[Holly Hock]

[Previously around 06:21, in the forest]

"You are the forest queen..."

Holly repeated the mantra out loud before she was wrapping the bandage another time around her ankle. Sprained, most likely. It didn't feel broken. The pain wasn't that intense, though it was still enough to bring sweat to the girl's brow as she tightly bound the cloth. How could she mess up the landing? The girl looked at her weapon, cursing the blasted device with every bad word she could think off in her head. It was to be a relatively perfect landing strategy Shoot the blade at a thick tree branch, use the momentum from the fall to circle around the branch a few times to slow down. Failed plan. The damn blade didn't remain in the tree trunk when she came soaring down from the sky. Like a stone skipping over water, Holly was launched across the forest floor for moments. Her aura protected her from most of the damage, as did a friendly bush that decided to stand in her way. Still, it did cost her more aura than she wanted, and it didn't even prevent her damn ankle from being strained!

Sigh..."Focus Holly."

Anger will only bring the Grimm, and she was in no state yet to fight it. You got your bush; this has to be your home now for an hour or so. Holly was still in the bush that broke her fall, though she had made it at least a bit more hospitable. Having placed her hands on the branches after she landed in it, she had slowly created a small dome that she could hide in when she was bandaging her ankle. The thick leaves would hide her well enough when she took the time for her ankle to feel less shit. If she could keep the frustration under control, she might not even attract any Grimm for her duration. Others would most likely start fighting the moment they got the chance, so that would be the bigger target for those monster. Stay in your Bush, Holly!

[2 hours later, in the same bush]

Holly poked her head out of the window of what had become her home. While she tried to be attentive of dangers at first, she had gotten bored after the first 30 minutes of waiting for Grimm to attack or for one of her classmates to find her hideaway. She had started to make her temporary dwelling more comfortable. She had pushed the branches and leaves as far away as she could while still keeping somewhat of the appearance of a bush. There was space to sit comfortably enough. She had tried standing on her feet multiple times, but it still hurt. She could walk if she needs to, but not for long. If this assignment was simply survival, she was set. Biggest problem, she needed to destroy at least 5 Grimm before 22 hours passed or she failed the assignment. Honestly, it didn't matter that much is she failed. The others already had a whole half-year of academy life behind them. She? She just got here. So, what if one of the...questionable... staff members were to help her on a mission? As long as she learned; as long as she improved; it was fine. It was alright to not be the best, right? She wasn't destined to become the greatest huntress in history. She was going to complete her three years, get some friends along the way, and return home. Back to Mato-Mato, back to her island. Back to her family. They would start mining their Dust, make enough money to get her sisters a better life. That was what mattered. You do this for them.

Holly was taken out of her introspection when she thought she heard a sound outside of her green safety bubble. Friend or foe? Holly closed the window she had made out of her shrub-dome and replaced it with a tiny viewing hole out of the canopy. Her eyes spied in the direction of the sound for a moment, Slicer in her hands. If it was a lone Grimm she could get a kill in. If it was a person, she would at least have someone to speak to and maybe hunt Grimm with. Hunting Grimm forms friendships with these kinds of people, right? After gazing for another while, a shape appeared in her sight. It was a human, with long ears and a tail. So...not a human, but a Faunus. That was the girl launched before me, wasn't she? Holly didn't wrote down her name or team, but she could remember at least her face...and that it started with Nir? Still, a friend is a friend. Holly made the hole big enough to poke her head out, as she tried to contact the new arrival. Partly thanks to her natural expression, and partly because she needed to set a bit of presure on her foot to get her head out there, Holly didn't look like the happiest bush-turtle when she addressed

"Here Nirya, look at the girl in the Bush!"

-

Words: 850

[Niraya Platinum]

Niraya Platinum
When snow falls, Nature listens.

[attr="class","rainbow"]

Niraya was given her assignment. it was strange how well she sucked at social interaction. but to challenge her on it while surviving in the woods for a day or so. She was not happy about the need to talk to people. hunt grimm is easy enough but to form bonds strong enough for the other person to open up and give them their personal history. She had a mountain to climb before this assignment was finished.

When it was her turn to launch she stands on the platform as it shifts under her suddenly throwing her into the sky. She watches the trees carefully looking for where she was going to land. She pulls out her katana and holds it at the ready. She spots the tree she was going to land in. it wasn't much of a tree but the tree after that one had several branches that would lead her to the ground safer. She readies herself for what she needed to do.

Landing on the first try she doesn't try to stop her momentum but instead shifts it forwards more. She leaps from the first tree onto the second tree and using her katana to cut into the tree spins a quarter of the way down the tree onto a lower branch. she lands on it and slips off her momentum carries her into the next branch that knocks the wind out of her. she slides off of that branch and hits the ground on her back. "could have gone better." As she sits up she could feel where the tree hit her. though her aura absorbed the hit her guts were still jiggling around which made her a little sick to her stomach.

