[Aegle Verdant]

The day had finally arrived, and Aegle could barely contain herself. After all the struggles, the confusion, the self doubt, and the overwhelming sense of inadequacy that had characterized her days since the midterms, the thought of returning to the beatific simplicity of the wilderness didn't merely excite her, it pulled at her like a moth unto a flame. Getting through the day's classes had almost been more than she could handle, and she'd been nearly too distracted to complete her morning exercises. Now that the classes were done, and it was time to meet up with her teammates, Aegle was all but vibrating with emotion. She took the steps down from her dorm room three at a time, clanking and whirring all the way, her heavy pack waving all the way. Her rolling, ambling, limping gait all but floated across the quad, feeling light as a feather for all the weight of steel and supplies massed unevenly upon her crooked shoulders. She'd asked the interested members to meet her out front of the Grand Hall as soon as they were done classes and ready to leave, her intention being to find a campsite before nightfall.

Aegle had done her homework, in so much as she had reviewed maps of the forest and put together as much of an itinerary as seemed appropriate for the scale of their trip. Given that she'd been looking forward to this excursion ever since she'd first floated the idea with her class, it was no understatement to say she'd put a great deal of thought into it, and what she hoped to accomplish by it. Getting away from the Academy for a weekend not withstanding, Aegle hoped the trip might get her a bit more used to giving others instructions, and that having a few people listening to her say-so might give her some idea of how to do the same with her entire class. More importantly, it was a way to get to know those specific participants a little better, and learn where their particular abilities lay. Carm, Aegle already knew well enough, but Qiu'li and Alexandros she'd only really interacted with on a handful of occasions, and the Midterms hadn't been the best means of getting to know either of them. Solomon Moon, the sad eyed and strangely intense new comer, Aegle didn't even know that much. He'd started at Haven just before the start of the Midterms and, with the exception of having spectated a couple of sparring matches between Qiu'li and herself, hadn't done much to be involved with his classmates. Nasrin didn't like him, for whatever reason, but she was the only person in the class who seemed to know all that much about Solomon, and she didn't care that much for Aegle either so who was to say what her opinion might be worth?

Hopefully, a bit of time away from the Academy would be just what Solomon needed to get to know his new classmates, and for her to get to know him. She remembered well what it had felt like to be new and out of one's depth, and helping someone through similar travails seemed like the sort of thing a Captain ought to do. A grin etched itself into her face at that thought, repressing a sudden sense of nerves born of the mere reminder that there might be other people depending upon her; It was still an uncomfortable notion for Aegle.
'Smile,' Aaron had told her, and so Aegle did just that.

Coming into sight of the Grand Hall, Aegle's excited limping lope faltered somewhat. She was surprised to see, despite having cut out of class early for the express purpose of being first to the rendezvous, that someone had beaten her to it. A tall, lank figure, all sharp angles and hard planed, like a manshape wrought from pieces of broken glass.
'But if it ain't Solomon Moon,' Aegle thought, slowing to a limp as she approached, 'speak of the devil...'
Not knowing him very well herself, Aegle could well appreciate why Solomon was so unknown among the rest of the class. The man threw off an air of, if not menace, at least unpredictability. Aegle couldn't have said exactly what that was, and struggled to put one single word to the collection of feelings and impressions she was given to as she approached the waiting huntsman. If not a violent man, he was at least the sort who'd seen his fair share. The most obvious sign of this past experience, Solomon wore on his face, poorly concealed behind a veil of dark hair. The scar ran ragged up his face, connecting chin to crown, a vivid reminder of some past injury which Aegle did not want to imagine. It was that suggestive type of scar, evocative of some pitched battle and clash of blades, so hideously picturesque that half a hundred characters from Paeon's comics bore the same. On those characters, the scar had a tempering quality. It galvanized an idea, a concept, of hard edged martial confidence and a hard lived life. It made those characters look dangerous, but romantic, and almost picturesque in their disfigurement. It did none of these things for Solomon Moon. Though obviously older than she was, he was still young when compared to the scarred men from those comics, and seeing him so similarly maimed had less an air of grizzled competence and more a sense of tragedy to it. Aegle, having some experience with things being done which could not be undone, felt less a sense of awe and deference than she did cautious sympathy.

"Nice and early, aye?" The crooked girl chirped, "Wasn't expectin' anyone to beat me here."
'Not when I cut class especially for the occasion.'
Aegle grinned, to show she wasn't put off by Solomon's questionable promptness, and let her head hang to one side as she looked him over. He was dressed in what could almost have passed for parade gear, back in Atlas, complete with a blue enameled breastplate which looked strangely vestigial beneath a well-cut dress jacket and pants. His boots especially looked like something out of high-atlesian military chique, and not like the sort of thing one would want to do any hiking in. Still, she wasn't one to judge, not when judging would have made her a hypocrite. Her heavy laced boots couldn't have looked any less suited to hiking than the shin high parade boots Solomon was wearing, and her drooping cargopants were no less absurd than the parade pants he was wearing.
'And at least his jacket's all of a single piece.' Aegle's hoodie was still torn and stripped from her midterm tussle with the boarbatusk, giving it the appearance of a piece of clothing intentionally shredded for some incomprehensible reason. It was so badly cut up that it could no longer be relied on to keep the cold out and so, in place of the usual simple tank she would usually wear, Aegle had one a thick, long sleeved sweater beneath. This nod to practicality only served to emphasize just how superfluous the hoodie was however, making it look even more absurd.
"No tent, I see." Aegle observed approvingly. She'd specifically forbid tents. Nasrin and Jackie had built a shelter during their midterm, and that had seemed like an excellent project for this group to work on together, not to mention a vital skill to practice. Solomon's backpack also had something of the Army in it, and made his strangely pristine parade dress all the more disparate as a result. Camo green and made from coarse and durable canvas, it couldn't have been any more unlike the jacket, pants and boots the hunter was dressed in. It looked like something he would have gotten from an Atlesian military surplus, which was to say it closely resembled Aegle's own pack in color, design, material, and overall bulkiness. Not quite the same as the packs used by the Army but, if not a brother, then clearly a close cousin. Unlike hers, his was also mostly in one piece; Aegle's, after being savaged by a creep during the midterms, bore more than a few scars, where tears had been somewhat shoddily sewn closed, with what looked suspiciously like fishing line and iron wire.

