Camp
Scarlet sent Gage a wink before she looked over at Port. "Well I'd say that depends on why you're askin' the question. If you mean it in a classroom sort of way it's because sometimes we may not have access to our rides. If you mean it in a more general sense it's probably because Peach wanted to knock them down a peg." She replied.
-dramatic music ensues-Nadia couldn't suppress a grin despite herself, flashing her teammate a slightly awkward alternate version of her mask's cocky thumbs up to show her confirmation.
“Heh. Yeah, you too Adrian.”
Concentrating on the sense of kinship she now felt with him evidently helped her to raise her voice to an almost normal level. And also completely ignore the fact that they were by now back in the camp – only realising it when she had instinctively made her way back to her previous seating position with the others.
Finally aware of where she was, and of her exposed state to the others, she flushed a dark red and ducked her head down in shame, squeezing her hands between her knees. She seemed braced for reprimand or otherwise, and oddly enough she seemed to be gravitating towards Adrian's position.
Not the... first choice for a person she felt comfortable with, but outward appearances could be deceiving. She knew that wholeheartedly.
Whatever the case, her vulpine ears were pricked attentively toward Port; and although she wasn't directly looking at him (she didn't think she could bring herself to look at anyone at this moment in time) she was completely attuned to what he was saying. In fact, she was purposefully trying to focus hard so as to distract herself from her current situation.
It wasn't working very well.
borkMiss Rayfer was busy doing stuff on her scroll, appearing to be reading educational stuff as she waited for Port to make his announcement. She overheard some of the conversations going on and did feel somewhat sad for a number of the members who really didn't have it well.
Either way, when Port posed his question, Dia replied formally and politely despite having some other thoughts added in that she kept to herself.
"Perhaps she could have wanted them to stick together on foot and enforce more cooperation? They certainly could use more teamwork."
It was probably her way of subtly poking at ELDR's lack of cooperation and constant bickering.
"Either that, or she might have decided to have them carry out a more covert operation."
(And like what Scarlet said. To knock them down a few pegs. I can't even think of Emi or Rogadyn doing a 'covert' mission.)
Dia was pretty much prepared and ready for the next exercises to come, physically and mentally.
...ehehAuolish listened intently from under the tree.
Senior classes? she wondered who they would have to face.
Freshman classes probably mean us...But does that mean that we have to compete against people who are more experienced than us? Two teams, no less! Auolish shook her head as she continued on her train of thought.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.Camp
Adrian glanced down at Nadia when she shuffled closer, but didn't move away, choosing instead to focus his attention on Professor Port's overview and subsequent question.
"Ah'd like to add mah guess that land vehicles ain't much use against Grimm in this terrain." He piped up. "Woodlands ain't ideal drivin' grounds for bikes an' cars, and they'll need rescuin' too if they crash...plus the "Cooperation" issue that Dia an' Scarlet said."
Adrian's eyes gleamed with interest at the prospect of scrapping with Senior students. He was curious to see how far they were ahead of his group. "Ah see...Ya got any...ground rules for the games? Or is it a free fer all between teams?"
Camp.
"...U-Um, I-I think everyone s-summed up t-the possibilities...s-stealth would be n-necessary if other p-people have caused the p-problem rather than Grimm...a-and going on f-foot would be training i-in itself rather t-than using vehicles..."
The young man seemed to be keeping his balance and the stack of plates steady as he headed off to the kitchen, not entirely sure whether he'd prefer the survival training or capturing the flag.
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.Camp
"Red's probably a bit much for you, Blue. She's a bit much for...well, a lot of people, to be honest. She's only really got two settings, everything and nothing. I'll happily take you on, though~" Marvin chimed in with a dumb grin before looking over to Port. "We're gonna be up against a Senior Class? Dope. I'd love to try my hand against them~" He said with a wide, tooth grin. Sitting around was doing nothing but making him antsy, especially at this time of day, as was evident by the way he was fidgeting in his seat.
