TRP is a post-Great War AU RWBY RP set in Mistral City and Haven Academy with no canons, no rank claims, no maidens, and no god interference. We offer a progression system and site-wide events that change the setting based on player actions.
Post by Aegle Verdant on Jun 24, 2019 2:06:47 GMT -5
The bag swung to and fro on its chains, and its music chimed, dissonant and out of time, with the percussive rhythm of her punches. It sang across the empty gym, to ring off the walls and floor and come dancing back, like there was half a hundred boxers boxing, instead of just the one. She stood alone with her dangling opponent, the cavernous space and its phantom fighters to her back, while she poured punches onto the bags face, in an unending rain of blows. On her hands, she wore linen wrappings, soaked dark with sweat. Her boots stamped down, almost in time with her punches, as she moved through sway and pivot, all the while balanced on her toes.
She was dressed warmly for Mistral's heat, and had known it almost as soon as her workout began. Even her hoodie, thin as it was, was proving too warm. It cooked her, sweltering Aegle in her own sweat, yet she did not stop. She did not even slow. She'd spent a whole day stopped, and a night besides, flying to Mistral, and then riding to Haven. After finding her room and filling it with what little she'd brought with her, there'd barely been any time left in the day. The thought of stopping, even if only to change into something better suited to the heat, was unbearable; She'd wasted too much time already.
Her watch buzzed, the one she wore on her left wrist, and Aegle paused in her punching, thinking she might have been done sooner than she'd thought. Instead, she found the watch's face red and flashing, with a small heart in its center. She considered the warning but briefly, then turned her eyes back to the bag. It pleased her to punch the exact same spot a few times in succession, before she mocked a side step and threw a hook, the way her brother had showed her. The blow hit square, but then not many bags dodged or threw counters. If Aaron had been there, if it had been his fists she was punching instead of a lifeless bag, chances were he would have just papped her on the head.
Aegle mimicked a parry, arm raised high to defect an invisible punch. Then she sidestepped and hooked again, and again she parried that invisible punch. 'Too slow,' she thought, her scalp itching in the exact spot Aaron always hit her. She tried three more times, and each time came away feeling like she'd been hit. Her watch buzzed again, but Aegle ignored it's heart and its red flashing, and started working through her combos. First, the backhand and jab, then the one-two punch. That was all she could do. The bag had been set up for a normal sized person, which made it too high for her by half a stride; That disallowed any combos with uppercuts or body shots in them. She tried one, just to check, and swung to high, and her wrist twisted painfully on the bag's seat. Aegle hissed, shook out her hand, and decided not to try a second time.
If it had been earlier, it might be that she could have found someone to lower the bag for her, but it had been after dark when she'd finally found the gym, and she didn't think there was anyone around to help the students with things like that. Even if there was, she wasn't sure where to look for them. She paused to consider lowering the bag herself, but quickly dismissed that idea. It was about as big as she was, and probably weighed four times as much. Aegle would be more likely to crush herself, or else get pinned beneath it, if she tried to mess with its hanging.
So she just continued punching it, and didn't throw any uppercuts or body blows, and waited for the timer she'd set to tell her it was time to stop.
words - 659
Last Edit: Jun 25, 2019 20:23:22 GMT -5 by Aegle Verdant
Post by Braun von Baer on Jun 24, 2019 12:32:02 GMT -5
Words - 310
The sound of the door to the gym suddenly opening announced Braun's entry, along with his whistling a tune that even he didn't know the name of. A towel was slung over his shoulder and a water bottle was in his hand, that coupled with the tank top and board shorts it was apparent he was there for a workout rather than practicing fighting technique, and judging by his physique it could be assumed he was a regular at the gym.
Almost immediately after entering the building, he heard a rhythmic thumping sound and the rattling of chains. He stopped, and checked the time on his scroll. Who the heck was here at this hour? He considered leaving to give them some privacy, but shrugged. If they wanted to be left alone, they could just say so. Actually, he thought, maybe I should at least introduce myself and see if they don't mind me being here. Braun made his way towards the area for fighting practice.
Seeing the person facing off with the heavy bag, he stood off to the side. "Hey there!" Braun said with a wave and a friendly smile. "Uh, I'm just here to do some weightlifting, but I thought I'd introduce myself since it's kind of late and we're like, the only people. I'm Braun, Braun von Baer."
Braun looked at Aegle a bit more closely. Despite the shaved head, she did seem to be a girl. She sure was dressed pretty warm for the air-conditioned gym, though. She was kind short too, and that punching bag looked a bit too high for her...
"Do you uh... need help with adjusting that?" Braun indicated the heavy bag. "I mean, if you're trying to get some time by yourself and don't want the background noise of another person, just say so, I can just come back tomorrow.
The sudden, loud sound of her alarm clocking going off broke the concentration she had, Evangeline jumping slightly as she blinked. She looked over to the corner of her desk, where the cute cat shaped alarm clock was going off, displaying the time in bright neon blue as it continued to yowl at her. She reached over and tapped the button that silenced the alarm, before taking the chance to stretch, her arms going up as she leaned back into her chair. She yawned, before looking down at the book open in front of her, having spent the last couple of hours studying up on the History of Remnant, for her classes. But now, came the time she looked forward to. A smile of excitement coming to her face, she got off, and rushed to change into appropriate clothing.