As with the midterm, Aegle had packed what she considered to be essential to the two day excursion and not a gram more. A few snacks, a few spare batteries, maintenance and cleaning tools, a heavily dented canteen, two changes of clothes, toilet paper, and a sleeping bag. On top of that, she'd also packed a map of the region, her scroll, some emergency flares, and about twenty meters of rope, spools of fishing line and twine, and a few MREs, though she intended that their meals should come from the flora and fauna in the area where they would be camping.

Aside from tents, Aegle hadn't given any particular instructions on what the other campers could and couldn't bring, except to stipulate that everyone would need to carry their own equipment. She wondered what Solomon had packed, what essential things he couldn't go two days without, then wondered the same for Qiu'li, Alexandros, and Carmim.

She blinked, then abruptly stuck out her hand, a chagrined look spreading across her pale face.
"M'Aegle, by the way, don't reckon we've ever been introduced all proper, y'know?" Her highland accent and her rushed way of speaking seemed to make one word of the first five she spoke. It seemed a little absurd, now that she considered it, that they'd never really exchanged names but that she knew his and he almost certainly knew hers, and here she was introducing herself anyway. She tittered a little, then shifted her shoulders awkwardly beneath the straps of her pack. "Reckon I should've lead with that, aye?"

---

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[Solomon Moon]

Solomon

"Atlesian forces eager to make good use of their heavy artillery pieces, had taken the northern Hills of Muse Heights, granting their firepower an advantageous view of Dune. From that position their cannons could strike just about anywhere in the city limits. With lessons learned from the previous campaign, which had been nicknamed the "Sparkling Wine Offensive," it was the intention to lure Vacuo into committing their forces to retake the city, and suffer catastrophic losses, committing infantry against fortified artillery. The Vacution command saw only one avenue of mounting an offensive. Trying to assault the Atlesian artillery in the open field would have been suicidal, as the Atlesian guns already boasted a significant range advantage, multiplied by their elevated position, and would have been able to bombard any attempt to bring Vacution guns into range long before it would be possible for their opponents to return fire. Dune was a indeed a valuable position, but not valuable enough to justify pulling reserves back from the front line where fighting had devolved into attack/counter-attack warfare further along the Vacuo border, but Vacution General Peters could not tolerate such a loss to the hands of his enemies, being a former resident of the contested city, and against the counsel of his advisers, committed a sizable portion of the reserves from the western front, to assault the city." Professor Carling droned on, as he stood before a projection of a grainy black and white still of Dune's roads, at least how they had been laid out before Atlesian shells had reduced most of the city to rubble.

The Battle of Dune was an infamous engagement from the Great War, boasting some of the heaviest losses in a single day of the entire decade long war. It had come to serve as a cautionary tale, as a grim and tragic example of the wagering that great commanders had made with human lives, for some of the pettiest reasons. Atlesian command was rightly vilified for a scheme that had been concocted to achieve no objective greater than slaughtering as many opposing soldiers as was possible. They had never sincerely intended to hold the city, and over the following weeks of bloody conflict would reduce much of the once thriving city to little better than a smoldering graveyard. After all was said and done, Atlas had simply abandoned Muse heights and set fire to their own guns to prevent Vacuo from salvaging them. It was a hideous example of human capacity for cruelty and violence, of reduction of individual lives to something little better than arithmetic. The height of the fighting claimed more than fifty thousand lives, and many times that in casualties for Vacuo, and Atlas did little better, committing near as many of their own in pursuit of the insidious scheme. Fifty thousand souls, sent back to the mud, fifty thousand men spent to buy a bombed out crater that had once been home to almost a million, seemingly as callously as Sol would spend a couple lien to purchase painkillers. It was but one battle spanning a little less than half a year, of a war that lasted ten. Whatever the objectives of the war had been, the Battle of Dune's only purpose had been for either side to demonstrate just how many lives they were willing to waste in pursuit of victory.

