[Rin Hellebore]

WORD COUNT: 852

TAGGED:

TAGGED: Fluffy

Arriving at Haven Academy, the first few days had been an absolute dumpster fire of impossible situations. First, everything had gone to hell in a handbasket, as some kind of terrorist attack had taken its toll on the place. Several had died, several had been prosecuted by the departments of justice, several others had been victims. Rin, in this aspect, probably fell into the latter category, having received several burns to the extremeties of her body. Mainly, these were centered on her arms and legs, with a few fringes of her hair having received an odd cut-off point after the heat had given her a lick. Though, the damage she had received was much worse on the mental front. Having braved into the flames to rescue anyone who might still be alive, Rin had found something else entirely. It was the burning body of a humanoid, wracked over the remains of a windowsill. The only remains of the windowsill was metal, practically melting from the sheer heat alone. The girl had grabbed him, his skin and flesh practically slipping off his bones, like a well cooked meal. Now, the past few nights, the redheaded maiden couldn't shake the same recurring nightmare. Of this burning man, turning his face at her and screaming in pain, just as she reached out to rescue him from the flames. His grasp on her arm scorching her, incinerating her body, until she woke up in the middle of the night covered in sweat.


The black rings from lack of sleep had been covered with a thin veil of makeup. The poor feeling throughout her body having been ignored by swimming in the mornings, lifting weights in the afternoon and running in the evening. School hours had been temporarily suspended, while the staff worked through all the issues that had been building up. Perhaps some of the students, who were undoubtedly in worse shape than Rin herself, needed some councelling on their problems. Either case, for Rin, the schedule was something else entirely. There were two order of businesses. The first was to ascertain where the Hellebore stood academically; To discern this, the redheaded maiden was to be paired up with an individual at the school to make an assignment. For the other part however, the academy wished to know where Rin stood combatively. Being rather young and mostly kept around the home, she was a wildcard when it came to competence in a fight. For all they knew, she could be a legend waiting to unfold; Or a simple regular teenage girl with spaghetti arms. To ascertain this aspect of her abilities, the girl was to have a sparring match with someone from the school. Rin had not been told anything of her opponent. Only one thing was clear; The goal was to break through the other's aura. 


Rin's combat outfit was quite something, too. It consisted of a pair of combat boots, almost military style, going all the way up the middle of her shin where they were strapped tight. They had a slight amount of heel and thick soles, preventing anything from leaking inside. Inside the boots and halfway up her thigh, she wore a set of rather thick stockings. Clothes that would allow maximum manuverability, while clearly not doing much for her defensively. Nor would it really serve her all too well in cold weather. Over her knees were two simple knee protectors, strapped around her legs. From her hips to the top of her thighs, connecting with the stockings, a matching set of grey shorts, in a material that stuck closely to her skin while still being stretchy. It was wrapped around her waist utilizing a simple belt. Over her torso, she had a simple black shirt with long sleeves. The sleeves ran all the way down into a pair of black gloves on either side. Over the shirt, she wore a grey vest, which had some pockets and offered some protection to the main parts of her torso. On the back of the vest was a hood which she could pull up over her head. On her back, just above her ass, were two tanto securely in their sheaths. 


Taking a deep breath, Rin stepped out into the training area's sparring arena. Everything was prepared to have a little showmatch. Swallowing, she took another deep breath, trying to keep calm. In honesty, compared to people that had already been training like Huntsmen and Huntresses, she wasn't feeling all too confident in her own abilities to fare too well. Even so, Rin was here to prove that she belonged. That there was more to her than words and a family name. In fact, Rin very much had to prove she deserved her family name...


Placing her main left hand on the tanto, Rin softly began stepping in place. The steps were subtle, nothing like a stance most people would take when engaging in combat. Instead, she seemed to have a very natural poise. Unassuming. Non-dangerous. The purple eyes looked at the other entrance. Who could they have possibly chosen to be her foil...? 

[Rose Phoenix]

❝I Was Lightning,

Before The Thunder❞

655 w./ 655 w. total

d strength| e stamina| e Acrobatics| f Dust

d semblance| F weapon| f martial arts

The holidays were a god damn mess to deal with. Rose had become acclimated into society fairly well and even started to tolerate her fellow students when she received word that insurrection was on the rise within her community back home. Luckily winter break was the perfect excuse that she needed to travel to Vacuo and put these mad dogs down. There was no mercy, but there was plenty of screaming to be had. Those who weren't loyal...well, they didn't live long enough to regret their life choices. The Vacuo Queen executed her stand-in for his incompetence and put a more trusted adviser in charge with a newfound fear of death put inside.