"I am nature's weapon. You are unfit to carry on your species, and I shall ensure that you do not do so!" - Charles Darwin, XCOM SniperELDR
Clambering onto the top of the crawler, Duncan began investigating the busted antenna as he called down to the driver and his companion "Is your engine out or somethin'? I can prolly get it workin' again if you give me some time t' take a look at it, regardless o' whether or not the beastie is nearby." As the Highlander began to tinker with the antenna, mostly in an attempt to get the parts that were in places they weren't supposed to be back to where they belonged, he continued "Can probably get your radio workin' again if you give me a few minutes, can clear out the barricade in about 10 minutes if that's blockin' you too" While he was concerned about whatever was causing havoc in the area, Duncan kept himself composed, if only to try and help keep the people he was dutybound to protect calm as well. Even if Duncan wasn't a clever lad, he knew that panicking people only tend to cause more problems than they fix.
Camp
"Eh, it's no biggie," Wu called out, picking up the last of the silverware. "Enbu is a hardy thing, I bet I could toss it into a washing machine and the washer would break before Enbu did. And now I wonder if being randomly tossed around could engage its morphed forms, hmm."
"I'd say preparedness, prof," referring to Port's question. "Like some others said, we could be caught without our wheels and stuff." As she considered, she frowned internally a bit. "I don't know if they'd even help each other up if one of them tripped over. ELDR seems a little too, I dunno, un-united? Is that a word? Just my thoughts, but this would not help their cooperativeness much, if at all."
She pulled her attention away to her current partner in dishwashing. "Anyway, Jamie. Why'd you come to Beacon, anyway? You don't strike me as the sort who would want to take up arms for whatever reason."
Edited by AtlasStratus on Sep 4th 2018 at 4:09:43 PM
Timers to measure time, thermometers to measure thermomets, mometers to measure mom, and measuring containers to measure measurements.FLASHBACK SCARLETT
As she took off her helmet, Azure briefly considered smashing Scarlett's coffee mug with the helmet, she appreciated her captain's self-belief, but she also knew that it would be easy to get her to accept the fight.
"Maybe I'm fireproof." She teased. Then Marvin spoke. He meant it as a joke, she was aware of that. But that implication was there.
Azure just wasn't good enough. Scarlett could beat her easily. She turned, doing her best to remember the tales her father shared. Marvin's mother was a great warrior. His father was...Jack never really talked about him, but he was probably on good terms with him. But that cut deep. She turned to Marvin.
"I wanted to talk to my captain. Not her pet." She snapped, ignoring Port.
Edited by TroyandHawk on Sep 4th 2018 at 10:44:49 AM
Good to be backConvoy - Team ELDR
Liselle looked around the perimeter, methodically using her boosters to make tight circles around the barricade. She tried to keep at least one of the two idiots in her line of sight as she did.
It was still quiet, and that made Lis very nervous.
She tapped the side of her visor to activate it's coms function and made a call to Duncan's Scroll...well, assuming he brought it with him when they sortied. It reay was kind of a mess before they went here.
Either way, she gave a quick voice message.
"How's it going, boss? Need backup?"
Kitchen.
"J-Just thought I'd check, i-is all. 'Better to take a few seconds to prevent and prepare f-for a problem r-rather than taking minutes you don't have f-fixing it', o-or at least, that's the advice my f-friend gave me b-before I came here." James remarked with a small as he got started on the stack of dishes that needed cleaning. "...and I-I believe the word you're looking f-for is disunited, Miss Quan."
Although when she spoke up again with a question, James stopped for a few moments with cleaning the dishes. Granted, there was the fact Wu had gotten his name wrong, but that was minor in comparison...even if he start and try to correct her of that fact.
"I-It's Jame- ...N-Nevermind." The young man shook his head. "...I-I guess the s-short and simple answer would b-be that I'm here because it's what m-my family wants me to do." He quietly replied, trying to resume his task of cleaning the dishes despite looking a little shaken.
Edited by TheRealWren on Sep 4th 2018 at 8:14:29 PM
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.As the conversation went on and Nadia slowly realised that nobody had made comment on her just yet, she tentatively started to relax herself. Perhaps they hadn't noticed yet. Or perhaps they genuinely didn't care.
She hoped it was the latter, but she couldn't help but think the former possibility was much more plausible.
Wait, we're up against seniors? she frowned, flitting her eyes across each person present and lingering especially on those in her team. Are we ready for something like that? Though I guess that's the point of it in the first place... if we did know we wouldn't be doing it at all...
Reaching down, she picked up her Pummelgun that had been propped up against her seat for the duration of the morning, grimacing at the fact that she had so carelessly left the thing out in the open when she had went off on her... episode. Mentally berating herself the entire time, she discreetly began to recheck its components. Didn't want it locking up on her in the middle of a fight.