Sol gazed about the hall, looking from one face to the next, gauging the effect that the lecture was having upon them. Military History was an elective class, and thus more sparsely populated than most, and those that were present spanned the gamut from looking a bit bored, to thoroughly disengaged, to furiously scribbling down notes for the inevitable test. None seemed to share the very real feeling of sickness that was rising like bile out of Sol's guts. But then again, Sol supposed that not many of them had ever seen what an honest to goodness artillery barrage looked like first hand. He supposed none of them had ever been near the Atlesian heavy guns, the kind that were so loud that just being near one when it fired could do a man injury, at least not when it was unleashed upon an apposing force. He supposed that none of them had ever been shelled, that none of them had heard the whistle that the rounds made as they fell, nor felt the vibration through the earth as it hit. For them, this was an abstract thing, but for him, it was something he had lived. Though perhaps nowhere near the scale of the Battle of Dune, Sol knew in his bones, if not the type of terror those soldiers, funneled into the city by the thousand, had felt as their friends, and brothers were torn to ribbons by shell fire, at least something very similar. He'd seen what a well aimed HE Round could do to a man, turning an aura trained warrior to nothing but a smudge in the air that could be blown away by a breeze, and he'd felt the air buzz as shrapnel faster than could be seen whizzed by him. But he'd also ordered it done as well, with no more passion than moving a piece in a game of chess he'd commanded positions shelled, and felt nothing as he marched through the ruins. It was that knowledge, that knowledge that he could be both of those men, at once the soldier huddled in a trench, unable to hear his own screaming over the thunder of the shells, and that man miles away from the fight, erasing lives without as much as a second thought, that turned his stomach.

"BOOM!" Sol nearly leaped clean out of his skin, chair clattering to the floor as he jumped up from his desk and spun to face the front of the room. He found Professor Carling standing beside a grainy image of a smoking cannon. Sol recognized the design as being Atlesian, and watched, a bit dumfounded as tiny black and white men scrambled up, their movements uncanny and jerk due to the inconsistent frame-rate that was common to films made during the era of the great war, and started to load another round into the big gun. It reported again, and Sol flinched. The whole class was staring at him, and Carling had broken off mid sentence to join them. Sol swallowed, feeling exposed, white face and wide eye looking washed out as the projection shone through and around him.

"Mr. Moon?" Carling said, a bit of a nervous smile forming, "Did you want to add something to the lecture?"

Sol shook his head, unable to trust himself to speak without throwing up, heart hammering in his chest like a hummingbird on combat stimulants. He swallowed the sick that was climbing up out of his belly, and pointed uncertainly towards the door.

"Feeling sick..." He murmured weakly in his gravelly voice, "Something I ate, maybe."

Carling looked unconvinced, concern amplified, but eventually nodded. "Of course... Go see Dr. Haragatani then." He said, and Sol was already moving by the third syllable, staggering as if drunk towards the door. He felt like he couldn't breath, and labored to keep his rate of respiration under control as he shoved throught the door and into the hall. Carling's voice followed him out into the hall.

"As I was saying, the Moses was the backbone of Atlas' artillery, firing 21cm diameter High Explosive shells, up to two kilometers out at an effective accuracy of..." It cut off as Sol slid the door shut, left hand trembling on the handle.

He was pathetic. What kind of general couldn't stand the sound of cannon fire? Sol didn't know the answer to his own question, but what he did know was that he couldn't show his face back in that room for the rest of the day. The shame would kill him as surely as catching a 21cm shell in his mouth would. He knew he couldn't go to Haragatani either. Their last encounter hadn't ended on the best terms, and Sol wasn't ready to face her again either. There was a chance that another nurse would be there, but it didn't seem to be worth the risk, and even if he got lucky, what was he supposed to say?

"Sorry to bother you. But we were watching videos of old Atlesian artillery in class, and now I feel like I might be dying."

Nonsense, they would think he was mad... Or at least more mad than most of the school already thought he was. He was enough of a damn pariah as it was. He could at least tolerate his classmates thinking he was a unstable sociopath who might try to murder them at any instant, but to be thought a coward? Unconscionable, impossible. He didn't like their caution, or their fear, but he liked it a lot more than their pity.

That left little other options.

---

The woods that surrounded the quad had the strangest ability to calm him. One might have thought he'd his fill of forests after that last campaign, and it was true, that Sol nevery felt entirely comfortable among the trees, where every trunk could conceal an enemy, where the tall grass could conceal tiger-traps, and the branches grenades ingeniously connected to trip wires hidden in the brush below, but he didn't feel especially comfortable enclosed within the walls of a building either, where his options of retreat were limited by doors and windows, where the walls could be blown down, or the roofs caved in, trapping him under a mountain of rubble. It wasn't a question of feeling safe, because truth be told, Sol hadn't felt safe since that night in northern Mistral when insurgents had ambushed the MCC with himself and his father inside. It was a question of what was familiar, and though they both averaged about the same level of threat, over the past few years, Sol had spent a lot more time in the forest, moving on foot, leading a fire team, than all his time under a roof put together. Better the devil you know, after all...

