[Carmim Clover]

❝ WORDS: 783 TAG: Evangeline Lys de Verre Nikolas Burzanov Ruqa Reyes NOTES: She is a halfling, not a dwarf! HAVE YOU SEEN HER? HAVE YOU HEARD? THE WAY SHE MOVES, THERE ARE NO WORDS Ooh, it seemed like more and more people were coming in as the professor started talking, including (thankfully) her tiny croissant-friend, Evangeline. The girl sat by Carmim, who greeted her with a big smile and a wave, before turning her attention to the front of the room. As Shadecloak began the presentation, Carmim found her knowledge of current events to be severely limited. Maybe she really did need to watch something other than her soap opera and The Songs of Remnant. Atlas cargo ships shot down? That definitely didn't bode well for anyone. Bandits were always out scavenging goods, as she well knew from her own home village, so the longer those goods were out in the open, the more likely that some enterprising crooks take them and repurpose them for their own gain. And if those goods are combat robots? Carmim scrunched up her eyebrows in concern. No, that wasn't good at all. The trade deal, on the other hand, sounded like great news, even though the basis for it was less than good. Anything that made outlying villages safer was something worth investing in. That was what her mind latched onto as the rest of the mission was being outlined. Which was a relief to the small redhead- for a Huntress, she wasn't exactly the most offensively-focused, but her skillset did lend itself well to a more defensive mission like this. And on a quick-moving train, her Semblance would be especially well-suited; any robbers that tried to slip on board would have to get through her sound blasts first, and it'd be hard to dodge those in tight quarters. She smiled a bit to herself. Though, she did worry a bit about learning the gate code... She considered herself more of a learn-by-doing kind of student, as opposed to a book-smart studious type. Or, in other words, memorization is hard and oh god, hopefully she wouldn't be the one to lose her post-it note. Um. Not that she'd uh. Need a post-it note... Her mind was distracted from her sticky, papery, dilemma as Shadecloak wrapped up her speech and Eva turned to talk to her. Hmm. Preparation... She shrugged with a little smile. "I am not really sure, to be honest. I guess maybe figuring out tactics and teams would be a good place to sta't?" Teams... That would be interesting. Carmim hadn't really met anyone other than Evangeline yet, at least, not beyond passing greetings and basic introductions. But from what she understood of her friend's abilities, it seemed like maybe they wouldn't work as well together on this mission, which was a little saddening. But it meant an opportunity to make a new friend! Which was always worth it. Speaking of which, enter new potential friend number one; a very tall girl (emphasis on very) leaned over to the pair of miniature Huntresses and spoke boldly about taking out the bandits they'd be facing. Carmim nodded in agreement with her- bandits were a real menace, to be sure. "Mm, I have also had experience with bandits. T'ey a'e a bunch of no-good criminals... No good at all." She thought back for a second to her home in Vacuo, as she extended her hand, small, but tough with callouses, to Ruqa. "I am Carmim Clove'. It is nice to meet you Ruqa. Yes, I will be taking this mission." She couldn't sit back and not go, could she? Never. As she met friend #1 (excluding Eva), friend #2 approached from behind. He sure did look like an absolute ray of sunshine. Next to him, Professor Shadecloak was bursting with joy and sparkles. But, a friend was a friend, after all, and Carmim turned to greet him with a smile. He, of course, greeted the trio of women with a blunt and direct request for a teammate. Very straightforward- an appreciated quality. Her gaze was drawn to his eyes as he spoke. Steely gray, and sharp like knives. "I am also looking fo' a teammate. Mid-long range is my specialty." No limb-lopping on her watch, nope. Even at her more diminutive stature, she knew she could count on her physical toughness and her drum, so she had no worries. With a slightly playful edge in her scarlet eyes, she met Nik's gaze directly, with a confident air. "But if you a'e on my team, I hope you can dodge well. Missing limbs wouldn't look good on you eithe'." She stuck out a hand for him to shake, if he'd be so kind as to take it. "Carmim Clove'. It is nice to meet you, my friend."

