RWBY: Lost Remnants

The Docks

The day had been cloudy and tumultuous.

It was the early afternoon.

The remaining residents of Vale had spent the day fleeing—or providing whatever aid they were capable of. Reports of Grimm attacks on the city and its inhabitants were airing nonstop on the local news. Cross-continental communication had been down ever since that day. The people who attended the Vytal Tournament went mad, and panic struck Beacon that night—alongside Grimm and the White Fang. The signal towers had fallen, and the town had been inundated in chaos.

As had Beacon.

It wasn't quite clear what had happened—at least, not initially—but the fact that Atlas had used a machine that bore Aura—who promptly got slaughtered by the well-renowned Pyrrha Nikos—drove the denizens of Remnant berserk over the tykebombs the four academies had subtly created.

As well as the foreboding speech given by an unseen agent—presumably whoever orchestrated the global disaster.

Fortunately, the state of affairs between the kingdoms had yet to escalate to war. The students of Beacon Academy had basically dispersed to whatever corner of Remnant they came from.

Unless they were from Vale.

Which left Abel in a rather lamentable situation. His town destroyed, his home abandoned. His family still in a state of incorrigible hate and revulsion.

Not as if I have any right to complain; there are countless other students whose families developed disdain for Huntresses and Huntsmen, the former student mused as he boarded the ship.

edited 9th Jan '17 12:53:45 PM by DeceptivelyHonest

THE DOCKS

Azure huddled in her seat. He helmet blocked off all stimuli, like being in a black void. She could not see, she could not hear. She could not smell.

But she could feel. Through her bare heel and toes, she felt the foot steps of a thousand people-she felt her own heart beat, she felt the rocking of the boat. The purr of the engines. She clutched her weapon to her chest, resting her black, bone colored helmet against the hilt as she quietly waited. She hated boats. They were too much.

The Docks

Haley adjusted her cap, skating up onto the boat with the Speed Demons. Oh, she could hear the purr of those engines alright, and as much as she wanted to go and take a look at the beauties beneath the deck, she knew she wouldn't be allowed to. Of course, she could just barge in and force them to let her, but she wasn't that evil. Engine Block swung lazily around her waist as she moved around, The Coyote Faunus was smiling, much as always. With the whole word crumbling around her, the Coyote was still happy and grinning. She had certainly earned the nickname of 'Nutjob' with that carefree attitude.

Adjusting the giant, rectangular mess of metal that was her weapon to not get in her way, the Nutjob leaned against a wall, watching people get on the ship and wander the docks, still smiling.

edited 10th Jan '17 12:52:38 AM by UndyingPhoenix

The Docks

An adorable, green-haired Huntress flittered around the ship with a massive turret and an equally conspicuous grin.

The hell's wrong with her? Abel wondered. Does she have ataraxia or something? The town some of us knew and grew accustomed to for as long as we can remember is burning while we wait for the now-homeless townspeople to try to make a living someplace else.

How the hell can you be so cheerful? he asked himself as she kept frolicking, undaunted by everyone else's looks.

The Docks

Geez, they're awfully glum. Maybe I can make some people laugh a bit.

The Coyote's smile turned into a grin as she went to stand at the top of the ramp onto the ship, a twinkle in her mad eyes. She held her hand up into the air, the other in front of her mouth as if she was talking through a megaphone. She was going to give the people coming onboard something to smile or laugh about and remember. To take their minds off of the situation.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, humans and Faunus of all ages, to a once in a lifetime cruise! We'll be featuring such exciting sites as the ocean, more water and the occasional bird and fish! And at the end of it all, we'll get to see the cultural center of all of Remnant: The Kingdom of Mistral! Bask in the sun as we set forth on a journey of sail and sea! Play a rousing game of shuffleboard on deck with friends, family and strangers and gaze in wonder over the horizon at how large and magnificent the view is, sunlight glittering on the surface. Nothing's more romantic than a sunset at sea, people. I may not be able to speak from first-hand experience, but just trust me. I'm an expert."

Haley couldn't help but laugh herself, knowing exactly how silly she was probably sounding and looking and not caring in the slightest. She didn't like the glum mood at all.

"Nothing more beautiful than watching the sunrise at dawn! So come on up, and enjoy the trip, and before you know it, you'll have forgotten all about your worries and your woes to the soothing crash of the waves and we'll be in Mistral!"

edited 10th Jan '17 2:59:06 AM by UndyingPhoenix

The Docks/the ship

Someone tapped Haley's shoulder from behind. "Please stop," a voice said in a slight but distinguishable Atlesian accent. The voice's owner was slightly shorter than Haley and definitely dourer, what with his black-, grey- and brown-coloured clothes, shabby longcoat, frayed goatee and generally grim expression. "This is disrespectful." His frown deepened. "You are dismissing those people's grief with a wave of your hand."