“Y-you don't sound like you think that's a good thing...” Nadia quietly said in comment to James's statement. “Are... are you okay? Wanna talk about it with anyone?” she carefully asked, making sure her tone didn't sound demanding. She could detect a bit of discomfort in him based off of his reaction to the question, but didn't want to hound him with pity. She knew that it could be overwhelming, especially if the subject was sensitive.
borkKitchen.
Nadia's sudden appearance and speaking up definitely didn't help James try to stay composed, nearly dropping a plate and looking nervous again.
"W-What's there to talk a-about? I'm j-just doing as I'm told. T-That's a-all. I-I mean, I-I um, a-appreciate i-it b-but...I-I mean, I'm fine, d-don't worry about me."
James made sure that his glasses were on properly as the lens seemed to shimmer again and he tried to regain his composure with his eyes wandering and glancing at Nadia's ears. Whether he was surprised, glad he had something to try and change the subject to avoid talking about himself...or distracted by the fluffy ears, it was hard to tell.
"...S-So why t-the sudden c-change to want to s-show you're a faunus now? Um, s-sorry, y-you don't have to a-answer that." James meekly apologized and fidgeted for a few moments before shaking his head.
"I-I mean, I h-had a bit of a hunch since Initiation and can understand why you'd w-want to hide...but...um...this is Beacon...you hopefully shouldn't have to worry about...those types of people who can't get along with faunus here compared to...some places..."
Edited by TheRealWren on Sep 4th 2018 at 10:28:26 PM
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.Still caught up in her sympathy for him, it took a while for Nadia to register James's question. Once she did, she bit her lip and ducked her head down, looking decidedly guilty for some reason as her ears twitched and instinctively flattened against her head, her tail coiling around her like it had done back in the grove.
“...Well, I... I mean... well I kinda... I made a mistake,” she finally admitted in a whisper, seeming to find the fur on her tail extraordinarily interesting at this moment in time. “I... I lived in a bad part... a-and I heard some things... I guess I... well I guess I panicked, is all...”
The fox Faunus was by now so curled up into herself with guilt she almost looked at risk for turning inside out.
“But...” she paused, looking back up with a more steeled gaze. “I'm not gonna hide any more. It's worse off for me if I do.”
She was silent for a moment more, before she let out a halfhearted chuckle. “I burned up my jacket though... that was a stupid idea. I guess it helps a little, though...
borkDia had been reading something on her Scroll in one hand, while "balancing" a little green glowing crystal on the tip of her finger of her other hand.
She overheard James getting flustered again. With a slight movement, she turned her head up in the direction of her leader, before sighing internally in relief. Thankfully, this time, it wasn't due to any sarcasm, although she did hear him talking about being in Beacon because his family wanted him to be there.
Dia was actually pretty used to her family wanting her to do stuff and she was very rule-abiding thanks to her upbringing, so she didn't find that too weird.
James' comment towards Nadia was more interesting. About Nadia being a Faunus, and about racism... This caused Dia to put down her Scroll and turn her head towards the two, her green eyes blinking.
"Oh? She's a Faunus?"
There was definitely a hint of surprise in her face, although she kept her face rather straight. There was no maliciousness in that tone either, which indicated that Dia didn't harbor any ill will. If anything it was interesting learning more about the others.
Racism between human and Faunus wasn't something Dia was that well-versed about, thanks to living a rather sheltered life. That was a good thing though, since it also meant that Dia held no ill will towards the Faunus. People were people after all and she didn't care about race, only about morality.
This was enough to prompt the green-haired girl to gently edge a bit closer, perhaps to get into the conversation. Up till now, she didn't know that Nadia was hiding her nature of being a Faunus. She also didn't quite hear the fox faunus' whisper, and also noticed that the jacket was gone.
Dia glanced at Nadia's ears and tail as she curiously asked "Where did your jacket go?"
...eheh"...W-Well, that's not r-really your fault. In places w-where you'd have to deal with s-stuck up nobles o-or faunus h-hating bigots...especially t-the really b-bad sorts, if you c-can't get out of there...hiding's the n-next best option." James nodded, frowning a little at Nadia looking upset.
For a moment, he contemplated petting the fluffy fox faunus before shaking his head and with Dia showing up, he couldn't help but look bewildered at how many people had shown up in the kitchen.
