought right then.

It was clear this woman was strong. But also able to show a modicum of restrain. Since she limited herself to disarming and shoving away her attacker without inflicting too much damage onto him. And she could most definitely have caused some serious injuries if what she did to the knife was any indication.

So, besides her speed, she was strong and highly resilient. Whether this was a semblance boost or not, it was still a pretty damn frightening thing whatever the case. One could have a hard time deciding which one of these options is the most alarming, to be honest.

I had to agree with the strange woman in one thing. I highly doubted this gang even had enough members to pose a real threat to this girl, even less so with myself also present on the scene. Aura or no aura, they didn’t seem to have a lot of training anyway.

Still, there was a minuscule chance they actually had a lot of friends. It was slim at best, but sometimes it is better to not tempt fate.

Twenty people might actually be dangerous. I wasn’t very good at taking multiple targets on my own, at least not without going all out with my semblance... But doing that meant having to explain why I had somehow stumbled into a bar fight. And why I decided that the best course of action was to stay and keep hurting people instead of going away when I had the chance.

And that was a danger far greater than any threat these chums may impose. And it was so by orders of magnitude.

One of the remaining thugs was eyeing the situation with clearly wicked (or stupid) intentions. But when he locked eyes with me, I made a small gesture of reaching for the weapon in my back. It was still wrapped in cloth, but at this point, it must have been obvious it was some kind of weapon.

I gave a questioning look at the man. And he simply lowered his guard and proceeded to sit on the floor silently. Good boy. Nice to see at least some of them have more than a collective brain cell shared between the group.

He wasn’t the only one I caught looking in my direction. As I noticed the tall woman eyeing me for a brief moment before returning her attention to the thugs... This was something... Interesting, to say the least. Some of the possible implications of that I probably didn’t like. While some others I was more than sure I could end up enjoying.

-Nope. I don’t feel particularly inclined to that- I called out, relaxing a little now that the fight seemed to be over.

Grabbing an intact bottle of beer from the counter. I left some lien over it, apologized for the trouble caused, and promised to never come back again... I had second thoughts halfway through. And ended up picking up two bottles and leaving a couple extra cash for the barman to collect later.

After that, I made to leave the bar. It was not as if it was a great loss after all. It was just your average watering hole. I could probably walk two streets in any direction and found one just like this. I had just been unlucky that this was the particular one hosting some drunken bikers.

I made a small gesture for the girl to follow me outside the bar. And once on the streets, if she was tagging along, I would take her around a corner and into a nearby alleyway I sometimes used to shake people up when I lived in the ground district.

It was a pretty inconspicuous thing. Often blocked by trash bins, not very wide, but not overly dirty neither. As the alley made a sharp turn a couple meters in, it was impossible someone could see us from the streets, so we would be saved from vindictive drunken bikers at least for a good while.

-Over here we should be fine. Almost no one uses this alley. And those fuckers will most likely get bored of looking after a couple minutes anyway-

I said, uncapping the bottle with my thumb and offering the other to the tall woman, and holy shit, she had like a head and a half on me!

Taking a swig, I couldn’t help but groan internally. Shit, it was a blonde lager. I should have taken a better look before picking up the first thing close to me... Well, whatever. At least it was cheap. Frowning a little, I gave a long sip before putting down the bottle for a while.

-We will not encounter any more assholes here... Again, thanks, girl. And sorry if I ruined your party night or something. I’ll make it up to you somehow- I told her as I seized the opportunity to take a good look at her. I didn’t think I had ever seen her before. She had a cute face and a really well-toned body that clearly wasn’t just for show.

What she wasn’t afraid of showing was a generous amount of skin. Tanned a rich and alluring color. It was clear that she was a really healthy woman, maybe a huntress? That seemed like the most obvious explanation,

Although, I didn’t discard the possibility of her being a strong mercenary or bounty huntress. Nowadays, only crazy or desperate people became huntsmen willingly, so it was logical that some talented people decided to use their skills in alternative ventures.

All of that was some pretty neat speculation. But I wouldn’t get anywhere with that alone...