The Docks

That's fucking crazy, Abel thought to himself. It'd only be appropriate if she worked here. And she evidently doesn't.

He went on, musing, I think I might've seen her at Beacon a couple times, as a matter of fact.

And, with that thought, an actual attendant—a black-haired, pasty human woman—stepped out of the crew's cabins.

"Sorry for the delay, everyone," she announced. "We just wanted to make sure we were at full capacity. Wouldn't want to leave anyone behind."

She marched over to the gate and shut it.

Not that there was anyone on the other side.

She promptly returned to the restricted access quarters.

The boat was crowded, but at least everyone that could made it out.

The Docks

Haley whirls around on her skates, her smile smaller than before.

"Hey, I ain't denying any grief. We all lost a lot, but there's no point in being all glum about it, ya? So lighten up will ya? It isn't gonna help anyone be happier if we're all sombre and depressed."

She folds her arms, idly skating back and forthon her wheels.

"So excuse me for tryna lighten the mood and make people smile or laugh."

Her coyote ears shoot flat against her head in annoyance.

Tan couldn't stop staring at Beacon in the distance. He'd come dressed in his finest uniform, with the hat and scarf and everything, all creased corners and pressed lapels, but in the escape it had been torn up. His right sleeve had been torn off, for one, guarding a particularly aggressive Beowolf strike with Cannon 99's pilebunker. The tool wasn't made to be used in anything but an all-out offense, and so it was an imperfect guard. It was only then that he realized he was gripping the bludgeon that was the other half of Cannon 99 in a death grip. Letting out a sigh, Tan relaxed his grip and slid it into a holster on his back.

Why was he even going to Mistral? If he was supposed to better form a theory behind the supposed White Fang attack on Beacon, he should be headed to Menagerie, to talk to their leadership directly! The crazy chick, she'd get it. She was a fellow Faunus, after all, and a Huntress on top of it!

Weaving his way through the crowd, he put an arm on her shoulder. He could play this game.

"Hey, what's up?" He asked, "Think I've seen you around before; Haley, right? I'm Tan. What are you headed to Mistral for?"

Dune — the Docks/the ship

"Look, my friends are there, dead because a Grimm ran them through," the boy with the Atlesian accent said, pointing back at Beacon's ruined tower. "You 'lightening the mood' is jarring, grating even. Grief is not something to be thrown behind your back because it's not 'light' or happy." He bared his teeth — his expression could not be called a smile – and made a fricative sound at the back of his throat. "I — and presumably, most of the people here — am glum and sombre because my friends, my team-mates — the people I'm supposed to support, just like they were supposed to support me – are dead."

The Docks

The Coyote Faunus waved at her fellow Faunus as he greeted them. She nodded in response to his question.

"That's right! You went to Beacon too, right? Otherwise I might be worried that you're stalking me."

She turned back to the man with the Atlesian accent, her brows pointedly slanted downwards.

"I'm not saying we should forget what happened. But being filled only with grief really doesn't do anyone any favours. It's like riding these skates or a bike. Ya gotta have balance."

She closed her eyes, ears twitching a bit. When she opened her eyes, she stared at Beacon off in the distance.

"We're Huntsmen and Huntresses. If we can't stay strong and make people feel safe...well, we ain't exactly doing our jobs right? Beacon..."

She points at the Tower, Grimm Dragon still frozen atop it.

" -was...IS a light in the darkness, and we're in control of the headlights as its students. Ozpin and others may be gone but there ain't anything we can do except live, carry on and honour the years we spent there and with each other."

She then shrugs, tilting her head in the direction of the water.

"'Sides, Grimm are attracted to negative emotions, ya? It'll just make this trip a whole lot more dangerous if we're on the SS Sadness."

Wait wait wait! That was it! For a second there Tan was worried that this new dude would wreck his in with Haley, but here he might be able to swing it. He had a pivot here.

"If we're Huntresses and Huntsmen," he began, "why are we even evacuating, then? Shouldn't we try to do something? The safety of Mistral's a bad place for a Huntsman and worse if you got family back in Vale who you don't know are alive or not, or a Team you got separated from."

