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.
Post by Rose Phoenix on Dec 25, 2020 1:08:37 GMT -5
❝I Was Lightning,
Before The Thunder❞
473 w./ 473 w. total
The punching bag was really taking a beating today, more so than usual. Anyone passing by the training room would be able to hear the heavy pound and the loud screaming of pure, unadulterated rage spewing from the mouth of one very furious blonde.
Rosalia slammed her fist into the heavy bag, sending it careening up into the air. As it came back down, she spun her whole body around and jumped up to slam her leg into it at a straight angle. The sweatpants shook from the impact that pushed the thing up so hard that the chain groaned with exertion. She landed into a crouch easily, facing it with unfiltered anger very evident on her face.
"GRAAAAAHH!!!"
Not giving it a chance to drop, Rose jumped with her fist extended and upper cutted it with such force that the chain snapped! It spiraled out of control through the air, spinning like mad! Rose touched down and let it hit the ground beside her with a booming thud! Her body was drenched in sweat from the hours of aggression, but it still wasn't enough. She needed to let more out...fuck she just needed to let this god damn steam out!
Whirling her fist back, the girl slammed it into the wall nearby and left a small crater in her wake. The fist stayed there for a moment as she breathed heavy from the exertion. Sweat dripped down her chin, the dark tank top clinging tightly to her humble chest from the perspirations.
Holly was gone. There was no getting around that...fuck! One minute she was there, cheering Bianca on...and the next? Flaming pumpkin and no Pinkie to be seen. Rose's mom had always told her to cherish her friends each day because one day...they would be gone. And her last dealing with Holly was a fight! She yelled at her and tried to hit her! AGAIN! What in the actual hell was wrong with her!?
"Why..."
Tears streamed down her face as she clenched her teeth tightly, grinding them down in furious frustration.
"Why do I hurt everything I love? Why...god, why did you have to die, Holly?"
She went out of control. The pressure got to her, which wasn't a surprise considering the shit that Haven has gone through. Holly didn't get any help for whatever reason and Rose certainly didn't help her! She made it worse by always yelling at her! Always hitting her! Some friend she turned out to be...
When Rose finally pulled her fist away from the damaged wall, she realized that she was shaking. From anger, despair, frustration, and regret. Not to mention she skipped breakfast earlier. So she simply stood there, stock still and fuming at her own terrible ineptitude. Whoever came near her to interrupt her stewing better be prepared to meet their maker.
Post by Bianca Sabbato on Dec 26, 2020 3:14:50 GMT -5
A small ball of Iron flying at 70km/ passed mere centimeters away from my head.
I managed to duck at the very last moment to prevent it from hitting me square in the face. A second later, I let another pass just in between my legs, as this one didn’t have a direct course of collision with my body.
The third one did the trick, hitting me straight in the neck and making me stager for a second before I managed to get a hold of myself and dodge the fourth ball.
Sweating profusely, I stared at the machine in front of me, waiting for the next attack. It was a simple yet effective machine, similar to those used for baseball training. The ones where you could set the speed of the trow and all of that. Only that the projectiles here came in a wide variety of shapes and materials.
And instead of a predetermined path, this one used random sequences to give ample variations of trajectories inside a determined area.
To put it into few words. It was some kickass training equipment, the kind only Haven could provide in Mistral. You wouldn’t be seeing these babies in your average gym across the city.
To make things better, I felt surprisingly at home with this machine in particular. It reminded me of the shitty old days. Of course, it gave me flashbacks of bottles and wrenches thrown at me from overly obscured corners of abandoned buildings and warehouses.
Only this one didn’t berate me as I tried to hold onto dear life. I wasn’t sure if this was positive or negative, as the insults often worked to simulate distractions; or to temple my temper at the same time.
It was not as if I didn’t have any distractions here, though.
The constant booming sounds of the punching bag in the distance were annoying, but that was good. I, for once, welcomed them. It meant there was something to test my concentration, to force me to mind subtle control I based my whole fighting stile on.
I had a pretty weak aura, my reserves not being nearly as large as other people. So I needed to train it to be ever vigilant, ever-present. From the moment I wake up, I put it on and leave it there for the rest of the day. If I have to run, it goes immediately to my soles. If I want to punch something, it flows in short bursts into my arms.
