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's trip back to the temporary abode was long and stressful. It seemed what they did had attracted alot of goons out and they were searching about for street rats of all shapes and sizes. When it was revealed they werent part of this, they were kicked away back to their hovels. She didn't expect such a response, but she kept quiet. If they caught her, she was as good as dead. Why was she putting her neck on the line for Bianca? This wasn't like her, but at the same time, was definitely like her. Keeping her stolen goodies close to her person, she skulked through the night's shadows all the way back.
It seemed she was the first back, as she used her strange ability to unlock the padlock and relock it once she was back inside. Then, she sat on the floor and laid out the herbs she gathered on a tarp then paced the room with the handgun in hand. It was a bit on the big side for her small hands, but if she held it with two hands, she could use it decently. With a sound coming from the door again, she gripped the pistol and kept it low and out of the light, until Bianca appeared again. She gave a soft and silent sigh, with a small smile following it as she gestured to the herbs on the floor. Bianca had gotten the tomatoes as well, godsend.
She gave a nod to address that she infact did gather all of the herbs and then held up one finger as she held up the new toy for defense, the handgun she stole. Holding it out for Bianca to take, she would take a piece of charcoal and write on the floor. "He left door open, this was on the side. Might be useful to help protect ourselves." Chloro then took a seat next to the herb-covered-tarp and wrote a few more words down. "Ready to be treated. I watch door whilst you do your work."
Post by Bianca Sabbato on Feb 13, 2021 5:24:46 GMT -5
I jumped back when I saw the weapon, I wanted to reach for the glass knife on my hip but I was paralyzed. Not that it would have been of any use against a firearm, least of all against someone that could become invisible of all things.
I just stood there for a couple seconds, a scowl on my face and my mind racing as I silently looked for any way to get out of there in one piece. Going from simple things like bolting out of the room to more complex and ridiculous plans like decking Chloro in the face with tomatoes before wrestling the gun out of her hands.
It took me a good while to understand that the mute girl wasn’t holding her gun in any threatening way towards me. But quite the contrary, presenting it to me so I could take a look at it. Nodding, and a little more tremorous than what I would have liked to admit, I gingerly took the weapon.
But I knew shit about weapons. I got that you should point it and pull the trigger. But I had no idea whatsoever if the thing was loaded or had its safety on. I even got as careless as to take a peek inside the barrel like some kind of idiot.
Well. I was a kid, I’ll give myself that small respite. But even then... It was quite stupid on my part. And all in all, for some reason I didn’t know if I trusted myself with it.
So it was a small relief when Chloro wrote down that we could use it to defend ourselves... Like it was ours, not of anyone in particular. I dunno why, but reading that brought a smile to my face.
-Oh... Sure, yes, let’s better begin- I called out, leaving the weapon on Chloro’s lap as I went to get one last thing I had prepared for this occasion. -You can use that to guard the door while I do this-
And with that, I was off to a corner of the room, where a small, elongated rock waited for me. I took it in my hand and used it to start digging on the ground like it was a makeshift shovel. After a couple minutes of that, I retrieved a small bottle, around a liter of water waiting inside and ready to use.
I unscrewed the bottle and poured just a tiny bit over my hands. It was lukewarm. Which meant that my idea of burying water to have an emergency reserve of warm liquid had worked! Excitedly, I carried the bottle over to where the chamomile flowers rested on the floor.
-Just a few more minutes Chloro...- I told the girl, as I used my hands to crush and triturate the flowers as I let them fall into the water. There was still a fair amount of chamomile left. But we could try to dry it or something to use some other time. After I finished pouring all the flowers, I vigorously shook the bottle, to get it all nicely mixed up until the water took a color similar to honey.
Cautiously, I took a sip of it. Yep, it tasted like chamomile tea alright. Leaving that aside for a moment, I decided to use a little of my drinking water to try to clean up one of my nicer rags, at least as best as I could. With rag in hand and tea in another, I was ready to begin.
-I’m going to start, Chloro... Please point to every injury you know of...- And with that, I waited for her response, drenching the rag in the liquid and carefully cleaning the wounds, leaving the girl practically drenched in tea.
-Sorry, I know this may hurt, but it’s for your own good- That being said, I mostly stuck to her arms and back, since I figured out she understood well enough what I was doing to clean the front of her body by herself.
Once that was over. I simply let her rest for a while, I needed the tea to dry off her body before I began the next step. Taking two long leaves of Aloe, I actually didn’t use a knife, but a long string of my own hair to cut out the thorns. Just like mom had taught me...
I missed her... She would be way better at doing this than I was. And dad, with him here, we wouldn’t ever have to worry about injuries or sickness... But they weren’t here. I was here, and that was absolute. I was on my own.
Cleaning some stray tears from my eyes, I continued, Chloro didn’t have time for my stupid crying. I finished peeling the aloe, I cut it into squares and now it was time to apply it.
The cooling effect in her skin was immediate, alleviating the pain and discomfort in a matter of seconds. Even if it probably felt sticky and kinda gross. But it was good medicine, so I used pieces of thread and cloth to tie up as many compresses I could to her wounds, at least the mayors. The minors could probably do with simply scrubbing some gel into them.
And after at least half an hour of work. We were finally done.
-You will probably have to sleep with those things stuck to your body, so they keep healing you through the night. We will use the feverfew in case you start feeling unwell-
I called out, trying to sound as professional and decided as dad used to do when he used to treat me. After all, you don’t discuss with the one healing you. Right?
I looked at the tea bottle, there was still half a bottle left... I decided to take another drink. It was a little bitter, but not as much as regular tea. And it smelled really good.
I offered it to Chloro to drink as well. Chamomile was also good for sleeping, as far as I knew. And there was no use in keeping it for very long if we couldn’t refrigerate it.
-We should probably eat something now. I’m gonna get the box. Pick something from there and we can eat it with the tomatoes. You need to eat well to heal well-
I explained, although I probably just wanted an excuse to have someone to eat with. I knew it wasn’t exactly a normal dinner... But I wanted it to at least feel like one for a while.