It had taken all of her vacation to settle these affairs and it made her realize that trying to friendly was not the way. When she returned to Haven, Rose wasn't smiling like she used to be because she had been met with disaster. Some would say that the blonde was fortunate to avoid the mayhem, but she only felt immense rage building inside of her. If Rose was here instead of dealing with prattling imbeciles, then maybe she could have saved some lives! The only reprieve was knowing that the few people she cared for were still alive. It not only made her feel exhilarated, but that she had chosen powerful friends. Colt, Kishka, Holly...they were all alive and they had done their part to save lives.

There was nothing for her to do at the moment except continue to train and keep up with her regiment. It did little to raise her mood, but she couldn't face her friends at the moment. They stood valiantly on the front lines while she was baby sitting! So much anger was building up over the month that she spent in solitude while fuming in her dorm alone. Though oddly enough, her scroll went off in the darkness of the night. It was an assignment to test the strength of a new student and with so many other busy or injured, Rose was an ideal draft.

"Whatever. It's something to do, I suppose."

She quickly showered and mixed up a whey protein shake to get ready for the exhibition. The girl could have worn the school's gym clothes, but instead Rose opted for a pair of shin high brown boots that fit snuggly along with a pair of torn denim shorts and a ripped up black Haven Academy branded T-shirt. Rose bundled her hair up in a high ponytail and threw her red leather jacket on that barely reached to her mid drift before snagging up Rebellion, her weapon of choice that few could even lift. Yet she easily hefted it up and secured it safely in it's holster on her back.

Rose entered the beat up training room with a soft hum, one hand in her pocket and the other guzzling down the last of her shake. She sighed in satisfaction at the refreshing taste of strawberry and tossed the cup into the trash bin with little care if it went in or not...which it didn't. She ascended the short stairs to the arena and the monitors kicked on to display aura readings on either side of the pockmarked granite stage.

The girl in front of her seemed completely out of her element here. As if she were a little deer that had wandered into a hunting ground than the actual Huntress. Was Rose really supposed to fight with her? Was this some kind of joke? She just shrugged casually and grabbed the handle of Rebellion, widening her stance and crouching low with one arm out in a horizontal guard. It was her Alter Argus stance and one that she adopted rather quickly to gauge the effectiveness of her enemies and opponents.

"I've been told to test you out, girlie. Name's Rose, by the way. Try to give me a good fight, eh?"

© SETHANIEL OF adox 2.0 + WW.

[Rin Hellebore]

WORD COUNT: 528

TAGGED:

TAGGED: Fluffy

Rin, standing there for a few moments, was greeted by another female approaching. A blonde of petite build, yet with muscles fairly toned. Frankly, it looked like the other female's getup was thrown on without a care in the world. Rapidly, haphazardly. With clothes ripped and untended, it almost made the blonde look like some kind of wild animal trapped inside a human body. A bored, lazy, only here because she has to be here, animal. It sent a shudder down Rin's spine. To see the sword wielded with such ease spoke to the blonde's aptitude, not to mention her raw strength. It was enough to send another shiver down Rin's spine. The kind of chill that tells an individual that they're bested, long before combat even started. Before her, Rose was like a hulking, towering mountain, while Rin was but a pebble. Though, one had to remember, Rin had not been told she needed to best this blonde in combat. Only provide evidence of her aptitude. Breathing in deeply, Rin's fingers twitched from nervousness, though her expression revealed nothing of the sort. Instead, her head slide slightly to the side as a beaming smile errupted onto her lips. Though her expression was inviting, warm and welcoming, her body language was the opposite, as she took half a step backwards. "Greetings miss Rose. My name is Rin Hellebore, pleasure to make your acquaintance." To anyone witnessing this fight it must've been a rather odd sight, as the warrior clad redhead performed an elegant curtsey before her opponent. As a sort of greeting. "Though, I truly must protest. I do not believe there is any joy to be had in combat. It's a rather grotesque affair that should be avoided if possible.


Sparring, however, may be exempt from that statement. Though it was never any fun to spar for me." That was one thing to remember. In all the years Rin had been sparring, she had been little more than a glorified punching bag. To weed out innocence from the ones she was sparring with. To quell mercy and compassion, so that hesitation would not be a thing experienced by the true Hellebores while in combat. Still, all this little interaction was, was a sparring match between two huntsmen to do their best trying to improve one another. It was not about winner or loser, but about improvement. So, once Rose had taken her position, Rin took her's. Both of the tanto were drawn, as Rin remained in a rather open, natural stance. "I hope I won't be a bore to you either." Rin, casually, without exuding any kind of pressure, began stepping forwards towards her opponent. Then, once merely a few steps away, the girl did a dash. Not a full speed dash, just a simple one. Swinging the tanto in a diagonal cut towards Rose, giving the other female ample of opportunities to block, or even counter attack. Somewhere, Rin was holding back. Uncertain of what Rose was capable of, the redhead wasn't interested in accidentally hurting a potential future ally. It was so clear in her strike, in her movements.