She takes a deep breath and forces the sensation to throw up as far down as she could last thing she needed was to lose her lunch this early. She looks around ears perked up listening for anything that might sound like another hunter or huntress. not hearing anything she decides to follow the sound of a river.

She uses the river as a landmark as she navigates around the local area from the river. "if anyone was going to survive a night in these woods water would be a good place to start." She follows the river for some time trying to find anyone else. Sure enough, she gets what she wanted. she hears someone near her causing her to jump she readies her sword and looks in the direction not seeing anyone. She walks forward katana at the ready. It's about that time she spots the angry little bush looking at her. "Hi...ugh. bush lady...any particular reason for the camo?"

Niraya looks at this girl with her head tilted. her ears, on the other hand, were sweeping back and forth listening for any other noise whether it be grimm or some other hunter or huntress. So far all she was hearing was just the normal forest background noises followed by maybe a grim howling. She waits for the little bush to answer her before continuing the conversation.

WC:517

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[Holly Hock]

Holly felt the odd sensation of wanting to pet those ears as her eyes were focused upon them. Their movement was almost enchanting, like watching a dog's ears. Wait, was that bigoted? The pink-haired bush turtle nodded to the question as she explained her perilous situation, keeping the same emotion on her face. "Ankle sprained, needed time to recover." She said it as straightforward as humanly possible, though soon she added another sentence that at least betrayed that she was a person and not a weird forest creature. "My name is Holly. Holly Hock. Dandelion. I saw you getting launched before me. You were quiet, didn't scream." The monotone nature of the statement didn't placed Holly in the most positive light though. Not that Miss Bush seemed to notice that as she placed her hand on the branch from on her side.

Soon, the leaves and wood that formed the bush opened up and a hole large enough to crawl through formed in the canopy. The head was still near it, seemingly unmoving safe for the mouth that opened and the occasional blinking of two magenta eyes looking up at Niraya. "It is easier to talk in the bush. Get in, and I will help you with your task. Maybe."

It was honestly a rather big maybe. Holly didn't remember the task that the Fox Faunus had, and even if she remembered it could be of a set she didn't even know anything about. What if it was their task to lie, or to make other students fail their tasks? Like in a, "you can never trust anybody other than yourself"-kind of lesson? Holly could totally hear ANY of the faculty she had met say that line.

So, caution was needed. If this person wanted to be Holly's partner and friend, they needed to get on her turf. In a bush, in a forest, during a dangerous training exercise.

It was a nice bush, after all.

-

Words: 324

[Niraya Platinum]

Niraya Platinum
When snow falls, Nature listens.

[attr="class","rainbow"]

Niraya tilts her head when the bush lady mentioned she was injured. how severe was unknown but a sprain isn't anything fetal unless she was lying to keep Niraya from worrying. Though this did the opposite effect. Then the bush lady finally introduced herself. Holly Hock a dandelion. from what she remembered dandelion's needed to slay 5 grimm. While Niraya just needed to get 5 personal bits of information slaying 5 grimm was more of a challenge for most who were injured.

Niraya bows to her. "Nice to meet you Holly my name is Niraya." Holly then opened up the bush so Niraya could crawl inside and invited her in. Niraya looks around one last time not seeing or hearing anything she crawls into the bush. as she sits in the slightly cramp bush she notices the bandages on Holly's leg. Niraya was nice and formed a small chunk of ice with her semblance and puts it on the leg.

She then looks up at Holly. "So why hide in a bush? there are plenty of hollowed-out trees with far more room than this shrub." Niraya tries to take up as little of the space as she could her ears twitching every now and then to listen out for anything outside of the bush. after she gets one answer Niraya would then ask another. "If you are going to help me with my task. then can I ask you for something personal." Niraya blushes a bit it was clear she was feeling bad about prying her way into Holly's history. "Just you know. a story from your past...or something."

WX: 269

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[Holly Hock]

Brrr! Holly shivered slightly as the lump of ice as place on the bandage, the girl seeming surprised of the girl's power and action. Still, she understood as well that this would most likely help her out so the pin-haired girl merely nodded her head in thanks for the cold treatment. Keeping swollen things cold helped. To the question of why Holly had been hiding in her comfortable little bush, she was characteristically brief. "I landed here, didn't wanted to crawl further." It would be more trouble than it worth if she tried to make a tree suitable when she had this hollowed-out bush. Sure, you couldn't hold a tea-party here, but it served its purposes.

Holly just kept her eyes on Niraya's ears as they twitched and moved, and it was quite obvious that she was staring at this point. Still, despite being captivated the island girl simply started to rattle off the first story that came to her little mind. Either because she had little shame or because she didn't thought much of it, she just spoke about it. She seemed little interested in the account she gave, as her eyes ere more focused on the ears in front of her eyes.