A couple minutes into the food. The bug of curiosity started bothering me. And as much as I wanted to be sensible about it. I couldn’t help but ask Chloro a simple question, how did a girl with such cool abilities spend her days as a street rat anyway?
-Hey Chloro...How... How did you end up like this? I mean... In the streets-
The reaction from Bianca made her giggle silently. It was a fair reaction nonetheless though, as she did essentially brandish a handgun which was capable of putting people down very quickly and very efficiently. She let the girl take it and give the weapon a once over, seeing a confused look on her face. Chloro had used small firearms before due to the nature of her home requiring defence, so she trained with them and other weapons like bows and crossbows. Bullets were harder to come by, so utilising arrows and bolts made things easier and we could keep up a reliable defence. Once the handgun was given back, Chloro gave it a quick once over to check everything was good, then took her seat and let Bianca apply the medicine and herb mixtures to heal whilst she watched the door.
She pointed out all of the injuries on her body to the lizard medic, and there was most certainly alot of them. It took a few minutes to point them all out, and then the girl got to work. It felt weird having a strange tea being rubbed on cuts and bruises. Then Bianca stopped for a while, which Chloro took a guess was to let the weird leaf tea thing do it's work. Whilst that happened, Chloro was taking apart pieces of the handgun like she was taught by her mother, and giving them a clean before reassembling it by the time Bianca began with the next weird herb, Aloe or whatever. She was cutting them up into small chunks with strands of her hair which was an interesting trick that she should try at some point.
Soon though, she was all finished and gave a professional opinion, which she gave a thumbs up too and agreed with. She was the medic, or doctor, or whatever, she knew better than Chloro about this stuff. Next up? Food. Bianca retrieved her box of treats and along with the tomatoes, it was looking to be the most normal meal she's had in weeks. With the strange Chamomile tea and the fresh tomatoes, along with the relatively good bread in her pockets, it was good. Very delicious at least. Then, Bianca asked her curiosity. Chloro's eating slowed to a stop as she thought on the question, wondering how much she should tell before settingly with the basics. Taking some charcoal, she wrote in smaller writing the reasons. "Home got attacked by army, they burned it to the ground. So survivors left to come here, hoping it was better." She left out the silencing part of the story, figured that would be the next question or at least one down the line for another day.
Post by Bianca Sabbato on Feb 14, 2021 23:23:20 GMT -5
I heard... Well... I read what Chloro wrote with a worried expression on my face. The way she talked about her past, it was clear that she was not from around the city, probably from a settlement or small town in the countryside.
-That’s... Horrible...- I uttered, almost in a whisper. It was everything I could say, everything anyone could say, really. Apparently, the war had reached even the furthest reaches of the kingdom.
It was not a new story by any means, but that didn’t make it any less harsh to hear. The war had left no one indifferent. People dying seemed to be the constant, whether you were a human or a faunus, people close to you died. I guess we at least had that in common.
Such a shame that it seemed like even that wouldn’t be enough... I looked at the city, at the people in the streets, the violence, the misery... No... No matter how high your ideals may be, nor how much you think you are doing the right thing. I could not see anything good coming out of this.
There was simply too much pain. In the city, in the countryside... It was all the same all around. People dead, suffering, or alone. Just like Chloro and I.
-You don’t have anyone to stay with? Maybe some of the other survivors?-
I asked, holding to the tiniest sliver of hope, that she was just passing by and with a group to care for her and protect her. But soon I realized, either by her own admission or by her body language that this was clearly not the case.
Sighing. I looked at the ground for a few seconds, munching on a tomato while gathering the courage to share my own story, however briefly. Harshly swallowing the food, I opened my mouth to speak, partly hiding it behind a half-eaten morsel.
-I... In my case. My family went to the war. I stayed here with my granny, but she died soon after... And here I am. So I guess we are both alone, in a way-
I recalled, my eyes a little watery from the recollection, shaking my head lightly. I waited to see if Chloro had something to say or add to the discussion, whatever the case, I would remain silent for a while until I finished up my food.
It was good... Really good. And for some reason, eating it with someone near me made it feel all the better. Even if I didn’t know Chloro very well at all. She seemed... At least fair. I proposed something to her, and she kept her word on it. She was also nice... I missed having someone my age that wasn’t outright hostile at the first sight.
…I missed having anyone that wasn’t hostile at first sight, to be honest. Lately, not even churches were generous with their food, so only rarely I visited them. It was everyone for themselves it seemed... And that sucked, I didn’t like it one bit.
But... Maybe we didn’t need to be all alone? Maybe we could become like... Acquaintances. And work together, even if only from time to time? I would like that, yeah, that would be really nice. I wondered if maybe she felt that way. I mean, it couldn’t be only me the one who felt that way... Right?
With a fair degree of shyness. I ventured to get my hand over Chloro’s shoulder for a couple seconds trying to offer some form of comfort for a pain that was maybe just me reflecting my own. Realizing I may have been getting a little ahead of myself. I retracted my hand with as much modesty as I could muster.
Wanting to break the uncomfortable silence. I finally blurted out the offer I had been meaning to make since a while ago. Unable to hold it any longer.
-You are free to stay a couple days if you want! We can share the tent, and I know the city a little better! So maybe we could work together for a while... If you want, I mean...-
I began, my voice getting smaller and quieter with every passing sentence, ending up in nothing but a whisper and my sight affixed to the ground. Scowling, I let out a heavy sight I didn’t know I was holding... It was a little humiliating, but it may be worth the effort if she was willing to humor me.
-I wouldn’t mind a little company... I’ve been feeling kinda lonely- I admitted with no small amount of chagrin.
After a couple moments of silence. I shook my head and clapped my hands together, wanting to get rid of such uncomfortable emotions. Finishing up my meal, I asked Chloro if she had eaten well and if she was going to stay for the night.
If she decided to go away... I would at least give her a couple pointers of good places to be in the city, of where she could get food and money and stuff like that. On what people she shouldn’t trust and what areas she should absolutely avoid at all cost.