After perhaps several minutes, Evangeline was staring at herself, a hair clip caught between her lips as she put another on onto her hair, catching her bangs and pinning them back so they wouldn't make her forehead all sweaty. Perhaps the hour was a bit odd to decide to visit the training area and practice, the night in full swing and most students either studying or relaxing after another day of classes. But Evangeline had specifically decided to go train at this hour, when the training area would most likely be completely deserted so she could train in peace, and without prying eyes. After all, training and exercising herself to be more combat capable was necessary, but it wasn't exactly lady-like. It was also a guaranteed way to get sweaty and icky, which also wasn't lady-like at all. So when she attempted it during the day, she felt far too self conscious about it with the other students around her, especially since training demanded light clothing so she could cool down faster, and be more free in her movements. But that also exposed her limbs, namely her left limbs, which meant the black lines around the joints of her synthetic limbs would be more noticeable in that kind of clothing. Like what she wore now; A black tank top and a pair of grey shorts. Light and easy to move in, but it exposed the lines she was insecure about. Thus, she had decided she would go off at night, when no one was around and she could practice all the things that Qiu'li had taught her.
Tying her white sneakers on, she decided to leave Lis Fleurissant at her room, grabbing a small towel and headed off at a light jog. Might as well get some cardio on the way to the training area after all. She hummed to herself as she jogged, not seeing anyone out and about at this hour. It was such a farcry from how Evangeline was normally; a bubbly, cheerful person who loved company and friends. But that was when she was dressed like a lady, and could act like a lady. When the sleeves came off, the insecurity came on. Nevertheless, she needed to improve herself.
By the time she came upto the entrance of the facility, she had worked up a slight breathlessness. Evangeline stopped in front of it, taking a few moments to catch her breath and stretch, loosening her arms, core and legs to prepare for the training ahead. And then she walked in, the door opening and closing with a crisp noise in the silence. Or rather, the expected silence. Instead, she could hear the sound of a punching bag being, well, punched. Repeatedly. Someone was here training? At this hour?
Curious, Evangeline made her way to the area that held the punching bags, freezing when she saw that there was already two people there. A small girl, or atleast, Evangeline guessed she was a girl by her size, since the hair made it difficult to tell from behind, was at the punching bag itself. And standing near by was a bulky man with fair hair, looking every bit like a soldier even without the uniform. Evangeline was so surprised to see other people there, she actually made a disappointed "Oh." sound. She blinked, realizing she had spoken and probably announced her presence to the two. A small flush came onto her face as Evangeline gave the two a sheepish, somewhat weak smile. "I'm sorry. I 'zought 'zat no one would be here at 'zis hour." She said, her voice mostly apologetic albeit holding some degree of disappointment.
Post by Aegle Verdant on Jun 25, 2019 11:05:55 GMT -5
Aegle soon forgot she was waiting on her timer, as she sank back into the hypnotic rhythm of punch, parry, and sway. She moved between the forms the way she'd been taught, trying punches from every guard she knew, and became lost to the world. So lost, in fact, that she never even noticed when a man the size of a modestly sized house stopped beside her. To be fair, with her hood up over her bald head, she might as well have had blinders on, but she still should have noticed a small building creeping up on her. "Hey there..." he said, and Aegle faltered in her rhythm. The jab she'd been throwing twisted, and her wrist, the same she'd hurt with that foolish attempt at a body blow, wrenched painfully. Aegle hissed, shaking out her hand, as she turned to regard the stranger who'd interrupted her routine; She looked up, and then looked up higher, forced to arch her head about as far back as it went just to see his face from under her sweat drenched hood. He was proper big, all built from muscle as hard and toned as the stones in a well-made wall, though not so tall as she'd originally thought. Her brother was taller, in fact, though not so broad in the shoulders or chest. "Uh, I'm just here to do some weightlifting," he said, and his muscular frame gave the truth to the claim, "But I thought I'd introduce myself since it's kind of late and we're like, the only people. I'm Braun, Braun von Baer." For a moment, Aegle thought his name was Brawn. A fitting name, for a man built like an engine-block, she thought grinning, but the last name, 'Von Baer', tickled at the back of her mind. An Atlesian name, unless she was much mistaken, and one she almost recognized. Had Aaron served under a Von Baer, or maybe been taught from one at the academy? She couldn't recall. She must have taken too long to answer, because the big man shifted, "Do you uh... need help with adjusting that?" He jabbed a finger up at the bag, one about as thick as her wrist, "I mean, if you're trying to get some time by yourself and don't want the background noise of another person, just say so, I can just come back tomorrow." Aegle blinked. Was he offering to come back later, just in case she wanted to be alone? She'd spent the last year or more alone, seeing the same dozen people day in and day out. The suggestion might as well have been made in another language, for how much sense it made to her mind.