He had a pair of headphones over his ears, playing classic orchestra in the Valanese style. He didn't really like classical music, and definitely did not like to be deprived of a sense that had saved his life more than a few times, but his therapist had told him once that loud music could serve to ground him in the present, and ward off the worst of his anxiety attacks. Sol didn't know if it was working, he still felt just as wound up as he had when he stumbled out of Military History, but at least he didn't feel like he might be sick now. He was still having to manage his breathing, making conscious counts of four in time with each stage of the respiration process, and it was distracting him from appreciating the gentle lilting tones of classic instruments, not that he appreciated classical music much at the best of times. He'd grown up listening to the same music as his family forces, spending a great deal of his free time on base. Predictably, career cutthroats, mercenaries, sellswords and soldiers didn't listen to a lot of violin or chello. Hard rock, metal, full of bass, heavy guitar, and vocals that could pass for the furious roars of Grimm had been what Sol called "music" growing up, and the genre still made up the majority of his taste. However, the whole purpose of piping music directly into his head, and a genre of music that often revolved around themes of death, battle, and rejection of authority seemed like a poor choice for that purpose. he felt somewhat ridiculous trying to trade the grunge of guitar for the shrill of a fiddle, like an impostor, like a tiger trying to pass for a house-cat by wearing a cute pink collar. It was a sensation he felt often since coming to Haven, fresh out of a hospital, and fresh out of a war-torn jungle just ahead of that. It was enough to make him reconsider the whole exercise of trying to return to civilization.

His brooding was interrupted as a child with the loudest hairstyle Sol had ever seen ambled up to him, sporting a lopsided grin nearly as crooked as she was. Her face showed not a hint of the skeptical caution Sol was used to having others regard him with. Most children would hide their faces at the sight of him. Sol only realized a moment later that what he'd taken for a child was actually just a really short girl, perhaps a half dozen years younger than himself. She wore a backpack, seemingly held together with wishes and fairy dust, with a hoody to match, the same obnoxious eye-biting orange as he hair. It was the sort of style someone would inflict on a child they were afraid of losing, because surely the girl's fashion sense was visible from orbit.

"Nice and early, aye? Wasn't expectin' anyone to beat me here." She chattered off like a verbose little machine pistol, an accent of the Atlesian highlands obvious in her notable lack of annunciation, seemingly so cheerful that it was shocking to Sol's own dark mood.
"No tent, I see. M'Aegle, by the way, don't reckon we've ever been introduced all proper, y'know? Reckon I should've lead with that, aye?" She blurted out before Sol could get a word in edgewise, her pronunciation making each word as short as possible as if they were tripping over each other to spill out of her crooked little mouth.

Sol's own brain took a few moments to catch up to all the girl had said, seemingly at once. He realized that this was supposed to be Aegle Verdant, Red's Class captain. It had to be a joke, there was no way. This girl looked less like a leader and more like the stories of greedy little folk he'd heard legends of from the soldiers in his family's employ that hailed from the most northern reaches of Solitas. He shifted his gaze around, half looking for a pot of gold coins hidden somewhere nearby. He would have accused the girl of trying to fool him, of trying to play some sort of trick, were it not for the bald earnestness of her expression, and the manner that seemed to imply a lethal lack of subtlety. It was probably best just to answer her and remain skeptical.

"The instructions were clear." He responded, his voice a husky grind, that made it sound like he had a jagged jumble of shale instead of a voice box, as he pushed himself off of the trunk he was leaning against and glanced over his shoulder at his own backpack, before turning back to regard the girl, face somewhat unsure, "I'm Solomon. I understand you're the CO of our division?"

Sol slipped his pack off his shoulder, catching the strap in the crook of his right elbow. The arm, garbed in a long sleeve and black leather glove, did no so much as budge, despite the obvious heft of the bag. Sol flicked the buckles open with his left hand, and opened the flap for Aegle to see inside. Inside was an assortment of gear, all carefully stowed with surgical neatness. Sol's understanding of the occasion was less comparable to an excursion of leisure and more akin to a military deployment. As far as he was concerned, this was a mission, and what he'd chosen to bring with reflected that essential mindset. If the fact that he'd arrived at the rendevous in literal armor weren't indication enough of his attitude, the three loaded magazines of fire dust, a match for the kriegmesser on his left hip, tucked into loops beneath the flap of his pack would have given it away. Tied carefully beside them was a set of mechanical tools, of a similar make and design as the ones that Aegle no doubt had in her own pack, right down to the manufacturer, all snugly rolled up in a leather tool pouch. The main pouch of the back was partitioned. One partition contained a few changes of clothes, a waterproof jacket, all rolled up and folded tightly. In the next pouch were three freeze dried meals, a bag of dried meat, some chocolate, a pack of cigarettes, and a bag of coffee. In the final partition was a leather bound journal, tied closed, with a red ribbon marking a page near the middle of the book, that one might recognize as the sort of ribbons given to the Roses during the midterms. In the side pouches, which Sol showed in turn, with the sort of familiarity for the task that spoke of the hundreds of such inspections he'd taken part in over the course of a short military career, were collections of spare parts, some clearly intended for the firing mechanism of his sword, while others were more obscure and organic in their style, and on the other side a dented canteen, a few pencils and a compass, as well as folded piece of parchment which may have been a map. Finally, bundled with his bedroll, which was itself rolled up in a tarpaulen, was a set of batter looking tin cutlery, a spork, a knife, a dented tin cup with a stylized image of Remnant's moon etched into the side, and a small two portion frying pan. Lastly, in the top most pocket of the bag, was a med kit, complete with most of the essentials for performing wilderness first aid, a few bottles of prescription medication, and what looked like a single use dust charge, likely a type of flare, though no gun into which it might be loaded was in evidence.