There was no intention to harm. 

[Rose Phoenix]

❝I Was Lightning,

Before The Thunder❞

626 w./ 1281 w. total

d strength| e stamina| e Acrobatics| f Dust

d semblance| F weapon| f martial arts

In comparison, this girl was somehow even smaller than Rose. Which was quite something considering how petite the blonde was! Yet being small had it's advantages in a fight, which Rose assumed was speed and dexterity with Rin. Rin Hellebore? Was she related to Theia then? It may be interesting then to see how another member of this family took to combat! Though what unnerved Rose was the seeming lack of care that Rin showed as she not only gave a welcoming smile, but also a fucking courtesy!

Rose's brows narrowed in concern at this. In her mind there were two types of people that behaved like this. The first were actual polite people who had manners either engraved or...beaten into them. They feared being hated and would go out of their way to be liked. The other were psychos. Ones who hid their true intent behind a joyous smile and then surprised their opponent with a crazed killing intent. Yet neither seemed to fit the bill for Rin. To Rose, this girl seemed like just an ordinary girl that was tossed into Haven without given any reason and it truly baffled the warrior's mind.

"Right...whatever you say. You don't have to enjoy fighting, but being a Huntress means that you'll have to get used to it. So shit or get off the pot, Princess."

Even the way she talked and how she moved made Rose feel anger well up inside of her. She had to fight through an entire tournament of tough opponents, including Colton Deraine, just to earn a spot in an Academy! The crowds all looked down on her as a mongrel but held their tongues when she walked by, yet she proved them all wrong when she won the Mistral Tournament. She was paraded around as a celebrity and given everything she wanted, yet it did little to appease her. All Rose wanted was to be recognized for her worth and to help save this world from the Grimm. So why in the hell was this brat allowed in Haven? It was truly perplexing! Then again, maybe this was all a ploy from her opponent? Judging from the twin daggers that she was brandishing, Rose could tell for certain that she was an agile fighter. So perhaps she was appearing weak on purpose to throw Rose off, but she couldn't be certain.

Rin was beginning her attack...if you could call it that. A casual dash and a pathetic slash that even a blind man could dodge. What was this girl doing!? Rose grit her teeth, grinding them angrily behind pursed lips as she stood her ground completely unmoving.

"First thing I'm gonna tell you, Rin."

She kicked to the side, easily avoiding the slash from the tanto and pushed herself backwards to put a small distance between them. She unsheathed Rebellion and clicked the activator under the pommel, causing the blade to vibrate intensely. A burst of violent red erupted all around the blade with sparks of lightning snaking up and down like a lover's embrace.

"Put everything you have into a fight. Never half ass it because that shit will get you killed. Case in point...DODGE!"

Rose hefted Rebellion up high above her head and with a thunderous roar she slammed the blade down in Rin's direction. The force of the sword caused a crater in the arena and all of the fire and lightning dust was fired toward the small red head in a massive blade beam! If Rin had the sense to dodge the attack, Rose would already be sprinting at full speed to charge the girl with a shoulder tackle to knock her down if she wasn't prepared for it!

Rose was fully intending to harm this girl.

© SETHANIEL OF adox 2.0 + WW.

[Rin Hellebore]

WORD COUNT: 930

TAGGED:

TAGGED: Fluffy

The way that Rose carried herself. The words that she spoke, the way in which she spoke them, all told a story of aggression. Though, not in her wildest dreams, would Rin have assumed that the academy would've placed her into an unwinnable fight. Being rather sheltered, the girl hadn't heard much of anyone notewortthy. As such, being a winner of a tournament, being skilled, being dangerous, was never something Rin knew of Rose. Thus, the girl kept treating Rose with the same modicum of respect, though an eyebrow slightly raised to indicate her disdain for the lack of manners. "Miss Theia would be a better representation of a princess than I. I'm merely a severant in our family." Rin declared, before going in for her attack. Still under the impression that this was a showcase. An insight into approach, technique, skill and prowess rather than an actual staged fight. Under the impression that she was to merely prove that she was a competent fighter, with the end to the little display coming when one of their auras broke. When Rose dodged and threw out a kick, the speed and force came as a surprise. Yet, even more surprisingly, it wasn't something that Rin couldn't deal with. The blade that had gone in for an attack moved to a reverse style grip, as she attempted to elbow and cut Rose's leg. For a brief moment it must've looked like the tanto danced around in Rin's gloved hands, allowing both combatants to disengage. The tanto in her left hand gripped in reverse, while the one in her right was gripped standard. 