For one dizzying instant, Aegle realized this was the first conversation she'd had in what felt like forever that hadn't been entirely necessary. Just a random stranger, saying hi, and not a stranger she even needed to talk to. She felt faint, but found that she was smiling. Then she blinked, and realized as well that she'd yet to say anything to Brawn. "Er, yeah, I mean no. I mean..." Her smile stretched wider, and a bit of color warmed her pale cheeks. He'd asked her so many questions that she wasn't sure which to respond to. Head feeling fuzzy, Aegle started over. "M'Aegle," She said, sticking out a hand that shook like the last leaf on a tree. Her fingers were tightly wrapped in linen that disappeared up the sweat soaked cuff of her sleeve, but still they fluttered uncontrollably. The wrappings were damp too, and pink around her knuckles. "And, uh, if y'wanna drop the bag, I guess I wouldn't stop ya. I'd have done it, but I couldn't think of how without, y'know, droppin' it on m'self." Her accent was broad as the northern highlands where she'd grown up, and the words came tumbling out all atop each other, like they were in a rush to escape her mouth. "And I dinnae mind if y'wanna use the gym too, yeah?" She grinned even wider, showing off about every tooth in her head, "S'a big hall, innit, and I'm pretty small, y'know?" Her heart was racing, she realized, excited in a way even an hour or more of beating the bag hadn't made it. She felt light headed, almost giddy, drunk on the simple pleasure of having a wholly unnecessary interaction with a complete stranger. Her watch beeped at her, just in case she hadn't noticed how high her pulse had gotten just in the last few moments.
"Oh." A new voice yanked Aegle's head around, as if on a cord, and a new person stood not three strides from herself and the big man. A new face, a new stranger. Funny that Aegle hadn't considered before that she might actually meet some new people, moving across the world, to a new kingdom. She tittered, despite herself. "I'm sorry." Said the stranger, a girl with golden blonde hair and the most captivating eyes Aegle had ever seen, "I 'zought 'zat no one would be here at 'zis hour." Her accent had the ring of Solatis old blood, as rich as her golden hair. She'd heard its like once or twice during her own stay in the big city, though never quite so pure. The stranger, the princess Aegle immediately dubbed her, couldn't have been any different than Brawn. Where the big man was broad, she was slender as a whip, and where he was tall, the princess was almost of a height with Aegle. If she'd been able to stand up straight, Aegle thought she might have even been taller. Like with Brawn, Aegle was too caught up, soaking in the delight of meeting someone new, to immediately consider what the princess had said. When the high born girl's words did sink in though, Aegle blinked twice and let her head hang loose to one side. "'Zis hour?" she repeated, her own broad accent making a parody of the princess' high tongue, "What hour is it?" She glanced down at her watch, her other hand still held out to Brawn, but the stupid thing was less than useless. All it told her was that her heart was hammering, and she already knew that. Shrugging, an effort of some difficulty for her twisted shoulders, Aegle raised that hand to the newcomer. "Nevermind that. M'Aegle. S'a pleasure, y'know?" Just as with every prior movement, though perhaps this time it was made more noticeable by the singular quickness of the gesture, the raising of Aegle's arm was accompanied by a whispery whir from somewhere beneath her clothes. She was stood too far away for the princess to graciously accept the offered hand, which was also tightly swathed in sweat damp wraps, but Aegle didn't notice. She was just doing her best; Making the most of this unexpected pleasure.
words - 1,148
Last Edit: Jun 25, 2019 20:24:08 GMT -5 by Aegle Verdant
Post by Braun von Baer on Jun 25, 2019 17:09:43 GMT -5
Words - 331
Braun winced internally seeing Aegle hurt her wrist. Now that she was facing him, her posture was bit more noticeable. He had thought before she was just hunched over in some kind of fighting stance, but now she seemed a bit... well, sickly, for the lack of a better word. However, her broad grin and friendly demeanor diminished any initial misgivings Braun might have unfairly drawn from her appearance. She seemed to act a bit uncomfortable, with the shaky hands and stumbling words, so the larger dude feared for a moment he was being intimidating. Braun spoke almost carefully.
"It's good to meet you, and I'll try not to make too much noise. Thanks." He gently took Aegle's hand and shook it with a warm smile, ignoring the dampness of her hand wraps. Before he could address the punching bag, though, someone else spoke up, and Braun turned to see another girl, who he hadn't met before. He immediately saw the indications of a prosthetic arm, though he wasn't bothered by it. Some of his dad's friends were amputees from their time in service, so any kind of shock factor was worn out of him when he was little. The new girl reminded Braun of his little sister at home, actually, with her golden hair and short stature. Her mannerisms were noticeably different compared to boxer he had just met, though they both had slight frames and Atlesian accents. Braun's brow furrowed in thought.
After Aegle had introduced herself, Braun spoke up to the new girl. "Hi, I'm Braun. Braun von Baer. Uh, sorry if you were looking for an empty place to work out, though I'm sure you'll still find it pretty quiet." He tried a reassuring smile, before pointing to Aegle and Eva.
"Are you guys from Atlas too, by chance? I ask because there were some dudes back in officer training who, like, came from out of town and sounded very similar to the way you two talk."
Evangeline blinked as both the large buff man and the small hooded person looked over at her, feeling a bit fidgety from the sudden scrutiny. Her eyebrows, however, raised with pleasant surprise as she heard the small person, who introduced herself as Aegle and offered Evangeline a hand, despite Evangeline being an awkward distance away to be doing that. But, never the less, Evangeline quickly rushed over, clasping Aegle's hands with both of hers as she fixed Aegle with an expression befitting the serendipity of the situation, with wide eyes and a growing smile. "Oh, I know 'zat accent! You are from Atlaz too, Oui!" She said, turning around to fix her sapphire eyes at Braun as he also introduced himself.