"B-But you're right about n-not wanting to hide any more. I mean, y-you've got your team by y-your side and any other f-friends you've made here, so...y-you'll be fine, I'm sure."
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.Nadia gained a blush of embarrassment at Dia's question regarding her jacket, and she looked down yet again, giving them a shrug that looked like she was trying to play it off cool and failing miserably in the process. Which she was.
“Well, y'know... I kinda... um... burned it?” she explained, although she sounded more unsure on the last part. She had just realised that setting light to the thing in the middle of a forest grove probably wasn't the best idea she'd had. But it was the principle of it, she supposed, and her strange Semblance seemed to contain itself.
It is odd how it doesn't act like normal fire... it's almost ethereal. I wonder... she thought, briefly looking down at the tail curved around just below her chest before snapping back to attention at James's reassurance, gaining a small smile that slowly broadened as she listened.
“Thank you. That helps a lot. I still feel like I could've done all this better, but it isn't like it really matters now,” she said genuinely, before realising something. “Though... oh. I'm listed as human on my papers.”
The perfect expression of 'oh crap' displayed on her face at that moment in time was worthy of pictures, but it quickly vanished once she let out a soft groan and buried her face in her tail. As much as it sometimes got in the way, it did make an excellent pillow substitute.
“M-maybe if I explain things they'll understand?” she weakly suggested, voice slightly muffled due to the fluff, before shaking her head. “Oh, who'm I kidding? I'm so getting into trouble for that...”
bork"I mean, the teachers are known to be pretty flexible...but the stick-up-the-ass people might wanna get on your back about that..."
Auolish walks back out of the shade of the trees.
"But like I said, I'm behind you alla the way. All of us Faunus got to stick together."
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.Hearing that the fox Faunus had accidentally burned her clothes, Dia got slightly more curious. Not because Nadia was a Faunus but because she really wanted to know more about everybody's powers.
(That was either Fire Dust or her Semblance. Haven't seen it in action before, maybe I could now?)
As the crystal on her fingertip disappeared, Dia curiously asked as she gripped her Scroll in excitement (not that her face showed it).
"Ah, I understand. I'm a bit curious to know if it was fire Dust, or your Semblance?"
Dia sighed internally. It was only a matter of time before she herself had to open up.
(She opened up better than I did. How long am I going to have to keep to myself?)
While her external demeanour looked calm and regal... there were a few very small hints of unease such as the way she held her Scroll a bit tight.
Trying to draw attention away from her own unease, the greenette responded. "I think that explaining your situation to the right people could ease things in the long run..."
(And yet I'm the one who doesn't want to...)
Edited by ironcommando on Sep 4th 2018 at 8:32:38 PM
...ehehShooting a thankful smile towards Auolish's direction, Nadia then turned to Dia, pausing only slightly in hesitation before relenting with a sigh and carefully uncoiling her tail from around her, making sure not to twitch and accidentally thwack Adrian in the face with it, before standing up to get a bit of clearance.
“Yes. It was my Semblance.”
Might as well get it all out.
After her statement had rang out, she looked down towards her fluffy extra appendage, curling it slightly to her side so she could reach its tip and sharply rubbing her hand across it in one smooth motion.
It instantaneously erupted into ethereal, bluish tinted flames.
Intriguingly, a heat haze was about it, but there was no obvious warmth coming from the girl – instead it was more of a faint tingling sensation to those in close proximity. It was apparently dangerous nonetheless, as Nadia had seem fit to get free space between her and her acquaintances beforehand, but the way that her fur seemed not at all affected (apart from a strange rippling like water) and how she didn't seem at all uncomfortable!e almost implied one could touch it.
Her next words affirmed that is was not the case, though.
“It doesn't hurt me for some reason. And only me. It's weird. It's like it isn't there, but it just eats everything else up...” she muttered in a voice decidedly calmer and more serene than her previously deathly quiet and tentative whisper. It was if the strange flames had emboldened her somehow – and the way her tail gracefully curved itself back and forth while she studied it with all the fascination of a small child was testament to that.
Abruptly, though, it went out, and she seemed to snap out of her trance and moved to sit back down, her body language yet more relaxed for putting another secret out there.
“As I said; probably shouldn't have burned up my jacket. But I did do it on purpose. I'm not gonna use it to hide myself any longer. Though I am a little cold.”