LAIKA OF GS!

[Argent Steele]

There’s always a king. Always a queen. Always a wolf.
But he who holds the ace, always has the last word.

❝

Argent nodded politely, though he couldn’t really relate. During the internships, he and Shadecloak had been the most talkative out of the team of five, if one allowed themselves to count the mission briefings. Working in tandem without the need for excess communication was enjoyable - only brief shouts during combat to get plans of attack across and the occasional alerting of a Grimm that had snuck up on a teammate. It hadn’t affected performance all that much, and it certainly was a lot less annoying than if each of his teammates had seen fit to fill the air with meaningless prattle.

“Bravery is an admirable trait,” he said instead, catching a glimpse of a familiar face across the room as the other got up and started moving over. There was a moment when their eyes met, and he nodded in greeting. Nicholas was a good fighter, if a bit of a frenzied one, but it seemed like he already had someone else in mind from his purposeful movement, and it wasn’t Argent himself.

Without knowledge of the other man’s Semblance, he could only tilt his head impassively at Braun’s suggestions and offer a non-committal shrug. It was just something he had considered as part of the analysis that he was putting the scenario through.

“There could be Faunus among the bandits as well,” he reminded Braun, eyes following Nicholas on his journey towards the point of interest for a while before flicking back to the person he was talking to, taking into account his large and presumably strength focused build. While it was likely that they would work well together, Argent was rather more inclined towards someone he had already worked with - perhaps Jiu, if he was available, could help him with the mission, seeing as Nicholas himself had already started speaking to the tall girl with four arms.

“It’s probably likely, in fact. But lighting control can help create moments of distraction, and sometimes that’s enough to give you an edge. I would advise that you prioritize compatibility over good conversation, and save the words for when you come back from the mission alive.”

@ ● 355 words ● 1221 total words

MADE BY MIZO

[Braun von Baer]

Words - 282

"Nah, dude, I'm not talking about talking in the middle of an engagement, that's when all the chips are down and every second counts. I'm just saying, during the hours between departure and arrival, when there's that lull of quiet time and it's only you, the rumble of the train cars, and the picturesque view of the mountains going by-" Braun put up his hands in an 'L' shape like he was framing a picture.

"Personally, I'd prefer to be talking or playing cards than sitting around doing nothing. I find it a bit unrealistic to be on high alert for the entire journey, you know. All that stress might give you-" He was about to say grey hair, but seeing Argent before him, he paused. "...health problems. Besides, we were accepted to the prestigious Haven Academy, I think we can afford to have at least some confidence in our skills." Braun paused to think for a moment, then shifted his posture so he wasn't leaning over as much. Argent, while clearly more of an introvert, had some kind of tactical experience under his belt, and at the very least was a considerate planner. Plus, while he wasn't the most emotional fellow, that could be a plus if it meant the Grimm staying away.

"Alright, here's an idea: You seem to know your stuff, so like, why don't we partner up for this train ride? The guy before you is Braun von Baer, after all, graduate of the Atlas Officer's Training Corps, and ambitious Huntsman in training. My semblance is a pure strength boost, which when paired with my baton-" Braun mimed swinging a baseball bat. "-can be devastating. How about it?"

[Evangeline Lys de Verre]

tell me pretty lies

template by Punki of Adoxography

Carmim Clover Ruqa Reyes -x- 677 words -x- skedaddles

As Evangeline had entered the room quite late, there wasn't a lot of other people who came after her into the room. So everyone who was already in the room was probably going to be it. After Shadecloak had finished explaining the entire briefing for the task at hand,Evangeline had started to feel her nerves getting to her. It was a strange feeling, like your stomach had hollowed out and was filled with butterflies, dread and anxiety sitting heavy in her gut, her heart pounding.