While he didn't have a strong accent indicating him as being from Atlas, certain words still had the noticeable lilt to it, and his last name also was a strong indicator. Like Evangeline's name, Brauns name was one that wasn't very common elsewhere. She let go of Aegle's hand, quickly coming over to Braun now, her previous self-consciousness and nervousness completely vanished in the face of her growing excitement as she exclaimed, "You too! You are also from Atlaz! Oui? Yes!?" She didn't even wait for him or Aegle to confirm as she spun away from Braun, doing a small spin of joy, a bright smile fixed on her face, almost on the verge of bouncing in place. Her eyes were reacting to her excitement, flickering in hues of various different colors. "Mon Dieu! 'Zis is exzellent! I've been wanting to meet 'zee others from Atlaz, but I have not gotten to meet anyone from 'zere yet!" She paused in her excited gestures and turned to them, realizing she hadn't introduced herself yet. She began to give them a curtsy but realized she wasn't wearing a skirt, and the last time she tried it, it was awkward as hell. So she stopped halfway and then straightened up, her eyes back to a solid blue. "I'm, uh... I'm Evangeline Lys de Verre." She said rapidly, her name a myriad of tongue olympics to pronounce. "But you can call me Eva." She added, giving them a bright grin as she offered her hand to both Aegle and Braun in turn.
As introductions finished, her eyes went to the punching bag, before flicking back over to them. "You guys are training to fight?" She asked curiously, wondering why they were here at the Gym to begin with at such a late hour.
Post by Aegle Verdant on Jun 29, 2019 0:43:13 GMT -5
Aegle was surprised, though not displeased when highborn girl lunged forward and seized her offered hand with sudden and wholly unexpected enthusiasm. Though they were of a height, Aegle's hand was lost in the long fingered grasp that enfolded it. Something about the clasp didn't feel quite right though, and the unlooked for 'wrongness' of the sensation drew Aegle's eyes off of the blonde's, just as she was turning her gaze up to Brawn. That was when Aegle saw it. While her right arm was normal, with soft fair skin, the left was something else. The same color and almost the same texture, but different. Then Aegle saw the seams, little furrows where the joints were articulated, fine but noticeable. It was an artificial arm, and an artificial hand; Nowhere outside of Atlas could so convincing a prosthesis be found. Even in Atlas, Aegle had never seen one so realistic. It was the wont of most amputees to use something more robust or functional. Then again, most amputees she'd met had been in the military, where such things took priority.
Retrieving her hand as the blonde girl turned to take Braun's hand as well, Aegle watched her bright face, and listened to her excited words. She'd never known someone to be so pleased when they learned she was from Solitas, but it made her feel strangely better, to have happened across two Atlesians; With the move so recent, it was a strange sort of comfort. The blonde girl was giving Brawn the same treatment, an equally enthusiastic welcome, when Aegle noticed the second strange thing about her. Namely, her eye color, or colors as the case turned out to be. They had been blue, yet now they were purple, green, red, orange... So fast and so many, Aegle was not sure she caught them all. Her Semblance? Somehow that didn't seem right, but Aegle could think of no other explanation. Whatever the cause, it was as pretty as the blonde's sudden excitement; Aegle found herself staring at the girl's eyes, hoping it might happen again.
Her name was Evangeline, or Eva for short. "M'Aegle." Aegle offered again, and only then remembered she'd already introduced herself. Eva offered her hand again, and Aegle took gratefully. It was Eva's real hand, and as warm to the touch as a fresh flush. Aegle was feeling a little flushed herself, excited by Eva's excitement, but not sure what to say or do next. She was about to ask where in Solitas Eva was from, and do the same for Brawn, when the blonde beat her to the punch. Looking past them Eva eyed the heavy bag. "You guys are training to fight?" she asked. It seemed a strange thing to ask, given where the three of them were, and what they were. "Nah, just tryin' t'keep healthy." Aegle answered, grinning, only half in jest. She'd never actually fought anyone, unless she counted her brothers, which she didn't. Aaron had taught her some basic forms and done drills with her, but he'd never actually sparred with her. "S'a bit high for me though." She confessed, turning to give the bag a nudge with one hand, whirring quietly as she moved. "The big guy was gonna drop it for me~" Aegle turned back to Brawn, and looked up at him with a wide, expectant grin.
Post by Braun von Baer on Jun 30, 2019 3:33:45 GMT -5
Words - 424
Braun thought it was weird how he just happened to run into two other students from Atlas in the quiet gym. It made sense that Eva was from the northern continent, considering how high-end her prosthesis were. Those eyes especially, they seemed unnaturally brilliant, maybe she had some kind of thermal scanning hardware in there... He drew back to attention when he realized the big guy Aegle was referring to was him.
"Oh, yeah. Er, excusez moi." He smiled back at Aegle, then bowed away for a moment from the two girls and took some steps away. Facing down his new opponent with his arms folded, Braun's eyes followed the chain holding the heavy bag aloft, and sure enough there was a bolt holding the chain that could be adjusted to move the bag's height. His brow furrowed as he tried to figure out a way to fix the chain without making a fool of himself.
He figured if he used Impact he could jump and grab the chain, or if Aegle or Eva stood on his shoulders they could reach the bolt. There was that one weird guy who joined the team's cheer squad at home, and girls stood on his shoulders all the time. Braun shook his head. That might be a bit awkward, proposing that option to someone he just met. He glanced at the others, trying to keep a conversation going. "Uh... boxing's a pretty unique way to burn calories, most people prefer cardio or strength training. How'd you get into that? And why are you here, Eva? Were you coming to practice technique? What weapons do you guys use?"