-You were pretty awesome back there. Your aura must be strong as fuck to be able to shrug off a knife like that... I’m Bianca, by the way. Does my mysterious savior have a name?- I asked with a cheeky grin as I gave another hit at the bottle

---

1151 / 3528 Words

[Jackie Bariole]

Things were winding down, it seemed, and Heidi couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. It made perfect sense that they wouldn't want to fight once they'd realized how incredibly outmatched they were, but that did mean she hadn't hoped they would. Men such as these were not strangers to self-destruction, after all, and it would have been far more entertaining if they had gone on fighting. Heidi grinned resignedly and made do with the fearful and worried expressions each thug gave her as she looked his way. It would have to do. She wondered, briefly, what Nasrin might think of such behavior. The thought surprised her enough that she also wondered where it had come from. Nasrin wasn't here and, short of an unlikely series of events, was unlikely to learn of Heidi's actions this night, so what she thought of Heidi's behavior was irrelevant. So why had she even thought to ask? Heidi's grin shrank into a pondering pout, then gradually morphed into a scowl as she arrived at the most likely explanation; her little sister's pushes were growing ever more insidious. Forcefully, she reminded herself that, even had Nasrin been present, she would have approved of Heidi's intervention and applauded her show of restraint. Nasrin would have been well pleased by Heidi's magnanimous behavior, not disappointed in it! Nothing answered the thought, the certainty, from the back corners of Heidi's mind. Plainly, Jackie had no answer to that. By then, the faunus girl was making her way back from the bar with a couple of beers in tow. Nobody had tried to stop her; she was under Heidi's protection, after all. Instead, the patrons were giving her a wide berth, and the two of them were able to leave the dingy club without further incident. Heidi's last look at the unlucky thugs was of the bully snarling hushed invectives at his companions, as they lent clumsy aid to those left disabled by the pair. She allowed herself a last amused sneer. Such venomous anger told her much about just how badly she had humiliated the bully. Heidi followed after the faunus without a word, aglow with self-satisfaction for the night's work and self-assurance that her good deeds would soon be rewarded. With the faunus in the lead, Heidi was afforded an opportunity for less conspicuous examination; she liked what she saw. The tail was a bit of an obstruction, but its addition was not unpleasant. If anything, it was actually kind of cute. Heidi had never been with a reptilian faunus before; she wondered if the scales were soft or coarse, and whether the tail itself was warm to the touch, as a human's body might be, or cool as that of a lizard. She could think of many entertaining ways to find out... They stopped in a secluded alleyway, not visible from either of the surrounding thoroughfares. It wasn't the spot Heidi might have picked, covered in the thin layer of grime and filth which permeated much of the ground district, but it would suit her purposes well enough. The faunus turned to face her, and she did so with an appraising look in her eyes. It was an expression Heidi was quite familiar with, and she responded appropriately. With hands on hips, Heidi pulled her shoulders back and raised her chin, to look down the length of her nose at the faunus before her with a smile on her lips. It seemed the faunus approved, and why shouldn't she? Heidi was beautiful and well built in all the right ways. Tall, strong, swarthy, and well proportioned, her body was a work of art. She lightly flexed her arms, both of which were finely inscribed with intricate tattooing. The motif of her tattoos was apparent at a glance, even with some of it hidden beneath her clothes. Though monochromatic, it described smooth and vibrant contours escaping predictable geometric constraints. It was, in essence, a triumph of the chaotic over the mundane. More importantly, Heidi recognized something else in the way the faunus girl's eyes moved and lingered. Her attention was not the absent appreciation