It was the least I could do, even if only to thank her for a couple moments of company.
Even though she heard Bianca whisper to herself about her story, it didn't make the realisation any better. It hurt, a lot. The fact that most of the others were dead, and those that weren't now were with people that were horrible, it hurt. She dwelled on those that had passed onto the next life... Misha, Eberon, Liva, Mason, Franklyn. All close friends, all gone. A few tears dropped from her face when Bianca asked about any of the others she could stay with, and she just... shook her head as she looked down.
They were gone now. Nothing she could do about it all now. Wiping the tears away, she took a deep breath and looked up with a weak smile, then listening to the short and snappy story of Bianca and how she ended up here. At least her parents willingly joined the war, but even then that was tragedy in of itself. Her carer died and her parents haven't returned yet, and with how the war was going? Probably weren't returning either. She continued with silence, having nothing else to add that wouldn't break the two girls, so she kept eating whatever she had left before keeping her eyes on the floor.
Her attention would come back when Bianca rested her hand on her shoulder, which caused her to look up to her lightly and give a smile, and as Bianca tried to retract it, she would grab her hand... just to place it back on her shoulder. It was comfort. It was affection. It was... it was just something. The week had been long on her own and she hated the zero contact she had. Maybe they could do things together? It sounded stupid and a thought she pushed out quickly... but as quickly as she shoved it out, it came back as Bianca opened up about the idea.
Taking her charcoal, she would write on the floor whilst also nodding to give her affirmation. "That sounds like a good idea Bianca, thank you. Past week has been very lonely too, I'd like the company."
Post by Bianca Sabbato on Feb 21, 2021 5:36:57 GMT -5
I gasped in surprise when the mute girl grabbed my hand and put it back on her shoulder. It was... Probably not something I had been expecting. A part of me figured out she wouldn’t want something like that. That she was only passing by, not willing to reciprocate a small, meaningless gesture like that one.
But I was wrong, it seemed. She was accepting it, encouraging me even. I have to admit, I felt a little overwhelmed at the moment... No... More like really overwhelmed. I just... I just started crying, from something so small, so simple as this girl I barely knew asking me to remain with her for a while.
I clumsily covered my eyes with my free hand, not wanting her to see me like that for some reason. Even when she had allowed herself the freedom to express her grief a mere moment before. I still felt... I dunno, like I didn’t deserve it I think. Like it was wrong for me to be crying for some reason.
A few moments later, I managed to calm down, feeling a little lighter after the whole experience. Now with enough clarity of mind to read what Chloro had responded to my previous proposition. I merely nodded with the genuine shadow of a smile gracing my face.
Two days passed without much trouble. With myself trying to teach Chloro as much as I could about the city, I was not an expert by any means. But you pick up things after living in a place for a while. Besides that, I tried my best to keep the conversation away from topics like the war, our families, and the people we lost.
Basically, I was happy to talk about how the paint looked as it dried off a wall if that meant keeping the girl at least somewhat distracted. Probably also wanting to distract me from my own feelings and thoughts as best as I could.
I took Chloro out to get supplies as soon as night fell, and we slept through the day to avoid human patrols roaming through the streets. With her lockpicking ability, we managed to slip by on a food and water deposit from a human political party that had been supporting the groups in the zone.
Between her invisibility and her powers. It was actually easier than I could ever dream of. We left with a hefty haul that night. I considered for a second on burning the place down as we exited... But, in the end, we could use it again if necessary. Some people tried to follow us on our way back, but we gave them the slip.
The other day, I managed to catch a bird. I’m not sure what it was, not a dove, that was for sure. But it was meat regardless, so we piled up some loose pieces of timber and build ourselves a small fire. Not in the safehouse, of course.
But there was another run-down building close by, much less inhabitable than our current hideout. So we didn’t mind the smoke getting caught in the ceiling of that place. We weren’t staying there, so anyone attracted by a little smoke would only find an empty building.
Come the third day. And it was clear that Chloro was looking a lot better now than before. Her wounds had healed pretty well, a lot faster than what I would have ever expected. And it seemed like getting to eat a little more and sleeping in a place somewhat safe had made wonders to her.
I also was looking fine thanks to that. Especially the sleeping. Knowing I had someone to watch my back in case I fell too deep into the clutches of slumber was almost heaven-sent. And at least for a couple brief moments, I didn’t miss mom and dad as much as I used to.
But with Chloro’s recovery. We were quickly approaching a natural conclusion to things. One that I dreaded to imagine, but that we needed to address as soon as possible. Calling the girl to come to sit close to me, I made sure she had a piece of charcoal with her before I started talking.
-Chloro... I... Wanted to ask you something- I began, clearly insecure about what I was about to say. Having to stop multiple times to better get a hold of my words.
-These past few days. I think we have been doing alright, right?- I asked, hoping that by this point she would already get the gist of what I was about to ask. That would make things way easier for both. Maybe she had been thinking the same? Maybe she also wanted...
Maybe she wanted it... To... I... To be... Compan... Partn...
…
Friends. Maybe she also wanted to be friends with me?
-I was wondering... This place seems fine to use for a while... But... I wanted to know if, maybe. Would you like us to keep...?-
I was interrupted by the sound of the entrance door being slammed open. The still closed look coming out flying through the air as a powerful strike blew the door from its hinges. I was up and running for my knife even before turning to see what had exactly happened.
Once fully armed, I turned towards the door and was received by two male silhouettes slowly entering the room. One of them I recognized. It was fucking Ciruela, the guy we stole from a couple nights ago. He was looking even more pissed than before and wielding what appeared to be some sort of old, rusty machete with him.
Alongside him was another man. Taller, but lankier. He was bald, with a thick beard and a piercing on his right eyebrow. He wore a black leather vest and some light blue jeans. He seemed unarmed, but the way he entered the room, almost swaggering, suggested that he didn’t believe he needed a gun to deal with two impertinent children. And he was probably right.
-So this is the scary evil faunus that you couldn’t deal with? Doesn’t look as troublesome as you made her sound... She seems to have a friend, though- The bald man claimed, leaving a sliver of the door open so the natural light would pour into the building. Putting ourselves and the humans on equal footing for now.