That last part was delivered in a somewhat lighter time of voice – accompanied by a humorous glint in the eye. Inside, she found the whole situation hilarious. In her focus on fulfilling an artistic urge for the end to this chapter in her life by burning up the source of it – her jacket – she had ended up completely forgetting the practical uses of it. Ah well. She could always get another. Specifically without a hood, it should be noted.
borkDia looked on in awe as the fox faunus displayed her powers. In a moment's notice, the Scroll was in front of Dia's face with the lady's eyes peering over the top edge as Nadia demonstrated her powers, as she began recording stuff down.
She could definitely feel a tingling sensation by being nearby, causing her to write stuff down on her Scroll. The greenette gently brushed her own ponytail, possibly to put out any fire just in case. She did note down that the power didn't hurt Nadia.
[Nadia: Fire based ability. Appears to be blue coloured flames and possible static effects. Some kind of ionizing plasma? Ability does not appear to harm the user but it could burn up her jacket.]
Still somewhat worried that she herself was very reluctant to show her hidden feelings, there was a very small hint of nervousness in Dia's demeanour. She did manage to calm herself down and was clearly in awe, her eyes looking brighter yet still having her usual expression.
"That's an interesting power there, Nadia. I'm very sure that it could be helpful outside combat with good control."
There's a small pause as Dia's face gradually turned into a faint smile. "Thank you for opening up to me. You definitely have someone who can confide in you."
(Me? I don't want to open up... not yet...)
Dia tried her best to prevent herself from laughing at the "cold" joke. Ah well, there was always another jacket that could be bought for her that wasn't as concealing.
Edited by ironcommando on Sep 4th 2018 at 10:01:48 PM
...eheh...O-Okay, now it's getting a b-bit crowded, I-I wasn't expecting s-so many people w-wanting to help w-with the dishes...w-where the h-heck is Gage with the r-rest of the dishes...
Nadia speaking up again brought the young man out of his thoughts, flustered and a fairly noticeable shade of red.
"M-Mistakes and errors on enrollment forms a-are probably more c-common than we t-think. J-Just let them know and t-they'll hopefully f-fix it without a headache." James nodded, drying some of the dishes and putting them aside to dry, glancing around the kitchen and wondering why the 'second in command' hadn't shown up to help. ...or make things worse.
"...And what Miss Auolish said. I...I mean, I'm not a faunus and I don't really know how much it's worth, but...I'm on her...er, your side rather those...who can't see we're all the same, no matter how anyone looks or how 'high up' they are in society." The young man remarked.
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.

Wednesday, Tempestas 19, Far Eastern Region, Vale - 7:43 AM
As ELDR and Peach cleared the barricade, it became evident why they weren't responding to any of the professor's hails. The Mosskvitch's antennae had been wrecked, only a few fitful sparks showing that it could be repaired. Duncan could just barely make out one form making itself small under the dashboard when the second rolled itself from under the cargo trailer.
"Hunters," gasped the driver, who had a cap with the Heiyerdahl Village logo and was dressed in tough khakis. In his hand, he held a simple Valoran Yeomanry handgun. His eyes were darting nervously all over the silent woods. "Did ya get it? Did ya see it?" His voice became a frightened hiss.
"What did this?" Peach was close to the man while his partner opened the door and scrambled out, hurrying to get to the locked box built into the rear. The driver shook his head, breathing heavily.
"It looked like a King Taji," growled his partner, a rugged-looking ox Faunus as she fumbled for the lock. "Only not like any Taji I ever saw." She too was scanning the treeline. "Damn thing killed our radio."
Wednesday, Tempestas 19, Gareth's Bay, Far Eastern Region, Vale - 7:30 AM
"People like it when you make things hot for 'em, Red." Gage laughed as he began clearing dishes from some of the tables.
In almost no time did Professor Port polish off his sizable breakfast. Anyone close could have caught him eyeing the path which Professor Peach and Team ELDR took to leave the bay. He shook his head and hefted his weight to stand on the bench.
"I have had several zones throughout the Bay prepared for today's exercises. Two of the senior classes will spar with the freshmen in a game of Capture the Flag." They could see his eyes twinkling even when they were their usual closed state. "The last one will have it easier, but they will come with me for survival training."
"But before I begin, I would like to ask you all a question: Why did Professor Peach have Team ELDR leave its vehicles even when there was an emergency, eh?"