of an amateur, but the well-informed interest of a practiced connoisseur. Heidi liked being looked at, but the faunus girl was looking at her in the way she liked best. "That wasn't my aura." Heidi said with a grin, holding Bianca's eyes in her golden gaze. She made it sound like the suggestion was an error on the faunus' part, but one frequently made and, therefore, amusing to the atlesian. Without clarifying, Heidi stepped closer and plucked up the blond lager from Bianca's hand. Flicking away her cigarette, Heidi tilted her head back for a deep draft from the bottle. She did this, knowing exactly how it would draw her neck and shoulders taut, how it would thrust out her chest, and how it would, just generally, make her a feast for the right sort of eyes. Eyes which she had no doubts the faunus girl possessed. Satisfied, Heidi let the bottle drop, now half as full as it had been, and pressed it back into Bianca's hand. "My name is Adelheid, but friends and lovers call me Heidi." She said, expression smoldering with mischief. Then, after a pregnant pause, she softly added, "You should call me Heidi." It wasn't an invitation so much as an instruction, though an instruction and association which she guessed Bianca would be more than happy to follow. Only then did she seem to notice how close the two of them were standing. Though, of course, she'd stepped in so close on purpose. Winking, Heidi stepped back to a 'respectful' distance, so as to seem less like she was going to lift Bianca off her feet and press her against the nearest wall, though part of her suspected the faunus would respond well to such treatment. There was a calculated push and pull to her actions, as she started to reel the faunus girl, just as she had done with the bikers a few minutes prior. She did, however, show Bianca a bit more respect in that she took her time and was less obviously provocative in her advances. Which was not to say she was being at all subtle, only that she was going to wait for an invitation before she actually put her hands on the faunus. "Don't worry about ruining my evening." She added after yet another momentary pause, one she spent blatantly admiring the faunus girl from her new, respectful, distance. "How can drinking and dancing compare to a dingy alley, after all?" Heidi's words, playfully sarcastic as they were, served two purposes. The first was to convey that she didn't really care that her night had been up-ended for Bianca's sake. The second was to firmly cement the fact that her night had been up-ended for Bianca's sake. It was a suggestion that Bianca almost certainly owed Heidi which also implied that Heidi was not very interested in collecting on the debt. Heidi was interested, of course. She was very interested. Fortunately, her preferred method of repayment was one she was certain Bianca would enjoy. Heidi made as though something had just occurred to her, and her easy smile dwindled to an expression of thoughtful concern. "Though, I suppose things will get quite messy for me the next time I show my face around here." The atlesian pursed her lips and raised her hands to the back of her head, affecting a relaxed posture, as she apparently surveyed her surroundings. This surveillance also happened to include her slowly turning in place, to afford Bianca a good look at her savior from every possible angle. "Not a great loss," She concluded finally, "Must be dozens of holes like that one in this district. I'll just find another." Again, a reminder of how Bianca had inconvenienced Heidi, promptly accompanied by how little Heidi actually cared. She probably could have been much more direct; in fact, she sensed that Bianca would have responded quite well to it. But Heidi was after more than mere physical gratification; she could have gotten that from anyone. What would be immensely more satisfying was for the faunus to give Heidi what she wanted without needing to be asked or told. Which was why Heidi had chosen to not even acknowledge the suggestion that Bianca should pay her back. "Besides," Heidi mused, as though merely speaking her thoughts, "I find the company out here preferable to what I had in that sty." She didn't even look at Bianca as she said it. The hook was out. Heidi waited to see if she got a bite.