@tag

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Velvet of WW

[Alexandros Skouriá]

So I was thinkin maybe campin together might be good as a team building exercise I guess

That was the message that had found its way into the newly-created group chat for Lucian Van Sange's 'red' class, a suggestion from none other than its leader herself: Aegle Verdant.
Alexandros Skouriá, still indebted to the girl after that battle with the boarbatusk, had no reason to refuse the open offer.

Five, including Alex, would be going together over a weekend for a camping trip in the sprawling forest which surrounded the city, the very same forest where the Haven initiation and midterm examination had taken place. It seemed rather fitting that upon this second voluntary visit, the young Skouriá wear not the school's uniform but instead his preferred casual clothing; whether or not luck would prove to be on their side concerning the threat of Grimm would not matter, as the brawler -- and gunslinger, as required -- had a great familiarity with how his usual three layers moved in a fight. Uncharacteristically, however, was the presence of a stitched-whole, faintly bloodied yellow ribbon tied across the palm and backside of his left hand. Dandelion team, he had been assigned to, had been thrown into the deep end to score a number of kills, and the xanthous strip was a perfect reminder of his passing.

The only explicit 'rule' which was to be followed for the camping trip was the strict prohibition of tents or swags; the idea was that the five would cooperate out in the forest to create a suitable shelter for their little stint. It was not only for the practical purposes of learning how to build a decent hut or campsite, but for the benefits of teamwork and personal bonding that would assuredly come with it. Out in the forest, the lot of them would have to rely on one another as necessary -- not that it would be some sort of horrible life-or-death ordeal, or even that it would somehow be similar to their recent midterm examinations, but there would still be a fundamental need for Alex and the other four to work together to the best of their abilities for their weekend away to go smoothly. So, there would be no readily-available, easily-setup protection from the elements, and instead in its place an excuse to play architect with everything nature would offer. Aegle clearly had a vision for what she wanted her class to achieve, and to be dedicated to achieving this vision would be part of the fun.
Aegle's class, Alex thought. It's funny.
She was a good pick for a leader, the boy had decided since it was announced that the current school year was to be split in half, with some under the guidance of Verdant and all others instead under Deraine. Based on how the day had played out, both parties held an interest in adding him to their teams, but -- equally surprising, and not at all surprising -- it seemed the crooked little boxer valued Alex enough to bid two points. Valued, or something else which needed the two to be in the company of one another.

Part of Alexandros still was not sure of the... 'mood' between the two of them; when first they had met, in the gym, the young Skouriá had made such a horrendously embarrassing first impression -- one absolutely dripping in cringeworthy, pathetic weakness of character -- that she had rather plainly, and fairly, professed hatred for the boy; that was before the day-long examination in the forest, however, where both he and Verdant had saved the lives of one another and assuredly grown closer for their troubles. Then came the bonfire, and the openness, and the understanding it seemed to represent.
Yet still, stuck in the back of his mind, out of view but ever-present, were those dreadful four words; "I might hate you," she had said so clearly, with not an ounce of the hesitation or fear which brought the black-haired brawler to his knees in a state of pure emotional distress.

Ah, but that was all in the past.
Things were better, surely.
Well, hopefully.
Probably.
Maybe.

Right?

Ahead of the weekend trip away from the academy, Alexandros had packed quite a lot. It had started out as a much smaller and specific selection of equipment and apparel but quickly snowballed into an assortment requiring much more space than his usual bag had to offer. What began as changes of clothes, water canteen, some towels and basic toiletries, blanket and bedroll, his combined medical and sewing kit, converted miniature stove, and some ammunition for Thrash blossomed to further include a heavy-duty camping kettle and teacups (and, of course, tea leaves for brewing), a medium-size lidded metal cooking pot, serving bowls and some cheap second-hand cutlery -- well washed, of course -- for eating meals, wooden spoon and ladle, a whole host of ingredients which would last the short length of time at 'room' temperature such as vegetables and flour and salted butter, a small hatchet for splitting firewood and shovelling coals, a hunting knife, and... well, quite a lot, really; the duffel bag had no hope of containing all of it, leaving the boy with no other choice than a huge hiking backpack filled not only on the inside but along its outside too by way of tight straps and carabiner clips.
Oh, and most importantly of all: marshmallows. Huge ones, too -- and bamboo skewers for roasting them on.

Yes, indeed, it seemed that Alex was the only one who had shown any sort of initial eagerness to cook for the short trip away, and had planned accordingly just a little... well, not a little at all, but that wasn't the point! While it was always a consideration that the five could hunt wild game or forage for edible plants and berries and mushrooms, there was no harm in having a decent selection of other items to fall back on and enhance a meal. Slow-cooked stews would be on the menu, for they were a simple dish which Alex would find little difficulty in preparing. The boy was no chef, but he was damn-well willing to try and be one. Somebody had to be.

Better to be overprepared than underprepared... or, something like that, anyway.

With the day's classes well and truly over, the prospective huntsman rushed to his room in the accommodation block, collecting his giant hiking backpack and all its goodies before leaving for the quad just as quickly as he'd arrived. Alexandros took place next to the others and gave an exaggerated sigh of exhaustion, placing a hand at his hip and laughing -- just a little -- at his own non-joke. "Aegle," he said with a slight nod, before flicking his attention to the other and offering the same; "Solomon. It's nice to see the both of you. Nice to know I'm not the last one here, either."

"Have you heard from the others yet?" he asked after a moment, glancing down at the Dandelion ribbon cutting a streak of colour across the black of his left glove. "Any sign of Qiu'li or Carmim at all?"