He stared at the locked gate, teeth grinding. Awkward for a moment. "I'm just saying, Haley, if you want an adventure, and you..." He didn't know the guy. "...sir, if you want to maybe have an outlet for your grief, what if we jumped ship and figured out a better plan than running away?"

SHIP

Azure frowned. There was something odd. She felt the footsteps of those coming through the gate. Yet, at the same time?

Several figures stood near the gate. Not moving....Strange. She got up, walking down. Just by her sense of touch, feeling the area around her, Azure was able to go perfectly.

The others would see a woman approaching. She wore a black and bright blue gothic lolita dress and long stockings without a heel or toe. She wore a blank, bone white helmet that covered her entire head, impossible to see but she approached them all the same.

Dune — the ship

The boy snorted. "We're not Huntsmen, Foxears," he told Tan. "We're students. We haven't graduated yet. If we were Huntsmen and Huntresses, then that Death Stalker would be dead and the rest of team DMNS would be alive, dammit." He made a fist; his knuckles were white. "Nolana wouldn't be staring at the stars with nothing behind her eyes if we were Huntsmen and Huntresses." He paused and glared at Tan. "We are evacing because staying would get us all killed. Better to retreat, regroup, and then strike back."
The boy switched his glare to Haley. "That goes to you as well, Steppe Wolf. We're not Huntsmen, and I, for one, am not willing to just let go of what…" He took a big breath. "Of what I felt toward my friends. Let the Grimm come, if that is what that is to happen. I might go down, but I will go down kicking and screaming, cursing the Grimm with my last breath."
With that, he looked aside and saw Azure. "And who are you?" he asked, pointedly.

The emotional appeal stung. Tan would be honest about that. Team MOON were as shattered as the real one now. He at least had the like one layer of separation to be confident that his Team was safe. His face went blank as he thought about the response.

"But... wait. Hold up. First off. That's a Huntress. Her name doesn't matter. Second." Tan frowned. "There's a contradiction there. You said going back is a death sentence, but then you ended it all, 'let the Grimm come,' as if death isn't..." He sighed. "Whatever. Risking it on random encounters might be better, you're right. We can make a plan in Mistral then. And call me Tan, these aren't my only ears."

The ears in question swiveled and flattened back in annoyance.

The Boat.

Having already taken a seat and quietly glancing out back at what they'd be leaving behind, Croire wasn't quite sure how to feel with all of these recent events. At the very least he'd been managing to take it all in stride and keep a slightly optimistic attitude with his comrades either being sort of down or in one case, a little too optimistic as the conversation got the young man's attention.

"...I think it's safe to say most of us went to Beacon at this point, I do recall...um, well, meeting most people h-here during o-our first year." He quietly commented, a little flustered hadn't quite gotten over his timid stuttering yet.

Adjusting his spectacles, backpack and making sure étoile was wrapped up and secure, he tried his best to smile.

"W-Well, given the circumstances...um, while I a-agree it feels a little...tasteless to be t-to be honest, she d-does have a point. Until we're safe, we...don't really have the l-luxury to relax and mourn t-those we've lost or have gone missing, i-if that makes sense."

Giving a meek and polite apology, the shy young man quietly sat back down, keeping an eye on everyone present.

BOAT.

Azure removed her helmet, frowning for a second as the sudden change of volume and noise hit her. She had short, bright blue hair and wore what looked like a black blindfold attatched to two black earmuffs.

She turned to the one who had spoken to her. Even through the pores in the fabric, she could see him perfectly. Hell, more than perfectly. It was like seeing life in HD. She hated it. She opened her mouth and spoke, barely more than a whisper-even her own voice could be deafening. "Azure." She looked at all of them, holding her helmet in one hand. "Why are we going to die?" She asked quietly, turning towards to the one who last spoke. "And why are you afraid of it?"

edited 11th Jan '17 12:08:32 AM by TroyandHawk

The Ship

Abel lay back in the shade, facing east. It was amusing to hear all the bystanders' small talk. There was apparently a remarkable number of fellow students on the ship.

But that wasn't what intrigued him.

He tore through web articles on his Scroll—most of which sought answers about who was responsible for the fall of Beacon.

Well, that and any news he could find that pertained to recent Grimm outbreaks—few as those reports were ever since the collapse of the Cross Continental Transmit System.

He sent his regards to whomever he could find.

There were also wild theories as to what Atlas and the Huntsmen Academies had been doing behind the scenes—and how the creatures of Grimm and the White Fang got into Beacon to begin with.