I looked towards Chloro with a panicked expression on my face. -Scramble...- I said. And I tried to bolt towards the exit, but it was in vain. As Ciruela cut my path without much effort. Nimbleness and stealth would not serve me in a time like this... And I was beginning to get really scared.
-Shut the fuck up. You want that good stuff, right? So just quit the chitchat and do your job... One rat, two rats. What’s the difference? They are just as easy to crush... I’ll cripple this off, and then go for the other, so I can take my time with them...-
He said as he loomed over me. Patiently getting closer and closer towards me. Knowing full fell that I had nowhere to run now. With wide eyes of fear. I defensively held my knife in front of me. -Chloro!- I shouted back, unsure of what I meant by that.
Chloro, run away? Chloro, help me? I had no idea. It just felt right in the moment. Like a part of my brain still remembered something my conscious mind had forgotten in all the commotion.
-You can surely do that yourself then. My info was good, so I consider that as work well done. I don’t see the need to dig my hands into this, it’s a little below my station, you know?- Called back the man on the door, without a care in the world except to stop us if we tried to run past him.
-Works for me... I wanted to savor this alone, after all-
The man swung his machete downwards to me, I raised the metal knife to meet it by pure instinct. But the impact was so powerful it made the makeshift weapon fly away from my hand. I scrambled to the floor for it, but the man kicked me in the ribs so hard it blew the air out of me. Sending me crashing down into my makeshift tent.
It hurt, everything hurt and I couldn’t breathe... But. I couldn’t let it end like this, not by him. Shakily, I tried to get on my feet but barely managed to get on my knees. I think I hit my head when I felt or something. I wasn’t even sure of where my attacker, or Chloro for that matter, where.
I just needed a second, till the world stopped spinning all around me. But something told me that it was a moment I didn’t have.
She felt the few tears that escaped Bianca land on her shoulder and she looked up to watch her try and hide them. There was no shame in wanting company after being alone for so long, that's why when Chloro's own tears started to fall, she didn't hide them this time. After a few moments she would get up and hug Bianca lightly before resting for the night. She needed to recover and spending it here was going to be her best bet. The next two days passed pretty easily as Bianca began to teach her about the city and its layout whilst we rested up, before the first night she took us to a political building to steal food and water.
The robbery went off without issues, and whilst she didn't want to say it was because of what she could do, it was mainly because of that. Being able to go invisible, open locks as well as relock them, it made things expodentionally easier to steal. The food was really good to have, and the water was refreshing to have that wasn't buired to be kept warm at least. It was fresh, bottled water. It tasted good, if plain water could taste she would make the argument that it was good.
The second day and night, they managed to catch a bird! She wasn't sure on the species of bird but we needed to cook it, and Bianca made the argument that cooking in the safehouse was a bad shout so they took to an abandoned ruined building to cook instead. Letting the smoke build up there and cause issues, their freshly caught bird was good. Whilst just a bird and not actually having much on it, it still sustained them and actually tasted pretty good. Chloro couldn't complain about the situation at all.
The third night, she was feeling really good. Her wounds had healed, and she was feeling the best she's ever felt since her home was burned down. Hell, her time with Bianca made her forget more and more of the harsher times, and that was good. It meant she was recovering properly. Although, Bianca had a worried look when she called her over to have a talk. What talk this could be was anyone's guess but she felt like something was wrong. Taking the piece of charcoal from her, she listened to Bianca talk. She'd kneel instead of sit as she had that stolen handgun in the back of her trousers so sitting down was impossible whilst it was there. She gave a nod about the past two days being good for them, and when she was about to reply, that door was kicked in.
Even though Bianca sat stunned for a moment, Chloro kicked into action almost immediately, kicking off the floor and rolling to the side, grabbing a small piece of timber with nails in. Keeping to the shadows as the light was peering in from the open doorway, she looked to Bianca as she gave the order to scramble, and Chloro simply shook her head and held up one finger as if to said "wait one" before disappearing.
Taking to the side, she watched this Ciruela go after Bianca first, swinging that huge machete HARD into her. She heard her cry out and heard the metal knife clink off to the side which meant she needed to intervene. Watching him kick Bianca to the floor made her wince but when she watched the machete raise up and swing down, Chloro gripped her padlock and forced it open for a burst of speed, tackling Bianca out of the way and taking the blow. She knew she could take it, but it did ruin alot of what reserves she believed she had left. The machete bounced off Chloro's arm as the flickering appeared around her body and broke. Just one hit, but it was all that was needed. Reappearing infront of him and blocking Bianca from his machete, the man just laughed.
"Ha! Hahaha! You think you can stop me?" He bellowed as he swung again, Chloro managing to dodge out of the way just in time and swinging her nailed timber into his thigh. She watched as the nails sunk in deep and he grunted in pain before swinging again, a bit too high as Chloro ducked down. "Come here you rat! I'll deal with you first then.." He turned to face her properly and she took note of the nailed plank he would rip out of his leg. This meant only good things as a smirk formed across her face. As he raised the machete once more, Chloro would take out the handgun and fire three times. First two bullets pierced both of his knees and the third hit his thigh.
He would grunt out in pain as he felt to his knees, causing more pain to flare through his body. "Since when did rats get guns! Fucking do something idiot!" He would bark at his little friend in the doorway who would start moving in Chloro's direction. He wouldn't get close enough, as the adrenaline coursed through Chloro's body and something snapped in her. Pulling her mask down, and ripping it off, she would raise the gun to Cirula's head, steady as can be before firing, just before it was kicked out of the way and a punch slammed into Chloro's skull, sending her crashing to the side. The body of the fat prick fell back and didn't move again, as his friend began pummeling into Chloro. "You piece of shit! I should kill you as well!"
Chloro tried to cover herself from being beaten to a pulp again, but this guy was too quick for her to stop now.