--

WC 1200/1200

[Carmim Clover]

❝ WORDS: 1053 TAG: @campingbois NOTES: :Doggo: TOTAL WORDS: 1053 HAVE YOU SEEN HER? HAVE YOU HEARD? THE WAY SHE MOVES, THERE ARE NO WORDS "T'ank you again, Mrs. Long! Have a great day!!" The little red whirlwind shot out of her history teacher's office, following another very fruitful tutoring session. She was slowly, but surely, getting better at the subject, and Mrs. Long's patience was being rewarded with a slightly better student. Carmim bounded down the halls and across the quad to the student dorms, where she could gather her things for what was about to be the best. Weekend. EVER! Aegle had messaged the newly formed Red Class a few days back, asking who would be interested in a camping trip, for group bonding and survival skill training, and of course she said yes- for one thing, any opportunity to be around Aegle was an opportunity she didn't want to pass up, especially given Aegle seemed much happier when she was in the woods, and that was a side of the not-quite-as-bald girl that she wanted to see more of. And of course, she was friends with many of her new classmates, but she could always spend a little more time with each of them, and this was a perfect opportunity for that. Aside from Aegle, she probably knew Alexandros the best, but not extremely well. They'd had brunch together right after her Argus Limited mission, and soon after his admission into Haven, and they had a great chat then, but after that, they hadn't really had the opportunity for much hanging out, aside from small things, and friendly greetings when they saw one another around school. Qiu'li, she had surprisingly not spent much time with at all, despite seeing him around quite a bit, and interacting with him in classes and on their mission together. She knew he was Eva's boyfriend, and that they were finally basically totally official, after midterms, and that was good enough for her- for the longest time, she had mistrusted him, quietly, because he seemed to have made Eva sad in their Social Chemistry class together, but now that they were properly dating, all was forgiven. She was excited to get to know him a little better, definitely. And of the four other campers, she knew Solomon the least. They had interacted briefly during the Midterm, when she helped him fend off a handful of Grimm, but otherwise, she really didn't know much about him- he seemed rather quiet in classes, and they hadn't had the chance to properly meet outside of fighting the Grimm together yet. But he seemed like a good guy, and like Qiu'li, she was excited for the opportunity to spend more time with him, knowing now that he would be her Red Team classmate. She was a little bummed that Eva and Nik wouldn't be coming along, though. But a small group would be nice too! And considering she wasn't as familiar with most of the group going, maybe it was better that way- she could hang out with her closer friends any other time. Stepping into their room, she was almost surprised to find that Aegle wasn't there. Not too surprised, though- the boxer didn't spend much time in her room, as it was, and no doubt, she had already packed and was waiting at the designated meeting spot. Carmim, on the other hand, was much less punctually prepared. Remembering Aegle's rules, "no tents, we're roughing it," or something of the like, she had thought long and hard about what to bring. She decided to err on the safe side- the most minimalistic gear she could bring. Storyteller was coming, of course, and would perhaps even be seeing his namesake purpose on the trip- she had been gearing up all week with her best campfire stories, taught to her by her dad, her uncle, and her brothers, and maybe embellished with a few soap opera storylines. But then, into a rather small, light, camping bag, she tossed the bare essentials- a few days' worth of clothes, her toothbrush and toothpaste, a bar of soap, a roll of toilet paper, her hair brush, and just one small luxury item: a ziplock bag with three large bars of sharp cheddar. What? She couldn't exactly forage for cheese, could she? Could she...? Nah. That was important, it had to go too. And of course, her history homework and a pencil- Mrs. Long was very serious about her putting in more time on her studies, and she wasn't about to let the kindly old lady down! She stuffed the folder of papers into her bag, and slung it over her shoulder, heading out for the quad, where everybody was supposed to be gathering. Hopefully she wasn't running late... Darting out the door, she made her way down the stairs and out into the grass in front of the Grand Hall, decked out in her best and comfiest hiking gear- shorts and a large T-shirt, with no shoes. Breathable enough, and if she got cold in the middle of the night, she had pants and socks for warmth. But for hiking, she would be golden with this get-up. Aegle, Solomon, and Alex were all gathered where they should be when she got there, and she greeted the three of them with an enthusiastic wave and a huge grin, before rushing over to join them. "Aegle!!" She shouted her roomie's name joyously as she enveloped the slightly taller girl in a tight hug, clinging onto her as she beamed at the other two in turn. "Solomon! Alex! It is so good to see all of you! I am very excited, t'is is going to be so much fun!!" She looked around fervently, trying to spot Qiu'li somewhere around the Grand Hall. Ohhh, he'd better hurry up! They had so much to do! Her fingers set about impatiently rapping across her drum as she waited, still dangling with her head affectionately tucked into Aegle's shoulder, one arm wrapped around their Class Captain as the other tapped away. If she weren't so damn excited about camping, she might have blushed at her clinging to Aegle, but as it was, she was way too caught up in wanting to hit the road. "So what's first on t'e agenda, once we get to t'e campsite, Aegle?" Hopefully Qiu'li wouldn't leave them waiting for much longer... This was going to be great!

LAIKA OF GS!