But only in short bursts. I didn’t have enough to keep up my strength for too long, or I’d break my aura. No longer than a second at the absolute maximum, else I’m left vulnerable to incoming attacks. And as soon as a threat made itself apparent, I directed my aura there. So a blow that would have shattered it bounced off harmlessly.
What once was brittle, I made strong. When mightly blows came to test that strength, I made it flexible. Keeping my options open meant I had been able to face almost anything the world threw at me up to this point.
But how does an aura fare against fire so hot it can disintegrate a body in mere seconds? How can it isolate you from such insane temperatures in at least a mildly effective way? I was having problems coming with a solution for such an insurmountable problem. But I couldn’t be discouraged. The act of half-assing things was never something I liked to do.
One of the iron balls managed to hit me in the arm, but as it was just a grazing blow, it passed by without causing too much damage. Clicking my tongue, I took a couple of seconds to regain my focus after that.
An aura strong enough may be able to do the trick, but since I didn't have one, I felt like I needed something else to handle stronger attacks.
Maybe I was looking at this from the wrong angle, and I should stop thinking of my body as a living organism and start considering it more like a well-oiled machine waiting for orders.
And if I did that. Maybe I could do something about this.
I was taken away from that line of thought by the sound of a piercing scream. Shooking the air around me.
Looking to the source of the noise, I noticed a blonde figure going ham at a punching bag in the distance, getting maybe a little more aggressive than what was necessary. The person didn’t gesticulate any signs of pain, so I kept going with my training.
This time, I took some small handfuls of dirt and tried to stop the projectiles before they hit me. Engulfing them into the soft earth, hardening it, and using my semblance to deflect the balls before they could reach me. Sending them bouncing harmlessly from a wall behind me.
That was another thing I needed to improve. I had gotten so used to my semblance’s constant presence around me that I had forgotten to consider its full potential as a weapon.
And not only as that but also as a tool to help me get out of sticky situations... Or help others. Like Holly, for example. Someone I could have taken down swiftly if it wasn’t for how much I had gotten carried away with my semblance early.
Sure, I had learned to make it versatile. But that meant nothing in the face of raw, undiluted power...
I had grown soft, first from my years in juvie ( which was understandable to a degree since I literally couldn’t train). But even after attending Haven, I had not been disciplining my body as hard as I could have done. And that needed to be changed.
I was about to set the machine to full throttle and see how many seconds I could survive when another noise caught my attention. This time the crunching sound of a wall being punched harshly.
Turning the machine off, I took a better look at the source of the commotion. And I finally realized who was the one being so noisy about their daily training.
It kinda explained things. As sad as that was. No need to beat around the bush when we all knew what was happening here. She was one of the persons in the scene when Holly... When she died. And she was her friend as well, to make things worse.
For sure, she was taking this better than Kishka. But that wasn’t saying a lot. Hitting the wall was -all in all- probably one of the wetter ways of dealing with this that I had seen. Not super healthy, but good enough.
Sighing heavily, I threw a towel over my head and went to a nearby vendor machine. I considered taking two bottles of water from it, but at the last moment, I decided that something with a little sweetness on it was probably for the best. So I bought two sports drinks and steadily approached Rose.
-Here goes nothing...- I mumbled to myself. Knowing fully well that I could be earning myself a beating if things went wrong. But I was at peace with that, to be honest.
I didn’t know Rose very well, and I was legit torn about how to feel about her. On one side, she had acted pretty normally during our brief interaction at the festival, friendly, even.
On the other, she had written some troubling things in the academy chat. And she did so even before all of this shit happened. It was clear she had a rough upbringing. On top of that, she seemed to have some lingering problems because of that. Anger issues and... Some other things I didn’t want to address.
I mean, she just went around, telling everyone she was a bandit. She said she had changed, but she spoke about it so nonchalantly that it almost felt like she was proud of it, and that freaked me out a little.
Still, she was another student. And I would not be the one who ignored a partner in need. If she was fine and wanted me to fuck off, that was fine, actually the best outcome possible.