The bolt couldn't be moved under tension anyways, maybe they should put something under it to prop it up? He swiftly turned and went to a weightlifting area and returned with a footstool, setting it on the floor next to the bag. "IMPACT." Braun said, activating his semblance. His muscles surged with power, and he wrapped his arms around the heavy bag, lifting it up like it weighed nothing and pushing the footstool underneath it with a knee. Now it's weight was carried by the stool instead of the chain it hung from, the metal links hanging only a bit slack. He turned to his fellow Atlesians. "Excuse me, Aegle, can you do me a solid and hold this steady while I adjust it? Uh, don't worry, I won't let it fall on you. Usually they have staff on hand to do this for us, but... you know. It's late."
Evangeline took the opportunity between introductions to study the two fellow Atlesians. The girl, Aegle, gave off a conflicting vibe of being both tough and fragile. Almost shy, despite her having been busy with the punching bag like a trained fighter. Meanwhile, Braun seemed to be a big, burly looking gentleman. His form radiated power yet he seemed very warm and friendly. Both of them seemed like people Evangeline could get along with well enough and that eased her nerves a bit more.
It seemed as though sarcastic humor wasn't Evangeline's best trait, however, as she blinked when Aegle mentioned she was trying to be healthy. Evangeline tilted her head slightly to the right in confusion, looking from Aegle to the punching bag. "I do not 'zink tiring yourself out on a punching bag is very healthy, Aegle." She said, a modicum of concern in her voice as she was genuinely questioning Aegle's choice in activity. Her accent colored the words she spoke, so she pronounced Aegle's name more like Eeg-lee rather than Aeg-lee. As Aegle turned to Braun and the punching bag, a small frown came to Evangeline's brows, eyes going to Aegle's body. She could swear she could hear some very minute noises, almost akin to machinery. Like tiny vibration noises caused by motors. She wondered what was causing the noise, but did not peruse the matter, nor did she stare long enough to be noticed.
"Ooh, tres bon." Evangeline responded as Braun spoke in her highborn's dialect, impressed that he knew of it and pleasantly surprised that he said it for her. She stepped back to give the big man space, watching as he sized up the punching bag and inspected how it functioned. "Oh, me?" Evangeline said when he asked her why she was here. "Um... I came here to exercise... Maybe practice some techniques I learned recently. I didn't want to do it when 'zere was a lot of people around so... 'zat's why I came here at 'zis hour." She said, somewhat shyly as she looked down at the floor, suddenly feeling kind of self conscious about her unladylike appearance and behaviour. "N-not 'zat I want you guys to leave or anyzing! No no no, you are fine!" She quickly added, not wanting to make it look like she wanted to be alone or didn't want the company of these two new people. Although she was still shy about it, she was usually better once she knew the person more.
"My weapon is Lis Fleurissant. It is a violin and a crossbow. I did not bring it wiz' me because I wanted to train 'zee hand-to-hand." She said, a small smile of pride coming onto her lips. She always liked talking about her weapon. It was a beautifully crafted weapon and felt like an extension of Evangeline's soul. It was also why the absence of it felt off, like she was missing a limb, everytime she went out with it. But she couldn't really lug her violin, case and all, around with her everywhere she went. Her blue eyes would widen with impressed awe when Braun would display a healthy amount of strength in lifting the punching bag.
"Oh wow." She would exclaim. eyebrows raised. When Braun asked Aegle to help, Evangeline's eyes went over to Aegle. Although she had no doubt that Aegle was probably more physically capable than Evangeline, she still didn't exactly look that strong. She didn't want to stand around and do nothing in this situation. "I will help!" Evangeline offered enthusiastically, going over to the other side to hold the punching bag steady along with Aegle. She hoped that Braun would live up to his words, as Evangeline was not physically capable in terms of strength in the slightest.
Post by Aegle Verdant on Jul 1, 2019 19:12:28 GMT -5
Her reminder didn't catch right away, but slid off Brawn for half a heartbeat before sinking in. The big man's eyes were on Eva, Aegle did not fail to notice, and it was the princess who had his attention, not her. "Oh yeah," He said, then added, "Excusez moi." Stepping back, his eyes climbed the bag and chains, and considered the bolt securing one to t'other. He spent several long seconds examining it, so long, that Aegle expected smoke to start coming out his ears. Not that she blamed him; She couldn't see any easy way of lowering the bag either. "Boxing's a pretty unique way to burn calories," Brawn remarked, as he continued to size up his task, "Most people prefer cardio or strength training. How'd you get into that?" Aegle opened her mouth to answer, almost reflexive in its immediacy, but Brawn did not wait for a reply. Instead, he glanced at the blonde, asking, "And why are you here, Eva? Were you coming to practice technique?" At least he treated Eva the same, not waiting for a reply before he asked another question, this one directed at both of them, "What weapons do you guys use?"
