--Closed For Reboot--


Setting/Location
Time - Morning
Weather - Clear
Location - Near Vacuc border, Vale Roadway
Tags - @RedArmyShogun @Yzmael
@Karyra @happydeath



With morning's appearance, sunlight brought relief from the harsh grip of winter's cold dark night. Cooped up still within the somewhat cramped confines of the generator room, Medusa hummed a peculiar tune privately, out of sync with the hum of the nearby machines. With her fingers pressed firmly against the earplugs supplied to her, she swayed back and forth in moderate irritation as the long hours of night had crawled by without so much as a wink of sleep. Irritability at the same level as the previous day, her face betrayed a scowl underneath the closed eyes and merry singing.

Unaware of this, but on guard the soldier who had entered unannounced was slightly startled at the sharp glance Medusa paid him as he was just about to interrupt her meditation. Hesitant for a moment as his room for introduction or otherwise greeting was dismissed and unwanted, he motioned toward the steaming cup in hand. With a glance toward its contents, Medusa with grace, but without a hint of gratitude took it and placed it upon the boxes where she sat. Before returning once more to her trance like state.

...

"Heh... fitting. A military dog has many uses. Wouldn't you agree Nick?" The statement followed a wry smile. With dead eyes, Medusa stared at the Captain as if she were a pet boasting its bag of tricks. Never one to catch a break at any moment, Nick summoned his best familiar merry smile and offered a pacifying rebuttal.

Now, now... Come Medusa. Are we not all dogs of the state?"

But doing little to serve him or the Captain, by playing the diplomat, he merely received a cold glare for his trouble. Taking it in stride however, he motioned Medusa forward toward the Jeep and thanked that what the Captain had to say was more or less ever more polite than what she really thought.

Shall we be on our way?"

...

For the duration of the "tracking" Medusa followed close on the Captain's tail. Decked out in her thermal gear, she was no longer the immobile igloo of cloth upon their first meeting. Whether it was the new clothes or the approaching duty of catching the escaped Project Grimm subjects, it Medusa's grand disinterest was very apparent. Staring blankly at the Captain as she made to inspect the campsite, prints, foliage, and the general grounds of the area. She was very much glad when they were done with the matter, and that the good Captain would hurry up with her task. Saying nothing, but what she could with eye and general demeanor. she was not far behind Juniper as they all loaded back up in the Jeep.

A right here?... Okay... And if they come peacefully, I will see to it they are unharmed. You have my word."

...

As the escapees came within sight and the Captain issued her orders over the microphone, it would be slightly difficult to capture how exactly Medusa was taking things. As the .50 boomed overhead and the microphone echoed, the Jeep came to a subtle halt as her two companions chose to do things civilly. Staring at the two men from her seat as they reacted to their abrupt disturbance, her face slowly changed from a bored expressionless blank canvas to a sinister smirk. Underneath the roar of the Captain's cannon and Nick's suggestions, a soft whispering came to inhabit her ears and mind. Muttering to herself in a reassuring manner, a light chuckle soon broke out signally a shift in personality.

"Heeheehee... Hahaha... Shhhhhh... they're here... that's right... they aren't far. Just a bit further."

Turning to her companions, without word, and with only a twisted grin plastered to her face. Medusa's body would abruptly unravel into a web of snakes. Vipers, Boas, and more species than one would care to know scattered throughout the Jeep overrunning the seats, floorboards, and outer doors. In a bid to force its occupants to flee, Nick was the first to react. Managing to draw his katana in the small space of the driver's side and slicing at the wall of snakes directed his way. Hopping out of the vehicle, he would be unharmed but likely very unsettled or upset.

What would be the response of the Captain was for her to worry about as several Boa made to coil around her legs alongside the pedals and steering wheel. With a lurch, the vehicle would start forward on a collision course with the two Hunters in the distance. It's occupants being only the mass that was once Medusa and anyone unfortunate enough to remain within.
 

Setting/Location
Time - Mid-Morning
Weather - Clear
Location - Supply Bunker ; Near Vacuo
Tags - @Karyra @RedArmyShogun @Astros


Groaning throughout most of the night in his sleep, just like every night it was a challenge just to get any type of decent amount of rest due to the strange nightmarish dreams that haunt his mind. Every night it was always the same dream over and over again; fire everywhere and a little boy standing in the middle of what looks like ruins while there are screams surrounding him the entire time, then out of nowhere a pair of red and gold eyes along with a massive dark shadow looming over all of the fire is seen consuming everything in what appears to be as though it were swallowing everything. After all of that, just like every night it would cause Axel to wake up in cold sweat and just stay awake for the rest of the evening with only pain in his right arm for some reason.