In this short reprieve, the blonde unsheathed her sword. A sword significantly larger than Rin's tanto. Though, the way she wielded it for combat, surprisingly, didn't seem all that impressive. Rin felt that, if it came to pure fight of weapons, she might even be able to outmanuver the blonde. So thats precisely what the redhead attempted to do. Moving in again, all Rin had to do was make the blonde swing hard. It would create an opening immediately after Rin's backstep, and once inside that range, she'd be able to take on the blonde a little more effectively. Even so, there wasn't a hint of bloodlust from Rin. Not a hint of malice or desire to harm. Unlike what came from the blonde as the sword came down. Stepping back, with all of her weight on the front of her feet, Rin was preparing to dash in again, when the blast from dust errupted. Eyes widened in shock, this wasn't something she had expected to be used in a sparring match. Dust. Instinctively, the girl attempted to redirect as much of the force away from herself as possible. Perhaps if she had had more strength... Instead, some of the beam's energy washed over her right side, causing some damage to her aura. The burns she had received from assisting Van Sange were screaming, causing her fingers to twitch as she grit her teeth.


...but Rose was like a juggernaught. Coming forwards again, immediately. Rin hardly had time to take a breath. It simply rained down, attack upon attack upon attack. Instead of stepping away from Rose, Rin stepped into the charge while taking off from the ground. Getting a hand on Rose's shoulder to push herself upwards further, launching herself over the blonde in a flip. From this position, Rin could slice at Rose's neck as the two passed by each other. Instead, she opted to aim for Rose's blonde locks, still not willing to attack the blonde head on. Fortunately for Rin, it seemed she had a minor edge in mobility. Being ever so slightly faster. Tapping down on the ground behind Rose, Rin raised her tanto's in a defensive position in front of her body, breathing rather heavily. The rate of exchanges were exceeding what her current stamina could handle. This fight was not just a display. It had gotten serious. Rose had spoken about death. About never half assing it. Something clicked, as Rin's eyes seemed a little blank.


It doesn't matter how you win, if it is against someone who'd hurt the Hellebores. Trick them, if you have to. Just never betray one of our own. Rin's instincts were waking up. The teachings of protecting herself and her family coming to the forefront. Rose was an enemy. A dangerous enemy. Rin didn't have to play fair with such encounters. All that mattered in the end was winning.


"For someone lecturing others about fighting, you sure like turning your backside to people. That's kind of bad practice for a fighter. Perhaps you were just born strong and powerful, but without much of a warriors guile." Rin taunted, lowering her guard and taking what appeared like a wide stance, holding up both arms towards Rose and waving in towards herself, like a challenge.


However, what Rose might not see, due to the height of the boots and most of her mocking gesture coming from head height, was that Rin had most of her weight forwards again. Deciding to put a lot on the line to land a decisive blow. Not in an attempt to end the fight outright, no. This simply needed to slow down the pace of the battle. Put a little fear into Rose. Once the other started to hesitate, started to doubt, started to question, Rin would be able to take control of the fight. It also wouldn't hurt to catch up on the aura front, being that Rin had already taken some damage...

[Rose Phoenix]

❝I Was Lightning,

Before The Thunder❞

755 w./ 2036 w. total

d strength| e stamina| e Acrobatics| f Dust

d semblance| F weapon| f martial arts

Always keep the enemy off of their guard and never give them time to think. In her years spent in the desert, Rose played hit and run guerrilla tactics with her tribe. They struck like lightning and left like the wind, leaving the stragglers to be picked off by the Grimm. Afterwards they would swoop in to claim resources before another tribe picked up on the scent of death. It was how she managed to survive all of these years and with Colt's continuous training, she was only getting smarter. Deadlier. The beam attack was not an attack that Rose had faith in landing, but she wanted to put a bit of fear into Rin. To tell her to give her all for this test.

What most people assumed about Rose was that she was slow and her large sword was a hefty hunk of metal that could be easily dodged. An assumption that always ended with a body hacked in half. Rose glanced at the daggers twirling in Rin's hands, noting the dexterity. So she did know how to handle those, but could she use them? That was the golden question. She tried to stab Rose with a counter and yet she also went for the offensive, which begged the question: What kind of fighter was Rin? This exhibition would determine that.

It was a bit uncalled for to use dust in a sparring match and usually frowned upon, but again Rose wanted to cut loose a little. And hell it was a freaking blade beam! How could you not think that was cool? Though what really surprised her was that Rin was hit with a scathing glance from the attack! It was beneath her to apologize though, especially mid match. It showed Rin's lack of spacial awareness if she couldn't properly dodge an attack that Rose preambled with a scream. Her onslaught continued on the poor red head, though it was merely to space her out and see what she would do.