Aegle's mouth closed so suddenly, her teeth clicked, and she had her hands shoved into her pockets before she even realized they were moving. She was saved from replying by Eva though, whose tongue was not so tied as hers had so inexplicably become. "I came here to exercise..." Said the blonde, answering the first question in Brawn's rapid-fire volley, Maybe practice some techniques I learned recently." Her words seemed to melt into unintelligible noise, as Aegle's own stalled brain finally choked back to ungainly life. She smiled despite herself, surprised by her reaction to such a casual question, and one she was under no obligation to answer. Her fingers flexed in the stuffy confines of her pockets, until her knuckles ached. She was being silly and she knew it, knew that it didn't matter, that neither one of them would care. 'So why does it feel so hard t'breathe, all of a sudden?' Aegle forced her smile wider, and lifted her eyes back to Brawn. The big man was coming back with a footstool from one of the other workout areas, which he positioned near the bag. Eva was still talking, her bright eyes seeming to sparkle with each word. She was describing her own weapon to Brawn, some combination of violin and crossbow with a name as fancy as her accent. It suited her, Aegle thought, to wield something that sounded so pretty, which might serve up beauty or death, depending on how it was used. No doubt Brawn had something sturdy and reliable, like a club or a warhammer.
Part of her wanted to leave them to it, that they might discuss their weapons and their training regime and all the other things huntsman in training were wont to. She might have even done it too, except Brawn was looking right at her, as he balanced the heavy bag on the stool. She hadn't even noticed him lift it up. Belatedly, she realized he was speaking to her, asking her to hold the bag steady. "Oh, uh, right, yeah..." Aegle turned to the bag, hands still in her pocket, and hesitated again. It took longer than it should have to get her hands out of her pockets, and brace them against the punching bag. "I will help." Eva announced, despite no one asking her too, before joining Aegle a moment later. As luck would have it, she settled in on Aegle's left, so the bald girl could see her flesh and blood hand, instead of the lifelike prosthetic. As Brawn fiddle with the bolt holding the bag up, Aegle watched Eva's hand. Long, delicate fingers, steady and strong, with callouses on their tips. She'd said her weapon was a violin, as well as a crossbow. Doubtless her hand was very steady and coordinated.
Aegle grit her teeth, grinning fiercely, and pressed her fingers harder into the thick leather. She pressed as hard as she could, hard enough that she felt the tension all the way up her forearm. It was almost enough to stop her fingers' shaking.
When, at last, the bag was secure once more, Aegle pulled back and stuffed her hands back into her pocket. "My brother." she proffered, before either Eva or Brawn could say anything else. She might have said it a bit too loud, a bit too hard, and she put a smile on to take the sting out. Shoulders sunk in their habitual slump, neck craned back, Aegle worked out a shrug to the sound of a dozen tiny motors, "S'my brother. He taught me t'box." She didn't look at either of them, not really wanting to see their faces as she continued, "He's a really great hunter; Everyone says so. My parents are real proud've him, keepin' Atlas safe. He does drills with me. Lets me punch his hands and shows me forms." It felt forced, saying all that. She wasn't even sure they'd heard of her brother. Part of her thought it might even be better if they didn't know who he was, lest they have someone to compare her to. Only then did she realize her mistake. "He did drills with me." Aegle corrected, turning to the heavy bag, "He let me punch his hands and showed me forms." She circled around the heavy bag, trailing her bare finger tips along its smooth leather face, "He's still in Atlas." Aegle looked up to the two of them, a smile fixed onto her face, "S'not worth the flight, I reckon, just t'make sure I'm keepin' my guard up." Her words were absent, her tone blissful and content, as Aegle slipped her hand back into her pocket before either of them could get a really good look at it. "S'alright, yeah? It'll just be a better surprise when I come home, an even better huntress 'n he is, y'know?"
Post by Braun von Baer on Jul 5, 2019 5:19:13 GMT -5
Braun thought something as delicate as a violin was a strange thing to implement into a huntress weapon, but then again there have been stranger things. And considering Aegle's insistence on practicing her pugilism, he figured maybe she used some kind of gauntlet mounted weapon, the kind that Braun himself had considered getting when he was preparing to embark to Haven. Maybe that mechanical whirring and clicking he was hearing from Aegle was some kind of augmenting hardware, like an exoskeleton of sorts?
Braun had a bad habit of speaking his questions rapid-fire all at once, a habit he formed while in officer training. When a student managed to get an instructor's attention in a classroom, the instructor might only answer one question before moving on to the next student instead of seeing if the prior had any further inquiries, so it was common practice to ask numerous questions all together at once. That said, Braun was unaware of the awkwardness this habit sometimes presented, so he never noticed it himself.
"There we go. Thank you both." Braun said, fastening the bolt in place and satisfied that the bag wouldn't crush anyone. He moved the stool far out of the way, listening as Aegle spoke of her brother. He felt a surge of pride, and another smile broke over his face. Despite the apparent awkwardness Aegle displayed, and the feeling that there was a bit more to her story, Braun latched onto the idea of a younger sister following her older brother, a relationship he was very familiar with.
"That's actually pretty awesome. Your bro sounds like a really cool dude." Braun's mind wandered to his own family back home. "Yeah, I've got a sibling in Atlas too, actually. A younger sister. It's funny, like, she's been talking about becoming a Huntress long before I even considered it as a career, and yet here I am, the one in an academy. I figure, like, it's only so long before she does exactly what you're talking about, surpassing her older brother as a huntress. And if she can do it, I have not a single doubt in my mind that you're going to as well."
Braun gave Aegle a wry smile. "Besides, you're already halfway there, you got him beat at the job title thing. In my opinion, 'huntress' sounds a lot more refined than 'hunter' or 'huntsman,' but, like, that's just me." Braun shrugged, then looked to Eva.
"What about you? Have you got any siblings? Who do you have back home, uh, if you don't mind my asking?"