[Qiu'li]

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Carving

a path to discover

True

Strength

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"That should be the rest of the packages. Thanks laddie!" An older, friendly-looking man dressed in a chef's outfit said to Qiu'li as he signed off on the Request form that notified the Academy that he had completed the requirements of the Request and carried his deliveries in. The raven-haired man lowered his head and thanked the client before the door closed behind him. Another Request completed, and the least one for the day. Qiu'li stared at his Scroll and went over the completed deliveries. It had become a habit for him to thoroughly check after his daily list to make sure that he had received his payments for the work that he had done, especially when he was taking multiple Requests once classes had concluded. For this particular day, however, he was in a bit of a rush. Today was the day that they were to depart from the Academy and back into the Haven forests once more for an excursion of sorts. A 'camping trip' as their newly found leader, Aegle, put it. As soon as he was finished in the Wind District, the raven-haired man quickly scurried back to the Academy grounds to grab his things. The night prior, Qiu'li had taken the time to meticulously figure out what he would bring with him to the trip. Aegle had enforced a strict 'no tent' requirement, which didn't really affect Qiu'li that much considering that he had no tent of his own.
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In place of that, Qiu'li had packed the same equipment that he brought with him to the midterms. Of course, his tonfas, Hei Tiequán, would be brought with him on the trip. Leaving his weapons behind would make him too uncomfortable. Glancing at his large travel pack, Qiu'li double checked the contents: A large, thick grey blanket that was large enough to fit Evangeline and himself in. A lengthy roll of metal wire and a roll of sturdy rope. His worn canteen that he carried with him on every travel. A tinderbox, courtesy of his classmate Aurelian. A rolled up hammock, which he had purchased recently from one of the obscure stalls that popped up for sale. A minimal number of personal items. Finally, a brand new item that had gained his interest: A oil-fueled lantern. The lantern itself was rather rustic and small- it was cheap for one. However, he had never seen such an item before and the thought of using a portable fire source that wasn't a torch enticed him.
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Despite his outward appearances, like how often he always was misinterpreted, Qiu'li was rather excited about this. Being able to interact with his classmates on a more personal level and getting the chance to socialize was something that the raven-haired man always desired, and here he was presented with the opportunity itself! How could he not be excited? As he picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder, he gave one last look-around before heading out. Qiu'li wore his usual outfit which consisted of his thick, faded blue robes, linen pants, leather boots, fur-trimmed gauntlets, and utility belt pouch. Evangeline still had his red sash, which he had yet to ask for back, but upon second thought, he wouldn't mind if she held onto it for a bit longer. Qiu'li decided to leave his leather spaulder behind since the camping trip would most likely have little to do with combat due to Solomon and his scouting project to prevent that, but he was confident in his ability enough to avoid major injuries. The agreed area to meet was the Grand Hall, which was some distance away from where the dormitories was, therefore he wasted no time making haste towards their rendezvous point.
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It seems like he was the last of the group to make it here, since everyone that was present for the trip was already there and conversing with each other. "I have arrived, Aegle." He greeted the female and shifted the bag on his shoulder. Qiu'li was a bit disappointed that they had gone ahead and were already familiar with each other, but that was to be expected for being the last person to arrive. Qiu'li shook his head- no matter. They had more opportunities ahead of them, and the prospect of getting to know everyone was what he was looking forward to. Upon arrival, Qiu'li glanced around at the individuals who were present for the trip, though to others it would seem like he was using his characteristic glare. Out of everybody here, Qiu'li was probably the most familiar with Aegle and Alexandros the most, relatively speaking. Second to Evangeline, they were the ones that he had conversed with the most during midterms, and they had learned quite a bit about each other in the process. Their idea of strength, and what their goals were for the future. Perhaps he could learn from the other two that were present as well.
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The next person was Solomon. Despite not knowing a single thing about the tall, dark-haired man, he was unexpectedly skilled, and that skill was reflected in his abilities that he first-hand saw during their scouting mission together. Although he was afflicted by the 'shadow-people,' Solomon was still someone that he could somewhat trust. He wondered if Aegle knew about that and purposely assigned them to the scouting mission for the reason. Well, he could always ask her later anyways. Finally, the last one was Carmim. A close friend of Evangeline, according to the sun-powered beam of light. He had two encounters with her so far: During the last part of the Argus escort mission, in which she had ran up to hug him after taking care of Nikolas, and during their battle in Professor VanSange's class in which he had taken her on head-first. He couldn't possibly forget her, though he knew very little compared to the others. Regardless, this would be a good chance to get to know her better anyways.
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"It appears that we all have gathered here." He said to those around him and turned to face the direction of where the forest was before looking back at Aegle. "Shall we depart now?" He asked while maintaining his steady gaze. In reality, he was brimming with anticipation for the trip ahead and could barely wait.

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WC: 1051 TWC: 1051
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--
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Fènnù (+Strength +Agility +Projectile Sword Beam) | Rank D
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Hei Tiequán | Rank E
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Featherfall I (Leap) | Rank D
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Weapon Proficiency II (Martial Arts) | Rank E
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Dance of the Wild Winds II (Acrobatics) | Rank E
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Resilience of the Crimson Oaks II (Durability) | Rank E
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Dragon's Roar II (Utility Tool) | Rank E

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[attr="class","fg-cred"]SELKIE

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[Aegle Verdant]

With the last of their number arrived, it was time for them to head out. It was an unexpected bonus, learning that Carmim had some previous association with both Solomon and Alexandros, given that Aegle's foremost goal with this trip was to foster some familiarity between the many disparate members of her cobbled together class. Though admittedly, Carmim could have been dropped into a room of strangers and probably would have befriended half of them within the hour; It was just the sort of person she was. More of a concern to Aegle were Solomon and Qiu'li, both of whom had something of a reputation at Haven for being ever so slight unapproachable. One look at Qiu'li was enough to tell why, between his unreadable scowl and his imposing demeanor.