In a flash, Rin was up and over Rose! Her aura flashed around her as she felt the blade slash across her hair. What? The girl could have easily gone for a fatal strike if she wanted to and yet she didn't! Maybe she was afraid for some reason? Rose spun on her heel and rested her blade on her shoulder comfortably before opening her mouth to speak. To give encouragement for that hit and the well executed maneuver! But her words caught in her throat as the tiny girl spoke first.

"Born this way?" She asked.

Her voice dropped low and monotone, hair falling down to shadow her eyes as she visibly shook. Eyes of Jade glared, piercing Rin's amethysts like her daggers. Thoughts arose in her mind of the arena and seeing the bodies. Feeling the blood that soaked her body every day and the drool of the Grimm biting and snapping at her. She felt pain jolt through her body from the many stabs and piercings...even the less than savory feelings that hurt her. She grit her teeth so hard that a small stream of blood leaked out of the right side of her mouth.

A very wide grin slowly stretched across Rose's face as she obliged Rin who was egging her on with a taunting motion. Might as well have a red cape for a bull. Though just to show her that Rose wasn't some slow behemoth, she raised Rebellion up horizontally above her head. It twirled in her grasp, slowly at first, and then it picked up in speed...faster and faster and faster! Soon her muscles were flexing violently in spasms, nearing Rin with a crazed grin on her face and a gigantic sword spinning above her head like a helicopter's blade!

"Run little deer. Run far far away back to your dear Miss Theia and beg her to have you expelled. Otherwise...heh heh heh...I might break something off that you'll definitely miss."

Her voice was deep and carried a tint of malice to it, as if Rose was possessed. She was nearly upon the little fighter, now fully cackling like a maniac as the sword was spinning at a horrifyingly intense speed that shook Rose's hair all about! If Rin didn't dodge or do something to save herself, then Rose would make sure that the girl suffered horribly for it. Something in her had snapped, whether from the pressure of Vacuo or maybe even the taunt awakening what she kept buried...she didn't know.

"Run away..."

© SETHANIEL OF adox 2.0 + WW.

[Rin Hellebore]

WORD COUNT: 805

TAGGED:

TAGGED: Fluffy

Nothing but theatrics, that is how Rin judged this movement from the blonde. The sword raised above her head wasn't a poor position for a two-handed weapon. It allowed one to come down with weight and force in one's strikes. The problem was, that regardless of how fast or strong Rose was, spinning the sword around in the fashion that she currently did, only brought about disadvantages. First, stopping the momentum of the blade to cause a strike, meant that Rose would be working against her own strength, essentially nullifying some of her advantage in that regard, if Rin chose her moment well. Secondly, since her wrist was constantly shifting position, the force that could be put into  a strike was almost halved. That is, of course, if Rin caught the correct side of the momentum. Still, it seemed quite obvious to the redhead that this was a scare tactic. A display of strength and flexibility to make her step back. To generate the space Rose needed to strike as she pleased. The cackling, the deranged look in her eyes, the words calling out to Rin as if she was naught more than prey. This was an exhibition match, a spar, a fight between allies. There was no way Rose would actually break something off. They were at a school, not the wilderness, not a gladiatorial arena to the death. Rin felt protected by the constraints of the combat, and thus, wasn't frightened. In addition, it wasn't as if she valued herself highly enough that threats of this type actually had any bearing. If Rose truly did decide to showcase her lack of comraderie and hurt Rin badly, then at least Rin would've protected a more competent student from getting expelled due to a permanent handicap.


So while Rin backed up a singular step, holding her arms in front of her body as if frightened, what she had truly done was measure her distance to the blonde, further loading up the spring in her  legs. The purple eyes watched the elbow and wrist of the blonde intensely. Once the arm was completely stretched, the blonde would be at her weakest point, both defensively and offensively. It was when she'd have the least range of immediate movement. Rin watched the spin a couple of times, feigning it as if she couldn't take her eyes off the blade. There was still no harmful intent from the redhead. Still not a singular vengeful, harmful or offensive trait visible. Rin seemed almost uninterested in facing off against Rose...