Even Carmim, who seemed to be at some level of ease and comfort, didn't exactly make Evangeline feel better. Sure, Evangeline approved that her friend seemed to be taking this in much better stride than herself, but it made her own short comings feel much greater. Despite how similar the two were, Carmim had fire inside of her, whereas Evangeline, despite the brave faces and forced enthusiasm, and the honest desire to help, was unsure of her ability as a huntsman. Talking about something was a lot easier than when it actually was looming around the corner. The closer the prospect got, the heavier it seemed to weigh, the greater its shadow seemed to be.

And it didn't help things when another female huntsman, a tall woman sitting near them, suddenly leaned over. Evangeline actually jumped a little in her seat, and although the woman, who introduced herself as Ruqa, meant well and was friendly... Evangeline could see the lingering emotions on her face from her previous thoughts. This woman really hated bandits, it seemed like. She was also quite big, and therefore, somewhat intimidating to the small Evangeline, but Evangeline put her anxiety aside with a forced smile and nodded to Ruqa, responding with a polite demeanor as she had been taught. "Hello Ruqa. I am Evangeline." She paused, swallowing and shifting her eyes away with some measure of self consciousness and a lack of confidence. "I want to join 'zis... task. But I-" Evangeline didn't finish, as a shadow came upon them then.

She raised her eyes to see perhaps the tallest man she had seen to date in the academy. He was also skinny, with stark white hair and grey eyes. Eyes that were as sharp as a knife's edge, with the way he was looking at them. Just from his eyes, Evangeline felt a shiver run down her spine. This man was unhinged. He was dangerous, seriously troubled. If Ruqa had some lingering darkness from whatever she was thinking before she introduced herself to them, at least it had passed from her. But this man... He seemed to be wreathed in his darkness, like his hatred was something he nurtured, an integral part of him. He was practically an anathema to all that Evangeline was. She couldn't help freezing up like a rabbit faced with a wolf, eyes wide. Her hands began to tremble and she seemed so still, she could've been mistaken for a doll.

It was like he could sense her fear, as his eyes bored into hers with contempt clearly displayed. His words rang clearly through her, especially his last few words.

"...lop a limb off."

She felt a cold dread sliding down her chest, making it hard to draw breath. Her thoughts rushed to her prosthetics, how losing those limbs had affected her both physically and mentally. Just imagining losing another limb like that made her feel sick to her stomach and want to cry, and with how Nikolas was glaring down at her, Evangeline could feel the edges of a panic attack beginning to close in on her. She barely heard Carmim's response, but her friend's voice seemed to undo the petrification that Evangeline was under. She suddenly stood up, her seat scraping loudly against the floor as it was shoved back by her sudden action, gathering her belongings. "E-Excuse me." She stammered out, her eyes teary and wide with panic as she hastily grabbed her belongings, and almost ran out of the room in a blind rush.

[Ruqa Reyes]

There is the harsh sound of chair legs scraping against the floor as the small girl scurries off, escaping the situation. Poor thing couldn't even get a whole sentence out, the tall girl mused. Ruqa had looked on disapprovingly, something about Evangeline bugging her. What was a fresh faced girl like Eva doing at Haven, trying to become a hunter? Someone quick to fear couldn't be relied on when the Grimm came, liable to attract even more of the monsters because they couldn't control their nerves. Civilians could afford to be afraid, a privilege that was bought through the hard work of hunters and soldiers that protected the weak and afraid. But hunters? Hunters couldn't spare a tear in the face of the real world outside those Kingdom walls. Ruqa guessed that the girl would either quit being a hunter or toughen the hell up. The former seemed the most likely outcome in her mind.

Honestly what was her deal? She got the impression that she thought Ruqa was some violent goliath. Was it wrong for Ruqa to want to fight? She wasn't some crazy bitch that picked a fight for no reason. For a moment there is a twinge of anger but that disappears. This was exactly the kind of shit she pulled at Argus and it was about to ruin her and not for the first time.