If not, dunno. Maybe Rose could use a friendly hand? Losing a friend was not easy for anyone. And as much as I was trying not to think about it, life sometimes put you into situations in which you had to face the music.
Purposely stepping hard into the floor to make my presence known. I waited until Rose looked in my direction before tossing a small can of energy drink at her hands.
-Looked like you needed a drink- Poping the other one open as I gave her my best attempt at a friendly but still solemn gesture. No need to trivialize her feelings, so I would avoid looking overly cheerful. Not like I was feeling in the mood for it anyway.
-How are you taking it?- I asked, daring to go a little closer to the blonde girl, taking a sip at the strawberry-flavored drink to let her have a little time to assess the situation.
Post by Rose Phoenix on Dec 29, 2020 11:16:37 GMT -5
❝I Was Lightning,
Before The Thunder❞
440 w./ 913 w. total
It hurt. Everything fucking hurt. Her head was pounding and her chest ached like hell! The damn wall wasn't fighting back and there was no one to knock her teeth in. She wanted to be told off and hit in the face! It was her fault! It was...her fault. Rose wasn't there...
She knew that she wasn't alone in here. Honestly, there were much more sophisticated tools for training here than a punching back, but those were expensive. No one would really miss a dinky little bag of sand...maybe the wall would need some sprucing up though.
At the sound of the footstep, Rose tilted her head and glared at the sound...a soft growl rumbled from deep within her throat at the sudden intrusion. Truly someone had a death wish to approach the little blonde ball of fury. Though despite her angry appearance, the can surprised the girl and her eyes widened at the sudden toss.
"Woah!"
She stood up and reached her hand up to catch the thing awkwardly, fumbling with it before finally clasping it tightly. Although in her stunned state, Rose crushed the can roughly between her hands and the liquid exploded abruptly right into her face!
"Blaargh! Gah! The hell!"
Gripping the can with one eye closed, face dripping with sugary sticky liquid, and hair sopping...Rose turned to regard the one who intruded on her little hissy fit. She was sputtering the sports drink out in burst, flicking her tongue out to get the melon taste off of her tongue to no avail. Now she wasn't sure who to expect, but Bianca wasn't someone that came to mind. The blonde tensed up as she frowned at the girl, still clutching the can in her hands like a safety blanket.
It was awkward to say the least. Both were Hunters in training, but from different classes. So neither had interacted outside of brief chat messages and that one night at the Festival. When she had saved Fable...oh right. Fable. Rose's fingers played with the can as she thought of what to say. How WAS she taking it? IT? Everything? It was all a damned mess!
"I uh...I'm...fuck..."
Rose took a step towards Bianca and leaned forward, pressing her face into the girl's shoulder and groaned.
"I'm shit, Angel. Absolutely worthless...I couldn't help Fable and...and...FUCK I couldn't help Holly! I was so up my ass to pay attention!"
The already upset blonde screamed angrily into her fellow student's shoulder and cried loudly, shaking and trembling in a very brief moment of weakness.
"What good is power if ya can't use it to save the ones you love, huh!?"
Post by Bianca Sabbato on Jan 1, 2021 19:11:56 GMT -5
I watched with a dreadful expression as the blonde trainee fumbled and ultimately made the can explode all over her face... And really hoped she didn’t felt like killing me afterward. Letting her express her anger may be a good idea. But it would be better if I wasn’t the receptacle of it. Any inanimate object was likely preferable.
Luckily, she looked more surprised than angry at my sudden intromission. Seemingly more busy trying to clean herself up than kicking my face in, so I dared to approach a little more as she struggled to form her words.
I saw her approach and waited for her with uncertainty on my face. When she finally came to rest her forehead against my shoulder, I let myself relax a little as I listened to her .onfide her feelings to me. It was... A strange reaction.
I didn’t expect Rose to be so open about this. I was mostly seeking a way to distract her from her pain. Or to slowly ease her up into the topic.
For better or worse, we seemed to be beyond that point now, so I could only give it my best to try and be useful for Rose now.