Post by Bianca Sabbato on Feb 21, 2021 14:48:40 GMT -5
So much noise, noise all around. I heard a male voice bellowing in laughter. I heard shifting of foot and cursing.
I heard a tremendous noise, like a roar, only shorter, dryer. And then again, multiple times. The man at the threshold hurried towards the source of the noise. I heard him say something, and my vision cleared a little. Just enough for me to realize what was happening.
He had Chloro... He was hitting her, badly... He was going to kill her. And then he was going to come and get me.
While the man was distracted by Chloro. I waddled my way towards the door, I didn’t know why. It just felt important. I was now on the verge of crossing the threshold. The light from the outside world coming in a blinding haze over my eyes...
Blinding... The light was much too strong... But not for the human, the human was used to it... But there was something he was not adapted to.
Lifting the door from the floor with all of my strength. I half pushed and half trow it over the entrance. Eliciting a loud noise not unlike what the firearm had made earlier. And in an instant, the whole room was covered in shadows again.
The man looked startled as he stopped beating Chloro. Looking all around him at the darkness surrounded him from all sides. Only able to use stray beams of light that pierced the ceiling as points of reference for the overall size and shape of the room. Probably feeling like something was amiss. He ran for the door, wanting to give himself some proper illumination again.
I couldn’t let that happen... He couldn’t even see me now, so It wasn’t hard to use my leg to trip him and made him fall facefirst into the ground... Then I remembered I still had my glass knife. I jumped onto his back, holding onto his clothes with one hand while I repeatedly stabbed him in the neck with the improvised weapon.
Aura protected him each and every time until it didn’t. In the last strike, one that shattered the blade completely at the same time his aura shone dimly as it dispersed. But this meager second of illumination was enough to make the man recover some of his senses and kick at my face. Sending me flying a couple meters away.
It wasn’t enough to bring me down. The fatass kicked harder... And speaking of which, I had landed pretty close to what was left of Ciruela. And most importantly, of his machete.
The remaining thug was now clearly agitated, breathing heavily and cursing wildly as he looked all around him but still saw nothing.
On the floor, I could see a small metallic cylinder. I bent over to pick it up, it was the casing of a bullet... I guess that explained what happened to the other man. An idea popped on my mind, and I threw the small trinket on the opposite side of the bald thug, making him turn around and leaving me free to approach for a second.
I went for his face, but he managed to turn around and cover himself in time, making it so instead I left a pretty deep gash into his arm and hand. He screamed in pain, held me by the neck, and threw me brutishly against a nearby wall. I felt my back hit the solid stone surface, and my body slid down towards a pile of trash bags that somehow broke down my fall.
It hurt. Everything hurt. I felt my back stinging so much. And I had bent my ankle when I fell down. But that was not all, feeling numbness and disorientation in my head. I reached for my nape with my free hand and felt a chilling sensation there where I touched.
I retracted my hand because of the pain. And holding it before me, I could see a dark red liquid covering my palm. Eyes wide in realization, my eyes watered for a few seconds before I saw how the man ignored me for the moment. Holding his injured hand close to his chest and turning his attention towards Chloro.
No... I wouldn’t let him... Not that...
This man... I was not gonna let this man be my end... I didn’t wanna die... And if I to do so I needed to make him stop hurting me... Then so be it.
I grumbled in pain and discomfort. He turned towards my direction, a grimace of disgust firmly painted on his face. He gave a step towards me, but stopped after that, his eyes growing wide for a second like he had seen something that gave him pause. Just then I realized I was standing directly under a beam of light.
On shaky legs, I got up, I had lost the machete and my glass shiv was now almost completely shattered, leaving me holding a blade no longer than a box cutter. Breathing heavily, I spat a nasty ball of blood that was pooling inside my mouth. It hurt, but not that much, so I ignored it.
My gaze was now set into this man. And I gave a step towards him. He gave a step back, his eyes fixated not on my improvised weapon, but on my face, bloody, and partially covered by the matted tressed that fell over my eyes.
I crouched down, slowly, there was a small puddle of tinkle on the ground. I dipped the tip of the crystal blade on it. And I kept advancing, even as my leg buckled up and almost made me fall.
I held the weapon in a reversed grip. Or at least that’s how I think it was called. It was something I saw in a movie with momma and papa once, and the people doing it on it looked pretty intimidating. So I did the same, hoping it would magically give me some greater strength or something... He wanted to hurt me, he was going to kill me and then hurt Chloro.
But... I didn’t wanna die! I didn’t! I wouldn’t let that happen! I wouldn’t no matter what! I was going to... I was going to...
I just needed to get a little closer... Just a little... I saw him almost paralyzed in the distance. I opened my mouth to breathe, but almost subconsciously, a small, labored phrase came out of my parted lips.
-...I’m... Going... To... Kill... You...-
I said, my mouth turning into a thin line as I suddenly lunged in his direction, one hand outstretched to try to catch him before he could snap out of it. This seemed to be his breaking point. Still holding his injured hand, he gave a long jump back, and then simply decided to turn tail and start running in the opposite direction.
-This is not over! The gang will know about this! No one messes with Garrik’s men and lives to tell the tale!-
I saw him run, uncaring about his words. I was too tired to chase him down. Trowing the glass knife, I didn’t mind sitting on the floor for a few moments. Once the man was already out of sight, I slowly turned towards Chloro, my eyes scanning her from the base of her feet to the crown of her head. Looking for injuries, wanting to see if she was still here.
-...Chloro?- I said, with a trembly voice as I held the girl close to me. A feeling of dread creeping into the back of my mind.
The pain was simply unbearable. The constant surge of beatings was like nothing she ever experienced. Trying to block every blow yielded no results and caused the man to uncover her face before launching a barrage into her skull, causing her eyes to go blurry and fuzzy. Then, it all went dark. Was she dead? The beating had stopped and there was no movement. She couldn't hear anything, until the presence of the man lifted off her and she caught a good glimpse of the room, albeit blurry and fuzzy. Watching from her spot, atop a bunch of trashbags and scraps, she could see Bianca take on this person and as the ordeal went on and on, she could tell the person also had this strange barrier around him like Chloro did.