Ruqa laughs a little, scratching the back of her head. "Woosh I got a little carried away. Take a chill pill, am I right?"

Gods she was so fake. If she didn't think of something else she was liable to take out her energy on a wall or something.

What did the white haired kid say? "Lop a limb off"? Well that was a clever line wasn't it?

The four mechanical arms spread out from under her jacket, laying her hands flat on the table for the other students to count. Ruqa gives a cocky smile to Nikolas.

"Yeaah I'd probably be a bad partner for your purposes. While my limbs are more replaceable than some, I'd prefer to keep my hands to myself hahaha! Maybe next time dude!"

She bends down to the height of the red head, Carmim. God she was small. Was Ruqa that much of an outlier? Surely not all the girls at Haven were this tiny. "Let's both show these bandits how Mistrallian huntresses fight!" Ruqa shakes her hand, the grip of her mechanical hand kept as brief as possible before returning to her side.

"Guess I'd better try getting a partner that's more my size. In fact..." Ruqa spots a tall and intimidating guy in the middle row, seeming to be lost in thought and without a partner. "Gonna snag one sooner than I thought. Good luck, and don't die~" she chimes before rushing over.

Ruqa raps her metal knuckle onto the wooden desk to get Qui-li's attention. "Come on stud, get your head in the game! You're joining the mission, right? Of course you are! Name's Ruqa Reyes and as you could probably guess, I'm joining the fight too. Can I get a 'whaat'?"

---

520 Words

[Qiu'li]

[attr="class","popqiu"] ❝May the crimson leaves show me the path I must follow.❞ wc: 357 | twc:  896 Qiu'li

[attr="class","qiutext"] "... What?" The Raven-haired man's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by appearance of a loud-mouthed, energetic, bright young female that apparently goes by the name of Ruqa Reyes. Certainly a lot of new information flooded into Qiu'li's mind as the dark skinned woman began to fire off words at the pace of a rapid fire machine gun. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was surprising to say the least for a man of few words like Qiu'li. However, he saw this as an opportunity to speak, or at least socialize to a degree. He had been thinking about just what he'd need for the mission that he completely forgot that this was a two-person job. He nodded slowly as his characteristically narrow eyes met with Ruqa's as he nodded slowly. "Name Qiu'li." He said as his gaze fell to the multiple arms that Ruqa had. There were a lot of people that he had been running into recently with prosthetics. Qiu'li wondered about them, but the book that Shadecloak had given him warned the raven-haired man about pointing out prosthetics or disabilities and the rudeness that followed. "Yes, joining mission. However no partner yet." The man said as he shifted slightly and got up. Wow, this woman was the tallest one that he's met so far in this Academy, and that was saying something. If his intuition proved right, then this person named Ruqa was most likely looking for another partner to join for the mission. While he didn't particularly mind so long as it wasn't Colton, he would be the lying if he said that he wasn't a bit unsure. Qiu'li had never met this person before, didn't know her skillset, nor what her Semblance was. She was a wildcard, though her energy was through the roof. Perhaps this could be a chance to work with other people in this situation to get a feel of how well he worked with others. If she proposed an offer to be partners for the mission, he would accept. However, if she didn't, well no harm. Regardless, Qiu'li scratched his head.. "... What is stud?" Qiu'li asked as he gazed at the lady.

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Fènnù (+Strength +Agility +Projectile Sword Beam) | Rank E
Lóngtóu and Panlong | Rank F
Falling Ashes (Leap) | Rank E
Weapon Proficiency I (Martial Arts) | Rank E
Resilience of the Crimson Oaks I (Durability) | Rank F
Dance of the Wild Winds II (Acrobatics) | Rank E

[Argent Steele]

There’s always a king. Always a queen. Always a wolf.
But he who holds the ace, always has the last word.