...but then it exploded. The sharpness in Rin's eyes turned from blank to a murder stare. The expression on her face shifted from shock to deep concentration. The feigning ignorance shifted to precision and determination. The atmosphere around the redhead shifted. The attitude stating, for the briefest of moments; If t his is to the death, then I'm going to kill you. Overflowing with killing intent. The spring in her legs released, as she ducked low, dashing at full speed straight at Rose. The goal was to get her body in underneath Rose's, so that if the blonde swung her arm, Rin's entire body was inside the reach of said arm, meaning that the sword couldn't hit without Rose stepping back. However, with Rin attempting to lean directly on Rose, if Rose stepped back then Rin would step forwards. The normally gripped tanto was slashed upwards, from Rose's hip, up her chest, all the way up to her weapon. It was a manuver meant to deal moderate damage while simultaneously meeting Rose's weapon with her own. Meant to give Rin some defense in the case that Rose somehow found a way to counter-attack with her weapon. The other tanto, reverse gripped,  Rin held with the butt end against her own chest, the tip pointing directly at Rose. This meant that she'd essentially come in with a sharp, unforgiving stab directly to Rose's chest. A stabthat, due to Rin leaning forward with her whole body weight, had quite the piercing power to it.


This whole exchange ended with Rin lifting her right leg to attempt to kick off of Rose with her acrobatics to disengage again. The whole point was to instill fear, hesitation and caution in the blonde. To shift the fight into Rin's favor. Rin knew full well, from inspecting Rose's aura, that none of the attacks she had done would outright break the other's aura. Perhaps, if Rose had been caught completely unaware, Rin could get reasonably close, but she honestly doubted it. There'd have to be at least another attack as the first, landing cleanly, to truly break through. That, however, also meant that Rin could not go in as aggressively a second time, without risking hurting Rose; Something she wasn't super interested in.   

[Rose Phoenix]

❝I Was Lightning,

Before The Thunder❞

642 w./ 2678 w. total

d strength| e stamina| e Acrobatics| f Dust

d semblance| F weapon| f martial arts

Rose was moving ever closer to Rin, feeling the wind generating from the sword that spun above her head. Though, as she looked at the smaller girl, she saw a look of fear. That same look of the little girl...watching a monster murder her mother. That terror in the moment of realization that she was next. No, that wasn't who Rose was anymore! She didn't want this to happen again! She blinked in her rage, coming out of it in a befuddled state that made her falter. It was just the right moment for Rin to strike.

She rushed inside of Rose's personal space, completely under the range of Rebellion. Too close for the blonde to counter or defend herself! This was Rin's strategy all along...to appear unassuming and weak. It was clear in the way her eyes sharpened and how her body became more assured. There was pure confidence in her first strike, which caused the scarlet red of Rose's aura to flicker all around her shocked expression. Rin had the combat sense to realize that she was too small to fight Rose one on one, that she had no way of attacking at range, and couldn't beat the blonde in terms of a sword fight. So she acted with intelligence and took advantage of her speed by luring Rose into a trap!

Now she was too close for Rose to fight back. Rose couldn't move back or else her opponent might stab her further. Rose truly was caught off guard for once and by someone that she clearly had underestimated! A second attack was immediately followed up, which dug into her chest violently. If not for her aura, Rose would have been dead. This girl was cunning in her actions and definitely knew what she was doing, but at the same time her presentation would get her killed in a real fight. It bothered Rose...and she needed to put a stop to it.

Rin was focused on two things in that moment: Gaining distance from Rose and worrying over Rebellion. Rose would kill two birds with one stone in this notion, still reeling from the sudden burst attack. She released her grip on her sword's handle with a shout of fury and let it spin harmlessly away into the air, unsure of where it would dig into. Just as Rose let the sword fly and heard the thud of impact against a wall, Rin leapt up and kicked off of the girl to escape. Of all the ways to escape, it wasn't a particularly smart move. At least not against Rose. A safer option would have been to back pedal or, better yet, continue the assault! Rin had her enemy at a disadvantage and should have pressed the attack, but yet she was still holding back for some reason.

Rose shot her arm out like a snake and grasped Rin's ankle with a binding grip, tightening around her like a vice. If Rin wasn't going to take things seriously, then she would die. Rose needed to show her what happens when you don't play to win. With a very loud, guttural roar of barbaric fury Rose turned her body at an angle and brought Rin down. With all of the momentum of the arc and the strength of her muscles aided by gravity, Rose smashed Rin into the training ground floor. The force of the impact making a reverberating sound that left a small crater where the girl rested.

She was done. Her aura no doubt shattered. But Rose wasn't finished with her...no, she would know what it's like to brush against the terrors of combat. Because this girl had what it took, but she needed to be shown the way. So, as she lay there, Rose continued to keep a firm grip on her ankle. Rin wouldn't get away.

© SETHANIEL OF adox 2.0 + WW.

