Memory of a Mother
"...you're right," Pius replied a bit unsteadily as his hands moved towards the latch.
"I need to hear this. After so long, I deserve to." With that sentiment in the air, the grey-eyed Ashen opened the music box.
You've got the music for this moment, Grim?
Allurand and surrounding world loading, 28%...Music Box: Serenity
The box began playing its music
, the soft sound feeling the room.
Alexia smiled, a bit sadly. Pius needed this.
Ozpin's Office
The team leaders would arrive at Ozpin's office, where two of Max's guards, Nadia Frelon and Arthur Thorn
stood in front of Ozpin's desk.
The Headmaster himself surveyed them with a blank expression on his face.
Mother and Son
Pius expression attempted its usual state of impartial stoicism, but Alexia could see the lost look in his eyes as he watched the box play, taking him to fonder times when his mother would play the piano and his father would accompany her on the accordion.
That's right. They recorded this song for us, The Ashen orphan remembered as his eyes glimmered with tears. To try to hold in his emotion, Pius clenched a fist and held to his mouth to try to look deep in thought.
But flashes of life formed before him against his will. The music played on, and he watched himself in the park with his parents, showing them the early fruits of his inquisitiveness followed by a joking proposal by his father to cook the worms his son had found and his mother's promise to buy him gummy worms to eat instead. He saw himself coming home from second grade to show his parents the grades he was receiving, and their pride when he told them that the teacher said that he was years ahead of his classmates. He even remembered their last day together, how excited he was after the movie starring a Huntress so much like his mother. When he grew older, the Nobel had bought a copy of the movie for himself, and he never tired of watching it.
Right now he could say the same of the music box: he could stay and listen to the last audible remnants of his family until he fell asleep. As the music faded and the box closed, Pius was quietly shaking where he sat, tears falling from his face. The Ashen lowered his head into his palm, covering his eyes with his hand as he let himself cry.
Ozpin's Office
"Good morning, Headmaster," Pius greeted as he entered first. "There's a bit of a disturbance at our dorm, so Ayers couldn't come, apologies."
The Nobel's eyes darted at Nadia and Arthur for a moment before returning to Ozpin, standing at attention like a soldier awaiting his orders.
Allurand and surrounding world loading, 28%...28th: Dorm Room
"Weeeelp! Epsilon could literally be anywhere. This sucks. Screw CCTs anyways," said Ai. She threw her hands up into the air and then collapsed lazily onto the sofa. She looked at Charisse and remembered that CCTs were useful for calling one's family in Mistral — and also for managing a country's foreign relations — "I mean uh, CCTs are very useful."
She took her own cup of tea off the tray.
"Hey Glen, don't do anything I wouldn't do."
edited 16th Feb '15 6:21:36 PM by opnerf
Hope
It does, doesn't it? The gray-hair sighed a little, watching the team leaders but Ayers go. ...I just hope stuff will go alright over there.
Max's Royal Guard
One could consider it an amusing thought that the one clearly bordering on insanity is the better talker out of any pair.
Nadia, decked out in her armor, returned Pius' stare with her own. The notion was brief, but it made things clear: despite her inconspicuous appearance, she was likely made Alexandros' bodyguard for a reason. The icy daggers that was her glare was just a cherry on top.
Arthur, himself dressed much more casually, had his back resting by a wall. The lifeless, limping arm wasn't too hard to not notice. "Guess we have just about everybody then." He spoke, his voice soft, but with a bit of steel hidden beneath the silk.
28th
Belle remained knelt by Imuka's side throughout this whole thing. She looked. in a word, lost. This wasn't like when one of her machines malfunctioned. She could usually open them up, find what's wrong and replace it. But this? She was no surgeon. She might hurt her if she tried something.
"Again...it happened again." she mumbled to herself. Imuka was hurt, and whatever force had too, barely needed to lift a finger to do it.
PM box is Closed, Indefinitely Friend Code: 3368-4181-6850Ozpin's Office
At that moment, the voice of Max Alenxandros was heard from q Scroll in Thorn's hand.
"Let's cut the bull. You know who I am. I know who you are. "
His voice, though he sounded as proud as ever, was obviously pained, weakened. He had been attacked as well.
"I can't do anything to you, and you can't do anything to me. Point is, we need each other."
"This Epsilon bastard is a problem to us all. What I'm saying is...We need to go on a joint business venture."
"Huh," Rufus grunted, leaning over to Pius to whisper, "You ever go on and on with your pals all the clever ways you'll hunt this big, wicked Grrrimm that no one seems to be able to kill and then it just trrots in through the front door and drops dead in front of you?
"Because that's how I feel right now."
edited 16th Feb '15 9:01:51 PM by God_of_Awesome
Ozpin's Office
"Well, if you don't mind your precious Weapon Girls dying horribly, then sure, feel free to ignore me." said Alexandros dryly.
"As it is, Epsilon is both our problems. Because, apparently, some incompetent idiots failed to notice he was building a damn fortress in the place I exiled him!" Alexandros was definitely angry. It seemed he was speaking directly to his two employees in the room.
He breathed deeply. "Fortunately for all of us, Epsilon is a gigantic diva. He wants to be found. He needs to satisfy his gigantic ego."
"....He sent me a video message."
"Aw, you sumbitch!" Ayers pushed himself up and moved into a bear-hug with Jack. He moved into the boy's ear and muttered, "We ain't pissing off Goodwitch enough. We need more collateral damage." He then let out a mighty roar and shoved into Jack, trying to push him into a tackle to bulldoze into a dorm next to White Rose.
Gift-Giving Flashback
Silvia's gift is the latest game in the Magimon franchise, Star Turquoise.
"I hope you like it" Silvia muttered.
The Crystal Caverns A bird's gotta sing.Ozpin's Office
Grrrrrrrrrrrr...
There's no way we can trust him... He's just in it for his own gain... Why should we help him...? Because it will help us... Carol, Beth, and Alice... We have no choice...
"Fine."
Remus leaned against a wall in the clocktower office, listening to the ticking as he waited for Alexandros to continue.
I swear... Eventually I'm going to...
Dorm
Alexia saw that Imuka had woken up. The princess sat next to the fox faunus, a worried frown on her face.
"You were attacked, Miss Imuka. Are you alright? Does it hurt?"
Ozpin's Office
"Play the message, Mister Alexandros." said Ozpin, a frown forming on his face.
Max snorted. "No one orders me around."
Nevertheless, the Scroll began projecting a holographic image. It was a skinny young man, no older than the students themselves. He was tall and had curly bluish hair, messy and tangled. He had huge bags under his eyes, and he had a demented grin. Patches of metal were on his neck and forehead. His eyes themselves were a dull lavender. He wore a black leather jacket over a purple suit of some kind.
He chuckled slightly.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Shane Mauve. But I don't like that name. Call me Epsilon-Five."
"....I want to play a game."
Dorm
Glen stifled a chuckle in response to Ai "I'll try, but I'm nae making any promises."
Office
Having simply chosen to sit and wait for this to all be over with so he could go back to sleep, Glen actually perked up a bit when Epsilon's message began playing. "A game eh? I've a feelin' that none o' us are going tae like where this is going."

Jack blocked Ayer's knee, slamming headfirst into his boyfriend's stomach. "Don't fucking talk to them when we're fighting!" He screeched, giving Ayes' a right hook across the face.
Good to be back