❝

Argent blinked slowly. On the one hand, he really did prefer to work with other Faunus for this one, especially as it would give the two of them an advantage over their opponents. One didn’t stay a bandit for this long without some modicum of skill and a great degree of ruthlessness, and every little bit that could tilt the balance in their favor was a help. The experience in the internships had made it abundantly clear that the time he had spent with Shin did not make him any better than the others, and had in fact accustomed him to being backed up and coddled instead of pulling his own weight. To that end, he wanted to maximize his own chances of victory wherever possible.

However, there was no guarantee that he would end up with another Faunus anyway. And from the looks of it, it seemed that those he had worked with before were otherwise indisposed - Erena and Cotton were off in their own cars with, presumably, their own set of orders, and Nicholas was already approaching what seemed like a small group of girls in order to find someone else to work with. Jiu Li was seated across from him in the middle rows, and while the young Faunus was more favorably inclined towards him than the rest - the other young man having saved his life, after all - he didn’t seem particularly enthused about the mission at all. And it would be rather rude of him to turn down the offer that Baer was making in order to ask after someone whom he wasn’t even sure was going on the trip.

Perhaps their personalities might not mesh that well together, comparing Baer’s friendly demeanor with his own inclination to being alone - but at least the other had been polite, and seemed to respect him enough. Personality conflicts didn’t mean all that much when it came down to fighting alongside each other and covering one another’s backs, and if Baer’s fighting style was complimentary to his own then it wouldn’t be too hard to support each other in the middle of combat.

“I am not the best conversationalist,” he said eventually, turning to look the other in the eye before dipping his head slightly.

“But if you are okay with that, I see no reason not to work together.”

Regardless of the other’s response, Argent’s attention would be caught by the sight of that small girl, Evangeline, apparently exiting the room entirely while not entirely of her usual sunny disposition. He didn’t exactly like the human - she was entirely too grating on the nerves, was prone to outbursts of emotion that left him feeling quite out of sorts with no idea of what he could do in the moment, and more often than not seemed to have no concept of personal space, getting far closer than he was comfortable with. But he didn’t dislike her either - or at least, didn’t dislike her more now than when they’d first met. Hesitating for a moment, he nevertheless took out his Scroll and typed in a quick message to her asking if she was okay before snapping it shut and gesturing for Baer to follow him as he stood.

“I think it would be a good idea to practice together as much as possible in the coming week when we are able. Get used to fighting as a duo. Perhaps in the training facilities below.”

@ ● 574 words ● 1795 total words

MADE BY MIZO

[Braun von Baer]

Words - 380

Had he not been trying to look cool, Braun would've pumped his fist in the air at Argent's accepting him as a partner. Looking around the room, picking out someone without a partner was becoming harder and harder each minute. Braun let a smile slip past regardless, and put his hands together in anticipation. "Well alright then. Maybe I'll bring a deck of cards along to pass the time, besides, the ride is only so long anyways. We're gonna do a great job, I can feel it."



Seeing Argent glance at his Scroll, Braun's mind wandered off a bit. To him, the hard part of the task was over, despite the clear indications that they'd be risking their lives on this short trip. Braun was confident in his abilities, perhaps too confident, and suddenly a sensation of doubt crept up his back and draped across his shoulders. Argent's mannerisms indicated a degree of dread for the oncoming mission, what if this was actually as bad as he acted like it was? Armed criminals, ferocious Grimm, isolated in the mountains. What if something bad happens? Braun thought. What if we get hurt, or worse? THEN YOU'LL DEAL WITH IT. The stern voice of Braun's father forced into his mind. YOU'RE NOT JUST ANY KID, YOU'RE A SOLDIER. NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR WORRY, IT'S THE TIME FOR PREPARATION. GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME.



The click of Argent's Scroll being put away banished these thoughts as quickly as they came, and Braun focused on his partner again, though still feeling a trace of that doubt.

"Yeah yeah, sure. Uh, here's my number. I'm free most afternoons, so like, feel free to send me a message whenever you're available for training. Just tell me what to bring and I'll be there."