I clicked my tongue as I took the towel out from my head, wielding it in my right hand, not unlike a mother who goes to clean the face of an unruly child who got herself dirty (even if this could arguably be my fault for startling her)
I pressed the still mostly dry towel against her head and began stroking at her hair both in an attempt to comfort her and to dry her from the sticky liquid I had inadvertently caused her to be drenched on.
Letting her scream her heart out. And cry undisturbed on my shoulder. I grabbed my own drink with my tail and gently placed it into the ground behind me. Using my free hand to cover her in a weak embrace.
She had spoken and made a question to me. But now that the time had come for me to actually offer that support I wanted to give... I was at a loss for words. Truly. What to say in these situations? I wasn’t used to comforting people and had the awful habit of trying to use logic to face problems that were of the heart.
Drawing a deep breath, I closed my eyes to let her cry as ugly as she wanted without feeling judged. And decided to give as good a response as I could.
-Too much stuff was happening at the same time, Rose... Everything just got... Out of hand- I didn’t feel the need to clarify what I was talking about. We both knew it.
And in the end, it was as simple as that. It was like a domino effect of bullshit that left us all unable to do the most important thing when the time came. Of course, it being simple didn’t make it any easier. In a way, it made it worse.
And now we were all feeling the backlash from that, One way or the other.
-It is normal to feel this way, you know? There were many of us there, and we couldn’t do a single damn thing for Holly, no matter the particular reason... I think it is fine to feel like a piece of shit after something like this happened. I know I still do, and I’m not the only one-
Kishka came to mind, being probably the one who had taken it the worst. This was understandable since she was the closest one to Holly and likely felt just as responsible as Rose did right now.
Shadecloak had made a good job with her. Speaking truths as harsh and as necessary, expressing the fact that this was simply a thing that was going to happen, and likely more than once.
We had chosen this path for one reason or the other. And while it had it’s good things, like the protection, the company and education Haven provided us... In the end, we were going out there to fight and eventually die. And to watch people die after we couldn’t save them.
-We won’t be able to save everyone all the time, sometimes stuff just happens, sometimes you could have done something better, sometimes you couldn’t... There’s not a lot we can do about it. The universe sometimes likes to fuck with us-
I spoke gently, holding her a little closer if she so allowed me. Opening my eyes now and pulling away just a little to look at her directly as I continued.
-But you are not shit, you know? If you were shit you wouldn’t give a damn about all of this... Our job is to try and do our damn best, so people don’t get hurt, but if we fail, that doesn’t turn us into monsters...-
I said firmly, letting her know this was what I thought and that no matter how much she tried to complain and argue around it, I would stand my ground.
At this point, I would offer the towel for her to clean her face if she liked. or to more easily wipe away the tears already pooling in her face.
-Fable is alive, and I think that is in part thanks to you. As useless as you think you are. You were the first one to go and help her... Power is... It is a tool, it cannot change the past, but it may serve you to save someone else you care for in the future-
Of course, power was something that could be used for plenty of things. But most of them were absolutely worthless when compared to using your strength to help someone in need. Or to at least die while you failed spectacularly.
I knew just a few gentle words wouldn’t be enough to make Rose feel better. But it was at least something. And sometimes, that could help, even if just a little.
Post by Rose Phoenix on Jan 18, 2021 4:45:36 GMT -5
❝I Was Lightning,
Before The Thunder❞
423 w./ 1,336 w. total
The feel of the towel sent a slight shock through her body and down her spine. It wasn't like Rose was unaccustomed to being touched, but she felt oddly vulnerable at the moment. So it was a little strange to her that the blonde wasn't outright tearing into or punching Bianca.
She hesitated for a brief moment as she dug her face into Bianca's shoulder, listening to her soft voice. It was meant to be reassuring most likely, but to Rose it just sounded like confirmation of her failure. The way Bianca held her made Rose stiffen a bit, but the hesitation melted away and she hugged the huntress tightly. As if she would fall through the ground and into the void if she were to let go.
But Bianca was pulling her away to look into her wet glistening eyes and her sniffling messy face. It was pathetic and she wanted to hit something...so she swiped the towel roughly from Bianca's hand and angrily ripped it in half with a loud scream.