Holding onto the punching bag was somewhat difficult. Even if the full weight of it wasn't resting on her and Aegle, Evangeline could still feel a good weight bearing down, threatening to topple over. Her blue eyes shifted towards Aegle, seeing the girl's eyes focused on her right hand, seemingly studying her fingers. She blinked, a light flush coming onto her cheeks at the scrutiny. Her fingers tightened on the punching bag reflexively. When Braun said he was done, Evangeline let go of the bag, stepping away and inspecting its new height.
"Lovely! You are very strong, monsieur!" Evangeline said with a small clap, a cheerful smile on her face as she addressed Braun. She then turned her attention to Aegle, seeing the girl speak with some unexpected volume at first, almost like she was blurting it out. Aegle seemed... off. Evangeline might have appeared somewhat ditzy or aloof at times, but she could read people's emotions better than most others. Seeing the way Aegle's posture changed, the way the colors within her eyes shifted with inner feelings and thoughts... The girl was troubled? Confused? Sad? All of these occurred to Evangeline, and she found herself wanting to learn more about the girl's past, and about her feelings, so she could comfort her. Evangeline had the natural drive to comfort and help people after all, and this was no different. When Aegle finished, Evangeline stepped closer to the girl, putting her right hand tentatively on the girl's left upper-arm. Just the barest touch, a few of Evangeline's fingertips resting on the side of her arm. Offering friendly comfort for whatever Aegle was feeling for, but also respecting Aegle's personal space. She gave the girl a sincere, warm smile, giving her a nod and saying, "Yes. I bet he will be very, very plezantly surprized. I bet even you will be surprized with how good you will get!"
She dropped her hand away from Aegle's arm as Braun began to speak about his side of the story, standing where she was next to Aegle but turning her head to face Braun. Her initial thoughts about the man seemed to be proven right everytime he spoke. He was a very friendly, warm man, much at odds with how big and imposing he looked. She couldn't help but smile at Braun's encouraging words, nodding to agree with him. "It is definitely 'zee job of 'zee pupil to one day surpass 'zee mentor!" She said, glancing at Aegle with another friendly smile before turning back to Braun as the man addressed her next.
"Moi?" Evangeline said, her eyebrows rising slightly as her smile faded for a moment, before coming back in a more modest, somewhat wistful way. "No no no. I have no siblings, I am afraid. I have no brothers and no sisters, and I always wonder what it is like to have 'zem." She paused, as she glanced between the two once more, her smile regaining its brightness, before she continued, "I only have my mama and papa, and 'zey love me very much ever since I was very young! I also have Miss Wilkins, she was my caretaker and teacher whenever my parents were out! My mama and papa are both musicians so they sometimes were away for a while, but whenever 'zey were home 'zey would spend a lot of time wiz' me! O'zer times, Miss Wilkins would be 'wiz me. I always 'zought of her like my older sister, or maybe an aunt. All three of 'zem helped me become the strong girl I am today, and it is 'zem I like to 'zink of whenever I need to remember who I am fighting for. 'Zey took care of me when I was young and when I was sick, and now I want to take care of 'zem one day, when I become a strong huntress." Evangeline said, talking in that rapid and expressive way she spoke whenever she was enthusing about something she really loved. Love colored her words in their lilting accent, sincerity sparkled in her blue eyes and the way her body posture shifted only further emphasized how much she was passionate about being someone strong enough to take care of the family that she no-doubt cared for so much.
" 'Zat is why I am here tonight! I have been learning 'zee martial arts from a..." Evangeline paused mid speech, blinking twice in rapid succession as a flush colored her cheeks, her entire sunny demeanor seeming to dim with shyness, thoughts of the muscular mountain man holding her in his arms flashing in her mind, before she continued, "... classmate. So I am here to practice some of 'zat." Her entire personality seemed to have shifted, turning from the bright girl who had been enthusing about her family to a blushing schoolgirl looking down at her feet.
Post by Aegle Verdant on Jul 13, 2019 12:17:50 GMT -5
"That's actually pretty awesome. Your bro sounds like a really cool dude..." There were a few words Aegle could think of which might have described her decision to become a huntress, but awesome was not one of them. Still, it filled her with an unlooked for warmth to have such hyperbolic language ascribed to her. Though, it was a warmth that could not quite penetrate through the layers upon layers of self-awareness, which wrapped Aegle as fully as the bandages on her hands. It was a pretty dream, to think she might one day surpass Aaron, but a dream was all it would ever be. Brawn's little sister had a much better chance of beating out her big brother than Aegle would ever have with her own, not that Aegle was in any hurry to share that truth; It was enough that Brawn even thought she was capable of it, tempered though that was by just how little he knew about her. Grinning at herself, at her own absurdity, Aegle shifted her attention to Eva along with Brawn. That grin shrank a little when Eva, quite unexpectedly, laid a hand on Aegle's arm; Her real hand, she noted inanely. "Yes," The blonde agreed, "I bet he will be very, very plezantly surprized. I bet even you will be surprized with how good you will get!" The words themselves were earnestly spoken, but Aegle might have still been able to laugh them off, had it not been for the soft touch upon her arm. Somehow, that gesture made Eva's unfounded confidence obscene, and made Aegle absurdly guilty, as though she were responsible for shaming the pretty blonde. Her smile dwindled to near nonexistence, and her pale cheeks filled with unwanted color.