[Rin Hellebore]

WORD COUNT: 805

TAGGED:

TAGGED: Fluffy

The shock and awe strategy worked to great effect. Both of the attacks launched had landed with deadly precision, dealing a fairly significant amount of damage, judging by the flaring aura around Rose and the surprised expression on her face. The tanto by Rose's rebellion meant that Rin could disengage without worrying about being sliced by the sword on her exit. The other tanto kept Rose's other hand at bay, meaning there was no risk of getting grabbed or otherwise assailed. This exchange was flawless. Rather, it would've been flawless, if Rin had been correct in her assumption that Rose would be attempting to counter strike with her sword. Instead, the sword flew off in a random directio as Rose's fingers let go of the hilt. It was at that exact moment, that Rin knew the strategy she had chosen wasn't without flaw. As rebellion skidded along her tanto, it meant that Rin's arm was now tied up in an action, while Rose had an arm free. The kick impacted onto Rose. In fact, the kick felt fairly good for Rin, who wasn't that adept at hand to hand fighting. Yet, after the kick landed and Rin began to soar into the air for backwards flip, the backwards momentum was suddenly halted. Rose's finger's had locked around Rin's ankle. Lying in the air, practically motionless for the briefest of seconds, Rin narrowly managed to twist her body so she could brace her torso with her arms. Rose, utilizing gravity and her brute strength had yoinked the everliving hell out of Rin, essentially using the petite redhead as a club to break open the floor of the arena. The dust around the floor rose, then settled, as the room seemed to shake from the impact. 


The silvery aura flickered around Rin, shimmering before dissolving into small shards appearing like snow, making Rin appear like she was caught inside a snowglobe for a few moments. There were bruises along her arms, as there had been leftover damage even after her aura had broken. Feeling fatigued and in pain, Rin crawled forwards ever so slightly, in a bid to escape the little crater and applaud Rose for having won. Truly, that blonde was scary. Though, it took a few moments for the petite redhead to figure out precisely how scary. While attempting to crawl forwards, Rin would, obviously, pull her leg to herself. Except, it did not move. There was a grasp on it still. Tugging once or twice, Rin's eyes widened. Rose was standing there, looking determined to continue. Tremors went through Rin's body, as desperation kicked in. Of course Rose knew that Rin's aura was broken, which meant that... there might be a legitimate threat of Rose trying to kill her. With the introduction to this academy, there had been rumors. Several students that had chosen the wrong path. Several students having killed...


The terror was visible on Rin's expression, as she grabbed her tanto from the crater, hauling it above her head and flinging it directly at Rose. Simultaneously kicking off, with her leg, in a pathetic effort to get free. In those few moments, perhaps Rose became aware. Rin had tasted bitter defeat before. Rin had tasted merciless wrath, after her defenses were broken. Rin had been deeply hurt, pained, wronged. The girl knew what came next if she didn't get out. So when it seemed like the blade had failed to do its just, Rin's fingers grasped into small fists, her knuckles turning white. All the while, she grit her teeth, her whole body tensing, in preparation for...


...pain.

[Rose Phoenix]

❝I Was Lightning,

Before The Thunder❞

630 w./ 3308 w. total

d strength| e stamina| e Acrobatics| f Dust

d semblance| F weapon| f martial arts

Her expression had grown somber at seeing the girl laying in the dust of the crater. The aura was actually beautiful as it exploded upon impact, but Rose had already prepared herself for the sight. After all, there was no way that Rin's aura could take such a beating from Rose's raw strength. She bit her tongue down in between her teeth at the thought of hurting the girl, though. It was something that the Vacuo Queen would do...but then again Rin needed a wake up call. She wasn't going to survive out there if she kept fucking around like this.

It was a heavy blow that most likely knocked the wind and the senses out of Rin. Yet the girl was still moving and willing to resist Rose! There was a ton of fortitude to her that impressed the Vacuo girl, but then it all seemed to shatter for a moment. When the realization dawned on Rin that Rose hadn't let her go, then fear took over. She kicked and thrashed to little avail as Rose stood unmoving aside from her arm tugging from the struggle, but it was nothing that she couldn't handle. The redhead snatched her dagger up and flung it at Rose, bouncing slightly off of her right temple and causing her red aura to flicker slightly before clattering off harmlessly. The strike made her bite down on her tongue instinctively, drawing blood that streamed down her cheek. If Rin had remained in a more calm state, then maybe she could have damaged Rose's aura further, but it was understandable given her current predicament.

She breathed in a long breath and let it go as a drawn out sigh. Rin had given her all, it seemed, and Rose would give her a high score for her efforts. But first she would pay the price for her incompetence. Just a small thing, but something to remember. Rose lifted the smaller girl up, hanging her upside down to see her face to face with a neutral expression. The look on Rin's face was of pure terror but also...there was an acceptance. As if she knew what was coming or that she'd felt this kind of fear before. Rose didn't quite...understand, but she shook her head at Rin.