They obviously spent a considerable amount of time and effort setting up the invasion, the former student reflected.

edited 10th Jan '17 9:54:07 PM by DeceptivelyHonest

The Boat

"A plan?" A rough, distorted voice came from above. Perched on one of the railings was 6'6 of a cloaked woman, peering at the group behind the jagged mask resembling a jaw. The dull shine behind the crimson eyes was judging, quiet and belonging to a person who had seen a little too much.

"How laughable. 'tis as if any of us have any competency to carry such a plan." She murred, looking at the Vale they were leaving. "'The ones that could stay behind, they have already done so."

"Leaving and trying to start anew is the best option for you folk. The exception would be, of course, those leaving their families behind."

The Boat

Haley spat into the water before looking back at the man with the Atlesian accent.

"Well, didn't say you have to let go of what you felt. But while you're busy wallowing in your sadness and grief, attracting more Grimm to us and putting more innocent people in danger, I'll be doing my best to do the opposite. Because, you know, I like helping people be happy and laughing."

She paused for a moment to listen to Tan's suggestion and the newcomer with the distorted voice. She then just shrugs.

"Well, we've got one lead: Menagerie. Home of the White Fang. If anyone wants revenge, that would be the place to start. 'course, I don't do the whole revenge schtick."

She nodded at the young man with a stutter (Croire, said the search through her memory), a smile on her face.

"See? He gets it. There isn't any point in being all sad and stuff, ya? I'm leaving my family and team behind and you don't see me all glum and depressed, ya?"

As always, the Faunus put on her devil-may-care grin, skating across the deck a bit.

"Oh, and I'm a Coyote Faunus. If ya wanna call me anything except Haley Laffa, I go by Nutjob. Because I'm good with cars and engines, ya?"

She stuck her tongue out at the man with the Atlesian accent, still smiling as she glided in small circles on the deck floor.

Boat.

Feeling a little intimidated by the cloaked and tall woman, Croire forced a faux smile on his face before nodding. "W-Well, considering t-the amount of experience each of us has...I-I doubt we've the m-means to figure o-out how to counter an invasion without h-having all of the information..." The young man mused, folding his arms and closing his eyes, trying to compose himself.

"...but you're right, even if you're being...a bit harsh about it. I don't think any one except the more...suicidally-overconfident people here...would be keen on fighting a battle that would basically be throwing their lives away..."

Of course, that composure went completely out the window when Haley spoke up again, facing going a slight shade of red and glancing to the side. "E-E-Exactly. Miss Ha...Nutjob...is r-right. M-Mostly. I-I mean, it's n-not easy, b-but we n-need to focus on w-what we're going to d-do next. And not...s-squabbling with e-each other b-because of...how some of us c-choose to look at o-our predicament."

Boat

"I would much rather prefer dealing with the scum here or in Mistral, as it appears to be the case for the future." The girl replied to Haley. "The name fits you quite."

"That being said, those who wish to throw their lives away may yet leave the boat to fight a lost fight."Aave glanced over at the coast and the docks. "Preferably before they attract sea serpents."

"I was actually thinking Menagerie too." Tan said. "But we've got other concerns too. I'm out of grenades, my Team is missing, and my BDU is all fucked up. Many of us are in similar situations. Much as I didn't want to think about it, repairing and resupplying might be my best bet. Then maybe we go to Menagerie and confront the White Fang, but not for revenge." He pointed at Haley. "For all we know, this was a false-flag operation carried out by humans, or maybe even people with zero connection to White Fang leadership who think they can just be members by putting on their masks. We don't know, at all, but there are clear steps to finding out."

The Boat

"A Faunus apologist to The White Fang. What are the odds?" Though her tone hasn't changed, the visible change in her gaze - the eyes shone a little less - told all there was to it.

"It makes perfect sense, does it not? One laughs off the folk's grief and worries over their loved ones that they have lost or left behind. The other has a gall to deny The Fang's influence in tearing Beacon apart and throwing Vale into chaos." An accusatory finger pointed at Tan. "So why won't you jump ship as you have desired to do a moment ago? Preferably before the crowd tears you apart or the explosives' belt under your uniform takes off and kills us all?"

Oh hey, reactionary regressives. Tan had dealt with their kind before, and he knew that maintaining a narrative of control was the most important part here. He leaned against the railings and looked up at the Huntress with a bored expression.

"I never denied it, but I propose that the most obvious answer cannot always be the right one." He said. "False flags are a potent weapon when the primary battleground involves seeing people with empathy rather than hatred. So unless you have a single fact to back up any of your accusations I recommend you either point something more dangerous than a finger at me or stand down."