Since they'd be operating in a significantly smaller unit than one found in, say, the army, it made sense that they'd want to acquaint one another with their strengths. Braun was particularly eager to learn some more about how the faunus fought, and where or who he learned from. Maybe Braun could even learn a thing or two more about fighting with a baton. We'll be fine, he thought, trying to brush away his own anxiety. I'm sure of it.

[Ruqa Reyes]

Ruqa cheered to herself when the big beefy boi actually responded to her. The white skinned male seemed to have rather slow reflexes, taking some time to realize what she was asking but he figured it out eventually to her amusement. He was a man of little words, she figured though she wasn't sure how she felt about that. It was a nice change of pace from her usual assortment of guy friends back at Argus who never seemed to filter the stuff that came out of their mouths which could have been random words or bits of food depending on what they've just eaten. Honestly, there were times she wished they'd shut up for at least five minutes to give her a break to listening about their girl troubles and what food they were craving. But this dude seemed to be a better listener than a conversationalist, given his incredibly concise answers. Aw hell, if he was willing to listen, she'd gab his ear off given the chance but for now she just needed a partner.

Hmm. She saw his eyes looking at her for just a second. She knew what was up.

Ruqa rolls her shoulders, readjusting her metallic limbs as though she was getting ready for a right. "You got something you wanna say about these puppies? Huh, punk?" Ruqa looks him in the eye with a sharp stare, her metal limbs fully visible. She holds it for a second and then cracks up in a smile and punches him in the shoulder to let him know she was just kidding.

"Hahaha I don't mind. I think they're pretty cool to have and I don't mind if you're a little bit interested." She winks flirtatiously at that last part "I'm sure you'll find I'm a pretty handy person to have around."

"Wh-what's a stud? Uhhh, errmm. It means... well it's just kind of something you say when you wanna say hi to a real tough looking dude. And you, my friend, look like the toughest dude in this room so yeah!" This didn't seem like the kind of thing that was that hard to understand just from reading the context. Maybe he was raised outside of the Kingdoms? Were there other meanings to this word? Man, if that was the case there was a whooole lot of things she could teach him.

And now for the big spiel about why she was so so cool and awesome that would make him want to partner up with her.

"So I'll have you know that I'm GREAT in a fight, know some mixed martial arts, specially good in y'know punching people and grabbing people and throwing people. Developed my own unique fighting style too and it catches a lot of people of guard. Not a lot of people have experience fighting someone who has twice as many arms as the next guy. Don't figure out my tricks until they're eating off the floor!" she chuckles like there was a hidden joke in that but they're wasn't. She just liked fighting people until they couldn't get up.

"Aaand I'm pretty athletic and flexible, nuf said" Ruqa says curtly, stretching her interlaced arms behind her head as though she were loosing up her muscles.

"So uh, Kayle? Obviously I've come to ask for your hand. IN MARRIAGE. No no I want you to help me fight some bandits. You in boiiiii?" She juts out a fist out for Kayle, waiting for a fist bump.

---

WC 608

[Wolfe]

SPOILER: Click to show

This is basically just a very rare mid-thread XP distribution since I notice there are some characters who are close to upgrade thresholds and I want to have a little nudge in that direction. This thread won't close until around July 11th or so, so feel free to continue posting until then and posts after this distribution will be graded as well, but not soon enough for it to have an effect in the event. I'm adding an additional 10 XP to everyone who posted before this point flat to thank those that interacted with this during the time frame it was up before the event proper started as well.