---

Words - 1,445
Total - 4,614

[Bianca Sabbato]

The woman followed, almost swaggering behind me, an attitude that she maintained once we came to a rest in the safety of the alleyway. Seemingly enjoying the invisible feeling of my gaze over her skin, so I felt free to explore her frame with my eyes for a little longer.

She was beautiful in all the traditional sense of the word and didn’t seem ashamed of showing all of it.

Her first commentary since we exited the bar took me by surprise at first. Arching an eyebrow, I quietly meditated on the meaning of her words.

If it wasn’t purely aura, then it meant her skin was naturally that strong, or through extensive conditioning? Bullshit. I knew of that phenomenon, but it was something only achieved after years in the trade. This woman, albeit unnaturally powerful, was simply way too young for it to apply to her.

Then what could it be? A semblance, maybe? Skin hardening? Damage deflection? This woman was becoming more and more interesting with every passing minute...

I didn’t have the time to mull in those theories, though, since she took me slightly by surprise by giving a long step towards me and reclaiming the bottle from my hand. Leaving me distracted by the motions her well-toned neck (and other parts of her anatomy) made with every gulp of the drink. And also relieved, since the alcohol would rinse the taste of dirty biker dude from her lips...

-I’m curious about that thing you said... About it not being aura...- I wondered aloud, setting my gaze in those abs of her, the ones that had broken a pretty solid-looking knife like it was nothing. -Mind if I give it a go later?- I asked, tilting my head as I cracked a couple knuckles against my hip.

Unconsciously, I felt my hand slowly reach to touch her stomach, as if to try the solidity of her muscles, but stopped myself halfway through. Realizing the girl still hadn’t given me permission to do so. Which was not to say I was lacking in willingness to do so...

Huh... Was I already thinking about that kind of stuff? It was surprising that it took me that long, to be honest. But now, it seemed like a historical inevitability, put Bianca near a hot enough chick, and her mind tends to wander into those directions.

… Well, if that was how missy wanted to be, then two could play the same game...

Letting the bottle fall from my hands, I caught it by coiling the tip from my tail around it. Crossing my now empty hands behind my back in a gesture that would reward Heidi with a great perspective from her higher point of view. All the while, I rested the neck of the bottle playfully against my lips. Before I addressed her on the topic of her name.

Heidi... It was a really endearing name. And I was not merely being complacent about it. It was plainly cute in an adorable kind of way. Making an enticing contrast with what appeared to be the actual personality of its owner. Who could be described with all kinds of positive adjectives but not exactly praised by its adorability.

-Is that so?- I asked with a hint of amusement in my voice. -Well. I have to admit it is a pretty cute name..-

I said now with the shadow of a smile gracing my face as I stared directly into her eyes, almost as if daring her to look away first.

-Mmm. I wonder if I will be doing so as the former or the latter... Miss Heidi- I commented, making sure to accentuate her name for her to know that I fully intended to become either one or the other.

Or maybe both. As I didn’t think there was a clear distinction between lovers and friends that got amorous from time to time anyway.

I saw her give a step back. And couldn’t hide my disappointment for a brief second. Since I began to suspect I had pushed a little too far and drove her away. But when her relaxed demeanor remained intact, I eventually assumed it was just all part of the game. So I decided to play along.

I put on a mock expression of worry on my face when she started mentioning her ruined evening. Cheeky girl, as if I didn’t notice how much fun she had trashing those dudes back in there. Anyways. I covered my mouth with the tip of my fingers as I gave a step back, in obviously acted surprise.

Besides that, and for the first time in my life, I avoided making a really gross innuendo/joke when she mentioned a couple keywords near the end of her speech. So yay for that.

Speaking of which, she was being awfully forward with this... And I liked that, I liked it a lot.

Especially after growing so used to being the one who always had to do all of the easing and greasing myself. Finally leaning on the other side of that was something I was more than looking forward to.

Nevertheless, my reaction was a little slow, as I was a little overwhelmed with all of this. So many leads, such blatancy in which Heidi teased and shamelessly stared at me with mildly concealed hunger in her eyes.

Some people would have considered it insulting, but not this gal... It kinda made me feel... Nice, wanted. Even if in a purely superficial way.

But I could be really superficial as well. So no biggie.

-Oh my! But I have no valuable possessions that I could offer to make amends! There must have some other way for me to repay you. Heidi...-

Her name escaped my lips almost as a purr. As I took a step towards her with half-lidded eyes. And my hands clutch together in front of me in the facsimile of stereotypical innocent behavior.

I was still a little wary. But I wouldn’t let that stop me from hopefully getting myself some Heidi tonight... Was I a slut? Yes. And I loved every second of it. Free love rules!

Hell, I was getting tired of waiting already. After a few seconds of waiting, I decided to simply step forward and get things going myself when I was struck by a sudden streak of realization...

Heidi... A powerful woman named Heidi... Powerful like a huntress in training would be.

Huh... What was Nasrin’s woman called again?.

Stopping myself short, I gave a small step back, fully aware that the woman might not be glad I was baiting her this way. But nevertheless, there was something I needed to ask.

-Wait... I think... Just one question, before we continue... Are you by any chance a Haven student?- I asked warily, fully aware that I might be cuntblocking myself. But Doing it anyway. -And... Does the name Nasrin rings any bells for ya?-

---

1159 / 4687 Words

[Jay]

XP Distribution:

Bianca Sabbato: 46 XP
144 + 46 = 190 XP Total