Aegle was relieved when the focus shifted off of her again; She had not expected such a reactions to what she was said, and felt more comfortable not having unearned positivity heaped upon her. 'Might help if I kept the brave words to myself...' she thought. She hadn't expected either of them to take her seriously, making such a bold claim, but then it was becoming quickly apparent that neither one of them knew her brother, so they hadn't any reason to know just how absurd her boast had been. 'They don't know any better...' and why should they? All they knew of Aegle was what she had told them, and it would have been rude to contradict her.
As Aegle tried to corral her misgivings, Eva shared with them her own reasons for wanting to be a huntress. Not so boldly as Aegle might have done, nor so directly, but it seemed clear from the affection and warmth with which she referred to her parents, and this 'Miss Wilkins' of hers, that Eva had embarked on her path for the same reason as most huntsman, A noble wont to protect others. That was an admirable reason, Aegle thought, and Eva's earnestness was endearing; She thought Eva would make a very good huntress, so long as she could actually fight; No one knew better than she did, that determination could only get one so far. From what Aegle could tell though, Eva certain had the prerequisite fitness, and her late visit to the gym certainly suggested she had the prerequisite drive as well.
Something Eva said made Aegle wonder though... 'When I was sick,' Had she meant general illness, or was there something more specific? Aegle thought of her own family, her own sickness, and could not help but think Eva had meant the latter. Her fingers twitched in her pockets, and her shoulders hunched up, and her eyes studied the blonde girl closely. 'Maybe I ain't so special after all...' she thought, though Eva seemed to be handling things much better than Aegle, that was for sure. Then again, perhaps she really was reading too much into it; She knew next to nothing about these two, after all.
Glancing at Brawn, Aegle let her head hang to one side. "What'bout you?" She asked him, "What's your origin story?" He'd already said his sister had wanted to be a huntress before him, so he wasn't following in an elder sibling's footsteps, as Aegle had disingenuously implied. Were his reasons the same as Eva's then? Was he doing this to protect others? She could believe that of Brawn, with his open face and readiness to help her with the bag, but she'd like to hear his reasons in his own words, if he was willing to share them.
Post by Braun von Baer on Jul 17, 2019 15:12:23 GMT -5
Braun, who suppressed the urge to strike a pose when his strength was commented on, was nodding as the two spoke of what they fought for, but found himself caught off-guard with Aegle's question. "Ah, uh, haha. Yeah, my story's kind of..." He was going to say lame. Compared to being just motivations of doing right by one's family, or helping others, Braun suddenly felt much smaller than the two girls he was with. He swallowed his pride and went on. "So I used to want to be a soldier, just like my dear old dad, and his father before him. There's a military tradition in the family which, like, isn't unheard of back home." Braun's face reddened. "It turns out having to be part of the strict discipline and organization of the army wasn't really... for me." The shame. Though he averted his eyes to the floor, he could feel their gaze burning into him. Of all the people that had to learn he was an army dropout, it had to be fellow Atlesians. Dropout. Schoolwork. Oh no. Braun stiffened as the realization hit him, and the shame abruptly pivoted into urgent fear.
"Uh, sorry for keeping you guys from your business, I've just remembered I've got an essay for biology due tomorrow that I've been putting off for a week and it's crazy late so I've really have got to get on it. Sorry for having to leave so suddenly, It's been great chatting, hopefully I'll see you guys around." Braun hastily made his way out of the Training Facility, angry at himself for procrastinating, and the burning sensation in his face contrasting sharply with the night breeze.
Aegle Verdant -x- 383 words -x- scrutiny intensifies
Evangeline blinked, taken quite by surprise at Braun's sudden departure. He admitted to being a military drop out, which was kind of understandable given how strict Atlas' military requirements were... Evangeline would know. But then he made up an obvious excuse and bolted, leaving the two girls at a loss for words at the sudden change in pace.
Evangeline turned her head to Aegle, the worry and shock still on her face as the blonde would say, "I'm... I'm sure he is alright and just... needs time." Her voice was low but somewhat soothing, as she had guessed that Aegle would definitely feel responsible for making Braun run away like that, given how Aegle had breached the topic to Braun. Evangeline didn't know what to do with Braun, perhaps she'd go and talk to him later, but right now, Aegle was here and was probably distraught over the departure.
So instead, Evangeline shook her head and fixed a small smile of excitement on her lips, going up to Aegle. "Hey, you were punching 'zee bag, oui? You know some'zing about punching? I am trying to learn 'zee punching, can you help me to punch better?" She said, reaching down to clasp Aegle's hands and bring it up between them. A general thing to do when you were making a request to a friend. But doing so brought Aegle's hands up and Evangeline's eyes fell to her wrapped bleeding knuckles.
A soft sound of surprise, and Evangeline's eyes would shoot back up to Aegle's face with concern written plainly on her features. "You are hurt! Why were you not using 'zee aura to not let your knuckles hurt? Why would you train too much? Do you need medical attention?" She spoke, her voice soft and cooing, a very motherly kind of way despite the fact that Evangeline both looked and sounded much younger. This was once more a time that Evangeline wished she had brought her violin, but then again... Her semblance could heal Aura, not actual injuries. She looked back down at the wrappings, the pink stains on the knuckles... And how the shape of the back of the hand seemed to be... odd. A small frown came to her forehead as she inspected that, turning her eyes back up to Aegle questioningly.