"You fought well, but you held back way too much. Scared to hurt me and yet mocking me at the same time are both stupid as hell, Rin. Plus it royally pissed me off. You didn't follow up on your attacks, which is an insult since you legit caught me off guard! Even though you lost, in the end you won. Be seein' ya."

Rose tightened her grip around Rin's ankle and applied pressure. Far more pressure than was humanly safe and there was the sound of a pop! and then a clean snap! as the bone was broken cleanly across. From the outside, the foot flopped a bit before the blonde set Rin down. She refused to drop her, not wanting to add further insult to the injury and turned her back on the girl.

There was a tired, sad look to the girl as she made her way down the steps to retrieve her sword and exit the training arena. Before returning to her dorm, Rose sat down on a nearby bench and wrote up a report on Rin. She was honest in her assessment, praising the girl's skills but her lack in drive. That her empathy would get her killed in a fight and then she stopped off at admissions to deliver said report. Rose would return to her room feeling a bit devoid of anything. Feeling...something dig at her. She was a bad person and she excelled at it, but sometimes being bad didn't feel so good.

© SETHANIEL OF adox 2.0 + WW.

[Rin Hellebore]

WORD COUNT: 711

Total: 4423

TAGGED: Fluffy

The judgement was out. Rose had chosen to decide for Rin what had went wrong in this fight based on social conventions, rather than how Rin had done as a fighter. The truth of the matter was, that in the redhead's mind, several things were bubbling around. First, Rose was an ally. Attacking someone that was seen as an ally had been engrained into Rin as wrong, since the first days she could spar with Erytheia. Harming the heiress was completely out of the question and the adults in Rin's life had made absolutely certain that she was aware of that fact. In much the same vein, Rin struggled attacking Rose because they were meant to be on the same team. One could easily spar without ever touching the aura of the other person, at least so Rin believed. Rin was there to show her competency, not her mercilessness. Unfortunately for the redhead, at least in the context of Rose, Rin had plenty of mercy to show. To claim that Rin was afraid to hurt was downright wrong. Being unwilling, significantly more so. Though that was only considering Rin's angle. When it came to Rose, Rin had figured that the blonde would've found herself in difficult social conventions as an older huntress representative, should she be defeated by a newcomer whom, by all rights, should be inferior to her. So Rin had also decided, from the very beginning, that she wasn't going to do anything that could bring a potential friendship into question. Choosing to bear some pain and humiliation in favor of keeping Rose from experiencing unneccessary conflict.


Now instead, lying in a crater, with Rose lording her opinion over her, Rin was the one who had been humiliated. As the blonde left, Rin was fighting back tears, the only noise leaving her soft whimpers of suffering. When the blomde was gone and no one remained to look over her, Rin slowly started making her way back towards the dorms. Crawling forwards, her whole body shook in agony. This would not function what so ever... Rolling over on her back, her eyes themselves twitched and trembled as tears ran down her cheeks. This really sucked. The pain that she was used to tending, was typically pain from bruises, cuts and the like. Pain that was the worst immediately after having been applied, then subsiding until it disappeared. A broken ankle was something else entirely. It had pained Rin immediately during the snap, sending an unpleasant shockwave through her entire body. From then on, just like a regular pain, it had begun dying down. Though, the immediate moment Rin had tried to move, the pain was back full force, as a secondary shockwave went through her body...


...So Rin did the only reasonable thing she could think of. Taking off her vest and then shirt, momentarily lying on the ground in only her bra. The shirt was then wrapped tightly around her broken ankle in an attempt to give some support to the foot. To assist the redhead in keeping it more stable. Then, the vest was placed back onto her torso, as she crawled onwards. A pathetic journey on her chest towards the door. Bracing her healthy leg underneath herself and grabbing the door handle, Rin pulled and pushed, whining loudly, whimpering loudly, gritting her teeth as sweat spread across her forehead. It was a struggle, but she got to her feet. From there, it was a nervous, cautious, slow wobble while tears streamed down her cheeks, as she made her way back to the dorms... Eventually flopping into bed and pulling the covers up over herself. There was no energy left in her head to think about how to deal with this situation. How best to move forwards without ending up in significantly more trouble. Thus, the whole situation was put on delay...


Hopefully no one else had seen her limping. Hopefully this could be dealt with in a quiet, reasonable manner. Little did Rin know, that tomorrow, Colton would be requiring her to show up for a meeting. Everything would be put forwards. It would be placed into his hands, since Rin would have no excuse for the broken limb. On top of the whole incident with Holly... 

[Wolfe]

XP Distribution:

Rose: 33

70 + 33 = 103

Rin: 44

322 + 44 = 366