Solomon was a different sort of trouble though.

He had seemed normal enough, if a bit stiff and formal, calling her his 'C.O.' and all, but Aegle couldn't ignore the sense of sadness and regret which hung off of him as heavily as his enameled breastplate. More than ever, she hoped this trip would be the impetus he needed to let down his walls and make a friend or two, or at least take the first steps towards doing so. After all, Aegle knew better than most how hard it could be to pull down a wall when you'd spent so much time putting it up. Reflecting on that thought, and paying Carmim a somewhat guilty glance, Aegle told her cohort how it was going to be. She was the captain, best to start acting the part.

Their itinerary was a simple one, the details intentionally left flexible. Beyond the fact that they would be camping in Haven Forest, Aegle had not decided anything, intent on treating the whole trip as much like a ranging as she could without being needlessly unsafe. It was for that reason that she'd picked Haven Forest, with its Grimm populations and Network Connection. It made her feel a bit fraudulent, like swimming with water wings, but no amount of team building was worth endangering her teammates, and it was better to have the option of calling for help and not need it, than to go where no hope of help existed to begin with.

She explained all this as they walked, that she wanted everyone to have fun and enjoy themselves, but that there would also be danger and difficulty that she expected everyone to work together in overcoming. Even this definitely pragmatic declamation made her feel artificial, and brought no shortage of worry that, behind her back, all four of her companions were rolling their eyes and wondering who this crippled little gremlin was, telling them what to do. She hoped that they weren't but kept her eyes straight ahead just in case.

As lack of preparation was half the point of the outing, and it seemed everyone had followed her instructions to not bring a tent, Aegle chose that as her next point of exposition. She wanted to build shelters when they got out there, an idea she'd gotten from Nasrin's talk of her Midterm experience, and one which sounded like a great means of fostering cooperation between her teammates. The weather was supposed to be mild, but there was no accounting for unexpected changes in the high places. She wondered as well, watching the sky as they walked, if she might not regret it before the end of the trip.

---

Aegle called a halt just the sun was starting to dip behind the clouds, a quiet ping from her scroll calling the banged up case out of her pocket. Examining it, the emerald eyed captain grinned.
"Qiu'li and Sol have found a campsight." She reported, turning to face Alexandros and Carm. She'd split them up before reaching the forest. As the two fastest members of their party, and with Qiu'li's demonstrable experience as an outdoorsman, she'd left finding a campsite in their hands, and the pair had not disappointed. In a terse text, the scouting party described a rather picturesque campsite, the description of which Aegle conveyed to those of her party, as she turned in place to find their new bearing. The two had found a clearing high up in the foothills, where the trees were a bit sparser and the wildlife a bit more abundant. That suited Aegle just fine; She had an affinity for the mountains, after all.
"Says here they found some hotsprings nearby." Aegle added with relish, a bright smile stretched across her face. She hadn't brought anything suitable to taking a dip in the hotsprings herself, but she supposed her teammates wouldn't have so much trouble availing themselves of its luxury.

---

The sun was setting by the time Aegle's party found their way into camp, its glow a sullen red on the distant horizon, the mountains having already cast a blanket of shadow across the lower valleys, and begun tucking in the foothills as well. What they found could almost have been called a meadow, its ground surprisingly flat and regular for being on the side of a hill. Situated in the heart of a vast woodland wilderness, the clearing was bordered by towering trees of oak and spruce, their leafs as vibrantly red as the autumnal fire of the setting sun. The faint babble of running water could be heard over the rustle of leafs, and with it the faint woodland sounds of smaller animals moving about in the brush.

Aegle paused near the edge of the clearing and took it all in. The radiant boughs, swaying softly in the mid evening breeze, framing the rose quartz sky, glittering overhead, as the long grass that covered the meadow floor rippled and flowed with liquid grace. Drawing a deep breath, she scented the earthy breath of hardwood and earth, but also a more mineral tang quite unlike the vivid, floral smells she'd become familiar with during the hike up.
'That'll be the hotsprings.' She supposed, and her smile spread across her lips with renewed vigor.
"This is gorgeous," She said aloud, striding on crooked legs through the waist high grass, feeling the ground slowly level out beneath her feet. "We'll need t'clear some grass before we can make a fire and our shelters, but I can't reckon on a better spot t'set up camp."
And it was hard to imagine what failings might be hidden by the growing twilight.
"Yo!" She called out, shrill voice carrying, "Y'here? We in the right spot?"
She hoped they were...

---

words - 1,097
total - 2,749

[Jay]

XP Distribution:

Aegle Verdant: 27 XP
963 + 27 = 990

Carmim Clover: 10 XP
122 + 10 = 132

Solomon Moon: 29 XP
403 + 29 = 432

Qiu'li: 10 XP
0 + 10 = 10

Alexandros Skouriá: 12 XP
76 + 12 = 88