"The hell does that shit even mean? Me? Care for someone? Nah fam, been there and done that like three, count 'em, THREE fuckin' times! And every damn time? They fuckin' abandon ME!"
In a moment of frustration, Rose turned and hurled the two pieces of towel across the room to slam with a dull thud against the far wall. With a heavy breath and a low bestial growl from deep within her breast, Rose dropped her arm as if it lost all feeling. Fable...the Fox's derpy little face popped into her head. Laughing, shouting, demanding food...it made the anger simmer away. What the hell was this?
"Because...a' me? Fable is..." She murmured, slowly turning to face Bianca. She awkwardly scratched the back of her neck and nodded. "Yeah, maybe yer right, Angel. Fuck, this is a real shit show. I need ta let out some steam or somethin.' Like...uh..."
Rose scratched her chin for a moment, letting the rusty gears turn in her brain until an idea bulb lit up. She snapped her fingers in exaggerated fashion and pointed rudely at Bianca.
"YO! Less go clubbin'! We can dance, get wasted, and forget all this bullshit for a bit! Whatdya say, Angel!? It beats holdin' up in this depressin' ass dump of a school, yeah?"
It was as if Rose flipped a switch inside of her, completely going 180 with her personality as the once pissed off looking blonde was now brightly beaming a toothy grin and snickering proudly.
Post by Bianca Sabbato on Jan 22, 2021 15:28:28 GMT -5
At the very least, Rose seemed welcoming of my attempts to comfort her. And even despite myself. I couldn’t help but think that behind all of her tough-girl attitudes. She was kind of adorable on the inside. Probably because of that very same attitude in contrast with this.
I could even understand her sudden outburst. When she took the towel and started tearing it apart in front of me. It made sense. No one liked feeling vulnerable, and if this was her way to cope with it, so be it. I would respect that.
Not once did I frown nor show any disappointment on my face. If anything, I tried to remain as neutral as I could. Even when Rose started growling and throwing the towel away after her small release of tension.
It was... Painful to now. That Rose was one who knew very well what it was like to be abandoned. Considering she was supposed to be a bandit queen, I guess I should have seen that coming.
Putting your trust on someone, someone you may even depend on, and having that torn open and spat on was a feeling that hurt something deep inside your core. It was a pain that tainted every waking moment, every interaction.
It made you question when it was worth it to lend your love and care to someone. Since you knew that what you gave could easily be stripped away from you, leaving you with... Nothing.
What to say about something like that? Tell her to stop loving people altogether? To start considering love an inversion with pros and cons. And to only pick her fights when she was sure to win no matter what?
I honestly didn’t think that was what she wanted to hear right now. Nor something that would do her any good whatsoever. With a deep breath, I slowly slurred a couple words that just felt like coming out of my mouth.
-Being abandoned... It is something horrible. I know that you may feel like people do not care about you in kind. Or like you are not worthy of them... But we both know it’s not always that simple. You shouldn’t let other people’s actions affect the way you feel about people, or yourself...-
I said, not even me being sure about what all of that meant, but it sounded at least accurate to a degree. No matter how though we may pretend we are. Loving people is difficult, but trying to never again care for anyone is even harder than that. At least in my experience.
You keep putting your trust and love into people, and you keep getting burned. But there is not a lot you can do about it, except to cherish the few people who had not burned you yet. And hope they will stay that way. It is horrible when you are betrayed, but it’s beautiful when it works out... At least for a while.
That’s probably the shittiest part of life. That you cannot have the good without the shadow of the bad, just lingering there in your blindspot.
-You care about people enough not to abandon them... That means there are some people out there willing to do the same for ya. You know?- It could basically be summarized in that. To keep going, keep trying until you reach at least a semblance of happiness.
Luckily for me. The mention of Fable seemed to cheer her up somewhat. Turning her rage to awkwardness and... Reflection? I wasn’t sure what gears were turning into the girl's mind, but they seemed to culminate in a simple idea. To go clubbing and forgot about this hell for now.
I considered the offering for a second. A little put back by how sudden Rose's change in demeanor had been. Was she honestly feeling better? And I’m not saying alright, because obviously, a little pep talk could never be enough to make someone feel alright after what happened to Holly.