Shade: 48

0 + 48 = 48 new total

Elena: 14

294 + 14 + 10 (early bird bonus) = 318 new total

Colton: 10

50 + 10 + 10 (early bird bonus) = 70 new total

Ruqa: 38

141 + 38 + 10 (early bird bonus) = 189

Carmim: 22

46 + 22 + 10 (early bird bonus) = 78 new total

Eva: 24

35 + 24 + 10 (early bird bonus) = 69 new total

Argent: 34

93 + 34 + 10 (early bird bonus) = 137

Braun: 36

1 + 36 + 10 (early bird bonus) = 47

Nik: 26

73 + 26 + 10 (early bird bonus) = 109

Qiu'li: 16

247 + 16 + 10 (early bird bonus) = 273

[Nikolas Burzanov]

[nospaces]

[attr="class","oneword1"]

[attr="class","fromyou1"]
@ everyone

633 words

heroes die with honor i'm no hero

[attr="class","itsover"]

Nikolas had singled out the tiny blond girl as he stood there, seeing the fear in the eyes. If there was one thing he hated, it was cowards. And she was giving off very strong vibes. Nikolas held her stare, his sharp eyes boring into her wide ones with contempt. And then, she bolted, as he expected. He watched her run off, a sound of disgust coming from his throat as he crossed his arms. His eyes then shifted to Ruqa, who... promptly ignored him and fucked off. [break][break]

Nikolas raised an eyebrow, staring after the tall woman who went off to talk to someone else, barely even paying a singular ounce of attention to Nikolas. But then a voice drew his attention, his eyes flicking back towards the final person in the group. A small red haired girl, who was apparently even smaller than the blond coward. Unlike that one however, this girl seemed more like a Wolf than a Bunny. She stated she was also looking for a teammate, preferably close quarters as she was mid to long range. That suited Nikolas perfectly. He placed a hand on her desk, leaning forwards and down until his face came close to hers, staring her down, studying the look in her eyes.[break][break]

She seemed to take it in stride, holding his stare and even making a playful jab back at him. A soft chuckle came out from him, an amused glint in his eyes at her comment. Nikolas liked it when people could match wit to wit and not take things personally. This girl was interesting. He took the hand she offered with his other hand, gripping it firmly, not wasting time with gripping down to try and crush her hand or anything like a lot of assholes tended to do. That wasn't Nikolas' style, he appreciated fire when he saw it. "Nikolas Burzanov. You'll do just fine, Miss Clover." He said in a low drawl that sounded both sarcastic and sincerely polite at the same time.[break][break]

With that, he straightened up, letting go of her hand and turning around, holding eye contact over his shoulder. "Don't disappoint." He added as he walked over to Argent. He'd come over to Argent, seeing that he was in the middle of a conversation with the buff military man, and said, "So, are you planning on doing an Argent on this one too? Going to jump out of the train cart?" Words were barbed, but there was a friendly, playful glint in his eyes. He held no ill will towards Argent, given that the snake faunus had survived just as he had. But he couldn't help sending a barb here and there for the humor of it.[break][break]

"Speaking of which... Perhaps we should all plan so we don't end up doing something stupid?" Nikolas said, these words much louder as he would turn to address the rest of the classroom. His eyes snagged on Qiu'li, watching him apparently getting very up close and personal with the big girl who had ignored Nikolas. Qiu'li looked practically, well, uncomfortable. For a second, Nikolas wanted to simply let that happen, but alas, he needed Qiu'li's input on this. The Search and Destroy event had produced a bond between the boys, one forged with strife and fire, and Nikolas knew at least they were some people he could count on. He reached over to another desk, taking an eraser from a random trainee, and chucked it at Qiu'li's head to get his attention, accompanied by the words "Oi, lover boy, over here."
Once enough people had gather or was paying attention to Nikolas, he would give all of them a glance-over.[break]
"Anyone got any bright ideas in case shit hits the fan?" Nikolas openly asked, the question open for everyone to answer as he leaned back on a desk, crossing his arms over his chest and one leg over the other.

ulla

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[Carmim Clover]