"When I was eleven years old I had a crush on a Faunus soldier that was stationed on my island. He had brown rabbit ears and I called him Hopper in my head. He was like twenty or something, and I was eleven." The girl didn't seem to know when she had said enough to make it count as a personal story, so she just continued. Her features seemed to lighten up for a moment, though it was not enough to form a full smile on her face. "He was kind and didn't shouted at me unlike some of the other soldiers when my sister and I did things we shouldn't have.

-

Words: 316

[Niraya Platinum]

Niraya Platinum
When snow falls, Nature listens.

[attr="class","rainbow"]

Niraya was gentle on her application of ice. she wasn't looking to hurt Holly more to ease her pain. as Niraya sat there her ears were sweeping around for any sounds that were unusual. From the look on Holly's face she was just staring at her ears. Niraya had to get Holly to focus so she could tell niraya her backstory. Which niraya promptly adds to her scroll and saves the file.

once Holly was finished Niraya looks at her and smiles. "Thank you Holly that helps me out...but what about you. you said you were a dandelion right? that means you need to slay 5 grimm." Niraya was now looking worriedly at her. She wasn't sure if Niraya could fight the beast with her or not she didn't want someone to fail on her behalf.

WC: 136

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[Holly Hock]

Of course Holly knew well and good that it was rude to stare and while it took her oodles of willpower, Holly managed to fix her gaze downwards towards Niraya's eyes. There was an odd sense of determination in the eyes of the pink haired girl when her task was discussed. The forest queen now had help. A servant...no...a forest knight! After thinking about it for a while, Holly seemed to have made up a plan so cunning and devious, that many a strategic mastermind would be baffled at its simplistic complexity. "We do it from the Bush."

Holly looked Niraya straight in the eyes as she continued with her master plan. "Form more ice around my bandaged foot. It will be cold and I will get annoyed by it, as I can't stand the cold. I will get frustrated and angry with you, but not too much, and that will attract some Grimm to our bush. We jump out and ambush them when they come near, what you can hear with those big ears of yours." While hating your new teammates on mission was not an ideal situation, Holly wasn't in a state to go trekking through the forest just yet. She could maybe endure a small fight or skirmish, but if she needed to travel for it as well, it would be a problem.

Fort Shrubbery has never been taken in recorded history. They will endure.

-
Words: 238

[Niraya Platinum]

Niraya Platinum
When snow falls, Nature listens.

[attr="class","rainbow"]

When Holly's eyes finally moved away from her ears Niraya would smile at her. She sits there thinking a bit for how they could at least hunt one before Niraya had to leave her to find another person. Niraya tilts her head when Holly suggested we do it front he bush. "ok?" Holly was kind enough to explain the idea in further detail. Niraya would nod agreeing to the idea.

Niraya grabs Holly's leg gently and beings forming ice on her hand. the contact would make her leg getting painfully cold but Niraya was limiting how cold it got to prevent harming Holly too much. she would be suffering that is for sure but for the plan to work they would need the negative emotions to draw one out. Niraya's ears would keep sweeping listening. sure enough, she would hear what sounds like twigs snapping somewhere close by.

WC: 184

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[Holly Hock]

Holly didn't prepare herself at all for the cold that was to come. If she did that she wouldn't get mad enough about it. Holly had no idea if Grimm could smell fake anger, but this wasn't the situation to find out. Better to be truly angry. The moment the ice started to form; Holly needed a moment to truly process the cold. But when she did, she really expressed it. Half-Faux or not.

"Why did you make it that cold! You turnip head! You soggy banana! Do you want my leg to be an ice-cube! I WILL EAT YOU!" Anger seemed to come way more natural to the girl than smiling ever did, and her head seemed to show a few more shades closer to her hair colour while doing so. While her insults subsided, she remained sitting there as she pouted, trying to remain smouldering. She had to make certain that she apologized later, though. She herself did not heard the snapping of a twig, thanks to her absence of floppy ears, but she did already have her weapon in her hands. No way any Grimm would resist that sweet Holly anger. Fruit insults are the truest expression of rage.

-

Words: 202

[Niraya Platinum]

Niraya Platinum
When snow falls, Nature listens.

[attr="class","rainbow"]

Niraya keeps Holly's leg cold even after she hears the twig. Sure enough, she was starting to hear the low breathing of a Beowulf. at this point, Niraya's ears stop twitching pointing just behind holly. Niraya slowly moves her hand off of Holly's leg which begins to warm back up at this point. Niraya grabs her sword and pulls both the sword and the sheath. She grips onto the sheath prepping for an alpha strike. Niraya was the first to react leaping out of the bush just over Holly. Niraya was surprisingly fast. With sheath in hand, she shoves it into the Beowulf's mouth and pulling its head away from holly. "Sup fido!" Niraya had the Beowulf distracted sitting on his shoulders and controlling his head with the sheath in its mouth.