That was bad. She wanted to scream for Bianca to run, but everything hurt. She couldn't move either to try and signal her to run, so she watched in horror as the girl fended off the man, and was making good progress too. Bianca could fight really well. This made her hopes go higher, and eventually she managed to pull of a menacing appearance which caused their assailant to flee, vowing something about a guy called Garrik. No clue who that was. But... silence fell on them again. For now. Bianca held her close and she gripped her shirt for a moment before giving a weak smile and an okay sign with her hand. Bianca did well, but now they didn't have time to relax and heal again. They needed to go. With her help, she would sit up as her face twisted in pain and agony as her entire body hurt. Her face looked badly beaten and bruises were beginning to form, and they looked BAD.
Grabbing a piece of charcoal, she would hastily write on the floor. "We need to go. Find somewhere new. No time to rest." Once written, she pushed herself to her feet, causing even more pain to shoot through her body. She got to work looking over the guy she put down, grabbing other scraps of mysterious herbs as well as tools to grind it down. Somewhat confused about the contents, she then grabbed what she could and used her makeshift haversack to hold it all and wrap around her torso. Unloading the handgun, she checked her remaining mag, finding seven more rounds. That should keep them safe for now. Looking over to Bianca, she gave a nod, ready to go.
Post by Bianca Sabbato on Feb 21, 2021 17:31:17 GMT -5
She was fine... Alive, at least. For a second, I even forgot the girl was mute in the first place. But there was light in her eyes and a clear understanding of what was happening. She gave me a thumbs up. And I breathed relieved.
This girl, she had saved my life. And had been nothing but nice until now... And they just... Came and tried to kill her, us. Just for a couple vegetables stolen?
No, I knew, even if I didn’t fully understand. This was something that went beyond whatever we may or may not have done. This hatred, this disinterest. It was aimed at us for what we were, not what we did.
We were faunus, the two of us. But we also were street children. We didn’t have families to protect us, nor the skills to fend for ourselves. We were powerless, and they took advantage of that. Because they knew they could do whatever they wanted with us, and no one would even care.
I hated that... That the strong always preyed on the weak. And I hated being weak myself. Chloro was alive but black and bruised, I hadn’t been able to protect her, nor myself... But maybe I was the one in the wrong, maybe this was simply the way things were. Maybe things were more simple than what I believed.
-You are right... You are right... We need to go-
I called out absentmindedly, carefully letting her go like she was a small porcelain doll that would break if I let it fall to the floor. Shaking my head, I cleared my mind so I could figure out a plan. There were many things to do and too little time. We wouldn’t be able to take everything with us. But I still held onto the machete. Looking over the...
Oh... Yeah, I just realized... There was a corpse just there... I mean, I don’t want to give the wrong impression, he deserved every second of it. But I wasn’t used to handling dead bodies, still, I walked towards him without a hint of hesitation. It was simply as if everything was muted. I knew what I had to do, and went forward to do it. Same that in my horribly imprudent fight against the man.
It had been... Incredibly foolish, the only reason I won was that the man was basically fighting blind and unarmed. And he also seemed to be a coward... Maybe watching the other man die had put him on edge or something? I didn’t know... And I didn’t have time to care for that either.
Checking over the corpse, I retrieved a sheat for the bladed weapon. Normally it would go hanging on the hip. But I was all too little for that, so I sheathed the machete and strapped the whole thing to my back. I looked at the ruined head of the man for a second before turning back and going towards the food.
Halfway there, I tripped over and fell... My ankle... It hurt a lot, I had likely been injured during the fight. And I didn’t know how to make a cast... Biting my lip, I hopped on one leg towards my tent. Or what was left of it.
Taking a long strip of cloth and wrapping it around my ankle. I didn’t know how much it actually helped, but at least I could walk now, even if it hurt a lot now that the adrenaline was wearing off.
I grabbed as much food as I could, from the one that lasted longer. And wrapped in a large t-shirt to use as a bag. I also put the medicinal herbs in there for good measure. And four bottles of water in another hastily made cloth-bag.
I slowly walked towards where Chloro’s knife had fallen to retrieve it. Getting used to walking with the pain, little by little. To make things worse, the left side of my face was already starting to swell, and my ribs hurt horribly every time I bent over or took a deep breath.
-We need to get out... As far away as we can... Come-
I said, offering my shoulder to Chloro. She seemed way more hurt than me, plus, she was still recovering from her previous wounds... So much work for nothing. I wonder if they liked it, being wounded, realizing they weren’t as strong as they believed, that they could still be touched...
But I shook my head, those were not thoughts to be having now. Those would only distract us. And people soon would be here, if not the gang that guy was a member of, then at least regular people and groups attracted by the gunshots.
We roamed through the streets. It was early, so there were some people outside. This was bad. But we managed to stick to the least used streets and alleys, to minimize the number of people who could recognize us.
Sooner or later, we reached a cemetery. I knew my way in from a crack on the wall from a grenade going off there not so long ago. Mistral was a big city, with many similar places. And with the number of problems the living had in their day-to-day lives. No one would be bothered to check out that all of the death were alone and undisturbed, which meant free mausoleums were to crash for a while. And water fountains, since people needed to access them to water the flower of the death.
What a load of bullshit. With so many people going thirsty on the streets... Well, whatever. It was not a bad deal, we would be beaten if we were discovered. But as I said, checking on the dwellings of the death was low in everyone’s priorities now.
By the time we were there, it was almost night. The cold stone and metal grid dors meant we would suffer the cold on the nights... But it was better than nothing, it was a roof and the safety of not sleeping on the street.
-I... I think we will be safe here- I called out, sitting down inside a mausoleum we had open thanks to Chloro’s power. It was a pretty isolated one, and we had a good angle behind a statue to hide if someone walked in front of the thing.
There was just one problem... While this place was ideal for Chloro, who could turn invisible and open locks without a problem. Sending my in and out of there would be much more of a task, which meant far greater chances of being trapped...