But was distracting herself with fun the proper answer as for right now? Or was she maybe trying to put out a happy face? I... I honestly didn’t know, but I felt like asking would only make things worse. So I weakly smiled at her as I readied my answer.
-… Sure, I could do with going somewhere a little more lively right now... Just wait for me to take a shower and change, and we can go set this city on fire-
I said with a small fist pump. As I checked the time on my scroll, we still had plenty of time to get ready and subsequently get smashed for the night.
I didn’t know if this was the right answer... But until I knew, the least I could do was keep her company and wait for her to open up on her own if she so needed... I... I wanted to believe I had learned my lesson with Holly. That a simple heartfelt speech is not enough to truly help someone.
You have to be there for them, both in the good and in the bad.
-So I can come to pick you up once I’m done... I’m looking forward to scouting some cool places with you... We need to find a good club for you to take Fable some other time-
I called out, winking cheekily in her direction and waiting to see her reaction before bolting to get ready.
Who knows. Maybe Rose could be one of those girls worth caring for. Only one way to figure it out, though.
Post by Rose Phoenix on Jan 31, 2021 0:22:48 GMT -5
❝I Was Lightning,
Before The Thunder❞
708 w./ 2,044 w. total
Her smile was very wide, stretching the muscles in her cheeks to the point of hurting. The girl could only hope that Bianca didn't notice how much her lips trembled from the act being put on. The small blonde's body was like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode upon anyone! Whether that was a good notion or a bad one...only the night would tell.
Bianca's words, while outwardly kind, made Rosalia physically ill to hear. As if trying to find some good in the thief and murderer...to figure her out. It took everything in her to control the fist that was shaking with rage. The same fer me? The fuck does that mean? Bein' abandoned fuckin' sucks and no matter what...everyone will abandon you, Angel.
She kept her words to herself, however. There was no point in antagonizing the girl when she was only trying to help, after all. Rose was slightly surprised to hear Bianca accept her offer of clubbing, considering how crazy she came off at the moment.
"Fuck yeah! Watch yer words, Angel, I might actually set shit ablaze! Aight, so I'll meet 'cha up front by the gate in like half an hour. That cool with ya?"
Rose slammed her fist enthusiastically against Bianca's, a bit harder than necessary for the bump and bared her teeth. She didn't know much of the night life in the city, so this was exciting to her! Although the mention once again of Fable made her falter, fist wavering and loosening visibly as Bianca took off. Rose was left standing with her mouth opening and closing on auto pilot.
"Wh-What...what the fuck does THAT mean?" She asked herself, staring blankly at her fist as it gripped open and closed in tandem with her mouth. "To take Fable? Ah-I...I...PFFT! Yeah right, as IF! Bianca is SO off base...like way WAY off base! Yep!"
Rose spun around on her heel to watch the door that Bianca had left from. She was a mess, covered in sugar, physically and mentally she was a broken mirror. What if you let Bianca in, huh? Want her to die too-SHUT UP! SHUT. UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP!
Rose shook her head furiously and, lowered her head to study the ground. The blonde gave a firm thumbs up to no one in particular and dashed from the training room. A couple of sharp corners later, Rosalia leaned her whole body heavily against a wall and slid down it slowly.
She clutched her face tightly and pulled her legs up to her chin, growling a deep guttural growl like a wild animal. What was wrong with her? This rage over Holly was taking over...and yet it wasn't just that. It was everything! Things were so much easier back in Vacuo when she didn't HAVE to care about others. There were no consequences...but now? Now she had to reign in her semblance, yet still others got hurt. Others...left. They died.
Her body wanted to cry out, but what good would that do? It would make any passerby's think she was nuts and then a teacher would have a talk with her. Fuck that! No, instead Rose wiped away the tears that threatened to spill over onto her pale cheeks and stood up so fast that she almost grew dizzy.
Tonight she would let go. Look like a fool and just have fun! Yeah, fuck everything for just one god damn night! Rose ran at full sprint down the halls, not giving her mind a chance to speak up or smack her down. Constant movement was what she needed! So a quick hop in the shower and a wardrobe change to her usual torn up punk look put her in the proper mindset for a night out on the town!