❝ WORDS: 802 TAG: Evangeline Lys de Verre Nikolas Burzanov Braun von Baer Argent Steele NOTES: Making mooooooooves HAVE YOU SEEN HER? HAVE YOU HEARD? THE WAY SHE MOVES, THERE ARE NO WORDS In what seemed like an unexpected turn of events, Carmim was left alone with the tall grey-haired man, as Ruqa promptly split, and more importantly (to Carmim, anyways) Evangeline rather abruptly excused herself. She cast a worried gaze in her friend's direction as she left. Did something upset her? Or maybe she really did just have something else to do? But it definitely seemed more like she was distraught about something else... But before she could react beyond turning to watch her leave, Nik had accepted her handshake. Something about him intrigued her just a little bit. His laugh, his expression, both seemed a bit patronizing, but also a bit genuine. Well, she couldn't lie- she was pretty small, and didn't reek with angst or seething rage. So she could definitely see why he'd find it funny that of all the other students in the room, she'd be the one to take him up on his offer. But she was serious! "Small but fierce." Her mom definitely hit her with that saying over and over, and she worked hard to live up to it. "T'e feeling is mutual, Mista' Burzanov," she said with a smile and a hint of a wink. Of course, she definitely had to cock an eyebrow at his "don't disappoint" line. As if she would. She was there to be a Huntress. A warrior. Disappointment was not an option, not even when it came to this overly long dude. No, she wouldn't disappoint him. "Oh, you won't have to worry about that. I may look small, but that only means I've worked twice as hard to get where I am." Hopefully, he wouldn't disappoint her. Carmim's standards were quite high, after all. She decided to tag along as he meandered off towards some other tall man who was presumably his friend. Did everyone really just stick to people their own size here at Haven? It sure did seem that way... Not that she wasn't guilty of doing so, herself, of course. She soon came upon a rather tall man who looked like he could have been Nik's brother, if not for patches of... stuff? Circling his eyes and dotting his neck. Next to him was a burly man made of muscles and militarism. Now, that guy was intriguing- a definite change from all the small girls (aside from Ruqa) and tall skinny guys. He looked solid, and more to the point, a lot friendlier than the other guy. Definitely more friendly than her new mission partner. In the back of her mind, she sort of felt like Eva should be in this little team huddle too... Hmm... She glanced down at her Scroll and after a few rounds of mental gymnastics, managed to figure out how to pull up the message app. Although, her version of discrepancy did involve a measure of holding the phone at arm's length and jabbing at it roughly with her other hand. Technology, man... She'd never had a Scroll before she enrolled here- if she hadn't needed one, she wouldn't have even gotten the stupid little thing. But, she did her best and managed to send a message to her friend, checking up on her. Texting finished, Carmim glanced back up to the people around her as she put her Scroll away. She offered a lazy wave to the pair of men, and a big smile. Nik seemed intent on talking to the scalier of the pair, so Carmim decided to talk to the other.Turning to Braun, she took note of his outfit. "I like you' shades. Very cool, my friend. My name is Carmim, it is nice to meet you." That seemed to be the most introduction she could manage for the moment, because as soon as she said that, Mr. Tall Pale and Edgy started rallying everyone around for a tactics talk. Well, that did seem to be a good idea- they'd definitely need to be prepared for this. Hopefully, they'd be prepared. Hmm... Ideas. It took an ounce of restraint not to respond immediately with "don't die." But of course, they all knew that. Presumably, anyways- a huntsman or huntress was always sticking a foot in the grave. It was a risky business, after all. But a reminder of their own mortality wouldn't exactly be useful. "Well, it seems like we have gotten our pairs figured out, fo' t'e most part. T'at is a good place to start. She said we could set up our cars in advance, yeah? We could use t'at to ou' advantage, maybe set up traps for ou' enemies?" Of course, she didn't mention that she had no idea what kind of traps would be viable, or useful. Maybe someone else had that part figured out? Hopefully. At least they had time to plan...

LAIKA OF GS!

[Wolfe]

SPOILER: Click to show

I was supposed to close this earlier but I forgot.

XP distribution:

Nik: 12

109 + 12 = 121 new total

Carmim: 16

141 + 16 = 157 new total