I... Could probably find something else. With any luck, even big enough for Chloro to come with me, but... Unless we wanted to starve, I couldn’t stay here for long. The zone didn’t have many resources, and with two mouths to feed and only being able to go out once at a time... It was a bad prospect.
But that meant... We would need to say goodbye for now... Not right now... But soon enough.
Pain wracked her body in ways she never thought to be imaginable, even if she could still move it caused agony. She knew this pain all too well, the pain that threatened to shut your body down if you gave up for just a second. This was a pain she was all too familiar with, and she wanted to gun through it and get to a safe place before she rested and collapsed. She watched Bianca give the body of the fat prick a once over before she realised the gun was thrown to the side in the commotion. Scrabbling to her feet with intense difficulty, she scrambled around for the remanents of the pistol, which she found. Unfortunately it broke upon impact with the ground, so she pulled the slide back and slipped the magazine out and pocketed it. Might be useful if they find another.
Bianca had a bad ankle, and Chloro's chest and face ached with the fire of several Hells. Taking the knife from Bianca, and accepted the help from the girl for the first half of the journey before giving her assistance with the second half, she made sure to keep them quiet and stealthy with her ability to disappear, as well as her natural stealth, even when hurt. It took several hours of prowling, waiting, bypassing and sneaking before they reached the destination Bianca deemed fit for the night, a cemetary. Using a crack in the wall, they snuck in and past the graves until they found a mausoleum which she managed to use the last remainders of her ability to unlock and lock it again, before she fell into one of the dark corners and waited. Everything hurt but Bianca deemed this worthy for now.
The next set of issues would rise when they need food and water. They had enough for now, for maybe a week tops if they rationed it, but sooner or later they needed to leave and find a new place, somewhere close enough to reliable sources of food and water. That was going to be the hard part, as reliable food and water came with busy public lanes and homes, which meant more risk of being found, beaten or killed. Right now, she just needed to get off her feet. Her toes ached and blistered, her face was painful and it was hard to breath without wincing and flinching in pain. It felt like her chest had tightened up after the fight, forcably.
Taking out a piece of charcoal she packed, she would write on the wall next to her with great difficulty. "Thank you for helping me again, I owe you a lot now." Then she would add underneath it. "Not sure how long we can stay here though. Need rest first."
Post by Bianca Sabbato on Apr 7, 2021 9:01:15 GMT -5
Relying in Chloro halfway on the way there, I watched in silence how she unlocked the entrance of the small stone construction so we could slip in undetected.
I was so tired, and by the look of it, Chloro was just as tired, if not more. Taking one of the water bottles, I uncaped it and slowly began drinking a small amount of it. It felt a little hard on an empty stomach, but I was so thirsty I couldn’t help myself.
-You helped me too... You owe me nothing- I responded when I saw her start writing on the wall. -But thanks- I added for good measure, we almost died back there. If it wasn’t for her the fat man would have killed me, if it wasn’t for me the other would have killed her. I’d say we were pretty even.
Even beyond the pain and tiredness, I tried to smile a little. We were safe for the time being. And that was something in and out of itself.
-We should be good for now... At least for a while. Never dared to come here, too difficult to get in and out reliably. Couldn’t open the mausoleums either- As I talked, I felt an itching sensation in the back of my head. Reaching for it, I managed to get the tip of my fingers wet with little specs of blood that were already starting to dry out.
I think it was then when it actually hit me. I absolutely had been really close to dying. To being killed, more precisely. The thought was enough to make me pale. That... That son of a... I hoped he was pissing his pants when I turn off the light. He really beat me up... Just now I was realizing how dizzy I felt, how even my sight seemed to be blurred.
-Yes... Resting sounds... It sounds nice- I said, leaning against a wall while I checked on my ankle. Slowly unwrapping it and feeling a sharp sting of pain as I did so. It was all black and blue, and I couldn’t move it freely without it being a torment.
Letting the air slip between my teeth, I decided to pop one of the aloe leaves. It wasn’t a cut, so it was the best I had. I mechanically prepared the makeshift remedy, my mind busy with what to do now that we were there.
-That guy...- I began speaking, a little morosely but trying to keep a certain level of clarity in my voice. -...He died. But not the other one... Don’t think it’s very safe to swing by his house to steal things. Pretty sure the other dude must be doing that right now, he was part of a gang or something...-
To finish up caring for my ankle. I wrapped it all in a tight bandage. Wincing from the pain but still able to feel the soothing sensation of the plant’s gel. Lying down, I felt my eyelids as if they weighed a ton. I would help Chloro with her wounds if she needed so, but there was also the chance that she knows how to do it already from looking at me.
-...But maybe we can go some other day. Doubt they will care too much for his garden, so free food... And I probably should start looking for some other place, at least for me...But later, now... Rest- I slurred out, fully preparing to sleep now.
I was cold, I looked over my shoulder to where the other girl was currently sitting. After a couple seconds, I started slowly shifting close to her until we were back to back... I don't know... I just wanted to do that.
As the walls of sleep slowly began opening their gates for me. I absentmindedly stared into the wall in front of me, thinking about everything that had happened in such a short amount of time.
That guy... He hurt me, he hurt Chloro... That’s why I wanted to hurt him as well. It wasn’t wrong... Right? After all, we were only defending ourselves, Chloro did the same thing after all... Yes... It was them the ones who came looking for a fight, it’s not our fault if they found it.
…
I still hated that things turned out like that, that no one cared at all. How could one grow man willingly want to participate in beating, maybe even killing two young kids? For what? Money? For a friend even? I know I wouldn’t... At least I wanted to believe that, but...
I felt disgusted... They hurt because they believed I was weak. After all, they believed I was alone... I wouldn’t let that happen again, I wouldn’t let them hurt me again and leave as if nothing had happened. I wouldn’t allow myself to be weak ever again, I would do whatever it took to keep myself safe.
Gritting my teeth and fighting back bitter tears. I finally fell asleep.
I hated them all. I would make them regret it if they ever crossed me. That way, they would leave me be, that way they would respect me enough to never think of doing this again.