Giving a final glance in the mirror at the blonde in a dark t-shirt, ripped jeans, and a leather jacket brought a slow warm smile to her face. Although, for a split second, she could have sworn that the smile looked malevolent.
"Fuckin' weird dude." She murmured.
Shrugging it off, Rose locked her dorm room and jogged up front to meet with Bianca...what was the worst that could happen when two super heroes decided to cut loose?
Post by Bianca Sabbato on Feb 2, 2021 10:02:05 GMT -5
My own smile wavered a little, and I had to suck air through my teeth to avoid calling Rose out on her bullshit. As strained as her expression was, I couldn’t tell mine was much better now. I still tried, though. But this situation caught me by surprise, so I didn’t have the time to put on my best face for her right then.
Poor Rose. I couldn’t avoid thinking to myself about how bad was she at doing this, but she still went on with it. And I started slightly regretting my decisión of not putting my foot down, maybe for fear of coming up as too nosey and making her feel worse.
But if she already felt a certain way... Was there really a reason not to face the issue head-on? I mean, I knew I wasn’t exactly her best friend. But I was feeling kinda responsible for enabling her this much...
Maybe after the fact, once we had our fun and were considerably more tired and relaxed. Then I could bring this up more safely. Probably. But now, Rose seemed like she was looking forward to going clubbing. So I wouldn’t take that away from her for now.
And after dropping the Fable bomb. I was off. The whole experience had been a little more exhausting than I expected. So I needed a hot minute to get my bearings.
Rose was hurting. I had to help her. Even if I couldn’t do much, I needed to help my fellow students.
I wasn’t able to help Holly nor anyone else, and that needed to change. I wasn’t willing to allow anyone else to go that same way. To be taken away like that.
I wanted us all to just... Become stronger, become huntsman and huntresses together. Even if we weren’t the best of friends at the end of the day. I wanted to be of any help, to be useful for anything, no matter how small it may seem. They were my... Partners... And partners are supposed to care for each other. Right?
Shaking my head. I got my mind on the game once again.
Alright. Clubbing. I was going to go club-hopping with Rose. How many cool places did I know? A lot. How many of those would let a faunus enter without making a scene? Eh... Not so many. But I didn’t think Rose was the kind of girl to enjoy those fancy-schmancy kinds of places.
I was out of the shower already when I finished mentally picking up some decent places to go. And a couple ones I hadn’t visited. But that sounded alright by the descriptions I got of them. So there was the semblance of a plan forming in my head.
Picking up one or two items from my lately growing wardrobe. I picked up a nice, white bodycon along a green belt to accentuate my tail a little. Not too slutty, nor too prim. Just about right. Over that, I had a small denim jacket Berwyn fashioned for me. Tiny enough as to not be of any practical use except looking good. But that was enough for me.
With that, I got changed and went to meet back again with Rose.
-Hey girl! Looking nice. Glad to see you didn’t chicken out on me- I joked aloud, winking impishly at the blonde girl in front of me. The stile truly suited her well. It was pretty much what came to mind when I thought “Rosalia Phoenix,” so it had my seal of approval.
Taking out my scroll. I set the GPS to the nearest location. Sadly, the Wind district was the closest. But it also meant getting far enough from this school, which I think was in part what Rose wanted to do at the moment.
-Here’s the nearest one. We can see where we take it from there. There’s a couple of clubs in the general zone, so we won’t get bored if it ends up being a drag- I announced as I showed Rose the coordinates for a brief moment.
-Don’t have a vehicle, though. So I can call us a cab or something. Unless you have some other way of getting us there quickly?-
Under normal circumstances, anyone could have guessed that I asked Rose if she had any kind of vehicle for us to use. But someone who knew Rose’s semblance may think otherwise. I knew that basically asking her if she wanted to carry me on her back could come out as either insulting or downright abusive of me.
Alternatively, those kinds of people never tried to foolishly impress a girl. Be it a potential love interest or merely a friend you wanted to amaze. It was a well-known fact that people (all people) liked to show off. So I considered the possibility that Rose may feel a little better doing something like that... And if not. Well. A cab was also a good option after all.