WC: 131

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[Holly Hock]

Holly was still too caught up in a mixture of anger, pain and frustration to hear the scurrying of the Beowolf outside. Luckily, she became well aware that there was a Grimm outside the shrub when Niraya jumped through the leafage. Holly was less quick on the draw, as she needed to make sure to not stand up with her wrong leg. It was painful AND cold now! Still, couldn't let Niraya do this alone. This was Holly's plan after all. The girl did an awkward leap out of the bush with a less than graceful one-legged spring. Graceful grasshopper that she was, Holly landed on the top side of the bush belly down. She recovered quickly and got into a somewhat combat ready position near Niraya and the Beowulf with Slicer in front of her. The playful buzzing could not mask Holly shouting with an odd sense of determination. "Bring his head to me and I will slice him like a ripe banana!"

-

Words: 162

[Niraya Platinum]

Niraya Platinum
When snow falls, Nature listens.

[attr="class","rainbow"]

Niraya fights with the Beowolf as it tries to throw her off. She keeps the beowolf at bay. every time it tries to strike her she would shoot an ice spike at the hand knocking it away. After a bit of struggle, Holly was finally ready for a fight. poor girl being forced to kill stuff like this. She had a plan and Niraya was ready to help. Niraya pulls out her katana and stabs it into the beowolf's snout before flipping over his head using both the sheath and the katana to pull the beowolf's head down to the ground. It growls in anger as Niraya keeps its head down. its claws digging into the ground trying to pull free of Niraya's hold.

WC: 124

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[Holly Hock]

Holly looked at the impressive swordplay of Niraya and when she started to notice what she was about to do, the pink haired embodiment of slicing and dicing got into action. Again. More graceful this time, she hopped of the bush and onto the Beowolf moments after it hit the ground. The girl landed right on top of the large monstrosity, almost getting cut by a wild claw swing as she came down. With the precision of a half-drunk surgeon Holly jabbed the metal blade into the black neck of the beast. It whirled happily as the weapon cut through the collar of the Grimm with a steady pace. The beast squirmed and howled for a moment till his head came clean off. Like a ripe banana.

The beast started to evaporate quickly, and Holly was again too slow on the draw to look competent. The girl fell down in the black mist, that didn't taste or smell any kinds of nice, before she made contact with the ground. All things considered, it was most likely a smarter move than landing on her wrong foot. Holly flicked away stand of hair that got in front of her eyes as she looked up at Niraya. Her deadpan expression seeming to indicate that she was at least over her anger from earlier. "I am not always this rough. I blame the ice." An attempt at comedy to lightening the mood, as she tried to get back on her feet again.

-

Words: 248

[Niraya Platinum]

Niraya Platinum
When snow falls, Nature listens.

[attr="class","rainbow"]

Niraya holds the beasts head its claws flailing around trying to hit Niraya as Holly leaps onto it. within a few seconds, the beast's head was removed. Niraya had the beast's head for the few moments it wasn't mist. as the mist cleared she could see Holly laying on the ground trying to be calm but it was clear the leg was still bothering her. "Come on let's get you back in your bush." Niraya walks over and helps Holly back onto her feet before pulling her back over to her bush. "I can't stay with you the whole time I will need to find others. and you are limited to only groups of two so since you need to hunt more grimm you will need to find some more people to team up with." Niraya gently sets Holly back down in her bush.

WC:144

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[Holly Hock]

Holly was being led like a child to her bed, being told by her mother that it was time to take a nap. At least that was how it felt. Holly looked at Niraya with big eyes, seeming to understand by her words that she was about to be dropped. Like a hot potato. Who also couldn't walk. Was she that useless at the moment? The realization came to Holly that she made a terrible mistake. In a latch ditch effort to not be abandoned, Holly spoke to Niraya right before she was placed on her comfortable bush. She sounded like a sad puppy would if they could talk. "I wasn't really going to eat you, if you are afraid of that."

Still, Holly felt like the damage was already done. She was horrible in that fight AND she threatened to devour a possible friend and ally. Did she take it that serious? Holly had heard the rumours once that Faunus ate humans during the war. Did Niraya eat people, and does she now think that Holly will do the same? While she had never seen a Faunus eat a person, she also didn't met every faunus. Maybe some of them did and she just didn't know it? Nah, but maybe if she was a tiger Faunus? After being lowered on the shrubbery, Holly seemed to have accepted her fate. She placed her hands on the bush as she gives a disheartened nod to Niraya. "I hope to speak with you in class one day. I will not eat you there as well."

-

Words: 263