Bianca wasn't wrong. Chloro had saved her from the fat one by putting a bullet between his eyes. She kept silence herself as she began to follow suit with Bianca, learning from what she had done previously and doing her best to treat her own pains and wounds. She left out the aloe vera on purpose however, as she didn't believe there to be enough... it didn't stop her from faking it though, so Bianca would have piece of mind. Chloro uncapped a bottle and drink lightly from it, and the intake of water was sudden but helped with her pain somewhat, refreshing her body partially.
Bianca's rambling about the other guy did make Chloro start thinking. She remembered the name Garrik from elsewhere, maybe one of her old friends she came to Mistral with joined him? The promise was good, the one that was given to Ben. But Chloro... she had a sense of pride still, and enjoyed that about herself. It was stupid, but she knew she wouldn't stoop as low as others. She would endure all the pain possible to make her life, and those she cared for better. This mausoleum would be a good home for some others.
However, Bianca said something about finding a place for herself which made her heart sink slightly. So this partnership was temporary for now, and she would leave at some point. She did her best to hide the disappointment, and when the other girl backed up into her and began falling asleep, Chloro stayed awake for far too long. She sat up but kept closed to the sleeping child, and began fumbling with her shiv and the magazine that she unloaded from the handgun.
Many thoughts crossed her mind, but instead she had a good idea. It was time to help those who couldn't help themselves. Using her shiv, she began marking the inside of the mausoleum with a mark of her own creation, and small C with a line through it. She deemed this place safe enough for a temporary home, and she can teach the others who need the temporary homes that these places were safe in her eyes. Next, she fiddled with the magazine for far too long until she managed to unpack the magazine, taking the bullets out and pocketing them. She figured that different magazines fit different guns, but most bullets can be used between them all.
She didn't want to sleep, she wanted to continue to mess around with things to keep her mind off the inevitabiltiy that was her new friend leaving her. It was a painful and awful situation, but it was one she couldn't avoid. She couldn't make people stay. She rested against the corner wall, keeping Bianca close and just watching her sleep, before eventually her eyes would close too, and sleep would take hold.
Post by Bianca Sabbato on Apr 7, 2021 13:59:12 GMT -5
One night, on an unimportant date of 18 A.V. One girl slept on the stone floor of a mausoleum. With only a mute and battered girl at her side to keep her company. Recuperating from their wounds, the sleep came heavy, but not easily.
A girl dreamed about dead names that night, about those she had lost, about losing those names again and being unable to do anything to stop it. The girl dreamed herself alone in an empty field, of not being able to find anyone nor anything no matter where she looked.
She knew of a single reason why that could be the case. If bad things kept happening to the people she was close with, if bad people kept trying to hurt her and hers. Then it must be because of her, because of her weakness. She could discern this from the confidence, the ease with which the gangster she attacked had strutted inside their dark hideout.
Between dreams and hallucinations, she knew why he had appeared so carefree at the moment. It was because he believed himself untouchable, and in no small measure he probably was. He didn’t have to go to sleep every night suffering cold and hunger, he didn’t have to watch his every step, terrified of someone ambushing him even in his more private moments.
She knew why Chloro could be so confident. Because she had two amazing abilities, not only could she turn invisible but also to open any lock and get faster for doing so. But she didn’t have that... And she wasn’t as brave as her either. She didn’t want to create a network of people to help and protect them, the idea didn’t even cross her mind. She just wanted to go home with her family, to a warm bed and the safety and care she enjoyed until not too long ago.
But she had no home to go to now. She had no family... Those powerful people, she was sure that they had those things, people to care for them, and all the commodities they could realistically access to... And she wanted those things... She dreamed about them without thinking about the consequences, about what those people needed to get themselves into to acquire that. And in her ignorance or desperation, she liked what she saw.
But between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act... Falls something, something Bianca would soon become well acquaintanced with. - --
On the same night. A man posed a question, he was sat on a relatively comfy sofa with a cigar hanging lazily on his mouth. He had heard some disturbing things and was forced to come and check if some rumors were true. Needless to say, he was not happy nor impressed with the responses so far.
The men and women around him looked nervous, one of them, in particular, seemed particularly fidgety. His companions urged him to speak with their gazes, so swallowing saliva, he stepped forward and faced the tall, dark-haired man in front of him.
-That is true boss... Huh... It wasn’t a fair fight, though-
-I would say so myself, you are a grown-ass man- He said humorlessly, running a hand through his long locks of hair as the rest of the people present averted their gazes in shame.
Cursing silently, the humiliated man shook his head, trying to put his thoughts into words. -I mean... I was busy dealing with another one...-
-Another child?Huh, I see. You must have been really scared...-
-...And... I was distracted with her, and this girl looked hurt, so I didn’t believe she would pose much of a threat...- He realized halfway through how that was only making him look even worse, so he decided to hurry up his explanation as much as possible.
-A-as I was dealing with that, the bitch turned off the lights, so I couldn’t see shit, but she was a faunus, so she could see perfectly. I tried to turn things on again, but she distracted me by making some noise and jumped on my back while I was investigating, it was my blind spot! I couldn’t do much about it, but I managed to shake her off when my aura broke-
Now looking much more interested in the narration, the tall man gestured with his hands for his underling to continue. -I was still in the dark mind you, but I could see her bent over and poison a knife- The boss interrupted him, wanting to know how she poisoned it, once the man responded, he let him continue.
-...So I decided to go, didn’t want to risk an infected wound if the bitch managed to cut me with that... Could have stayed to finish her off, but didn't believe it was worth it-
After hearing the full story, the boss fell silent. Looking thoughtful for a full minute as invisible gears turned in his brain, gears the people under his command likely wouldn’t comprehend even if they could see them as clear as the light of day.
Finally, he seemed to break his semblance of seriousness, smiling warmly and inviting the humiliated man to sit next to him. He suddenly seemed to be in a much better mood than before.
-I see... We can work around a way for you to redeem yourself later... As for now, tell me more about this girl...- And as much as it made his skin crawl, the other man couldn’t do anything else but to comply.