Staying up the rest of the evening till morning, the first thing to come to mind to let him know that it was morning was the sounds of the birds chirping throughout the forest as well as the sunlight that shined from the crack at the bottom of the door going into the supply room. Letting a low yawn leave his lips as he stood from one of the chairs that was available in the room, it appeared as though as Phan had also been awake by this point. Greeting him with nothing more than a nod of his head as a way to say 'Good Morning', Axel progressed his way to leave the supply bunker to prepare for the next hour or so ride on to get to the main city in Vacuo.

Rather than being able to even make his way to fully head over towards his cycle, the sudden sounds of tires hitting the terrain before coming to a halt had him find nothing more than a rather unwelcomed guest. Seeing nothing more than a large jeep roll up in front of the supply bunker with the very same Atlesian Captain from last night speaking over a microphone to call out for an arrest for the two Huntsmen; this time she wasn't alone, there were two others that were with her this time one male and the other female. Seeing the three and the sudden unexpected warning shot of a .50 Cal no doubt was enough to bring a bit of annoyance to the cloaked male.

Sure, he could've just asked some questions right on the spot about what happened from letting them go during last night compared to now but yet without her assistance there was no way the duo could've found this supply bunker to begin with. Turning his attention over towards Phan as he appeared to be in a rather panicked state about trying to prove his innocence, Axel already knew well enough that was clearly not going to work when it was the fact that this was Atlas.

'She's one of them...Be on your guard kid...There is something about that other woman..' A sudden deep and booming voice immediately echoed throughout Axel's subconscious as he knew well enough that this was none other than the Grimm within him. The thing normally did not like to speak since most of the time it's only goal was simply to take over Axel's body and use it as a vessel so that it could be free, other than that it did not try any kind of persuasion to get it's host to give up it's body. Without so much as a word to the Grimm, it didn't take long to notice how the third member that was once sitting in the vehicle soon vanished from sight before the Captain and other male in the jeep decided to leave the vehicle in a hurry just to have the very vehicle itself come barreling towards the two Huntsmen.

"Tsk...Of course that would happen...Phan! Get to the bike!" With a split second, with the sight of the tumbling serpent coated jeep barreling towards the two; Axel quickly gripped a hold of the sheathe of his weapon with his right hand while immediately unsheathing the blade with his left. With the amount of time the weapon had to charge within it's sheathe followed by an addition with some use of his semblance to add plenty of kinetic energy into the blade; with a single slash upwards, he was easily able to sever it in two. Making sure to avoid letting the serpents fall onto him, even if it meant causing the two pieces of the jeep go flying onto the bunker and causing damage onto it.

Cursing silently underneath his breath, Axel had quickly sheathed his weapon just as quickly as he unsheathed it before rushing over towards his cycle. All the while, his own emerald gaze turned over to give a glare towards the Captain as well as the other male. So much for putting trust into an Atlesian official. Immediately making his way over towards the motorcycle, with a simple touch upon the dashboard of the bike he was able to send plenty of kinetic energy into the entire vehicle; though it was dangerous to do so since it could overcharge it's core engine, it would be able to at least make it go much faster than any kind of ordinary bike. Taking one last look over his shoulder to see if the Captain or either one of the other two Atlas officials; the woman who seemed to vanish and there being now serpents all over the place or the other male would do anything before he decided to bolt down the road at full speed once again with Phan to escape the area.
 

Setting/Location
Time - Morning
Weather - Light Clouds
Location - Black Market, Wakikata, Mistral
Tags -
@Nunali

Azalea had woken an hour earlier than she usually did, and, instead of getting up or dressing up or washing off, the rabbit faunus stayed like this, one elbow propping her head up as she stared at Carmen’s sleeping face. Like this, she could hardly tell that the woman was older than her, huh? Such a soft, vulnerable expression. She reached out then, gently pulling a strand of hair out of the red-haired woman’s face, sighing quietly at how exquisite her flesh was. That daring outfit, combined with that distinct sense of embarrassment. That out-of-depth nature, combined with the courage to apply her own morals onto people regardless. An innocent rose, despite its long, long thorns.

Oh, she could just eat her up!

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Azalea said as Carmen woke, her own smile naturally honey-sweet. “Almost forgot how warm it was, sleeping with someone else. Hope you didn’t mind too much.” The bunny faunus slipped out from the covers then, back facing the Huntress to offer her a view of her lithe back, slender waist, and wide hips. Clothed only in pink, lacy underwear, Azalea turned back slightly, a mischievous smile on her face, before she bent down to retrieve the clothes she left on the floor, shrugging them on with a practiced nonchalance.

“Well, been feeling a bit peckish myself, seeing how we both ended up just sleeping,” she said, the hint of disappointment crystal clear in her tone, “So how about some dinner? I’m absolutely famished myself.”
 

Setting/Location
Time - Morning
Weather - Clear
Location - Forest In Between Vacuo and Vale
Tags - @happydeath @RedArmyShogun

"Hey wait I'm surrendering I'm not-"
Phan said quickly. "Aw, hell."

Phan wasted no time getting on the bike far away from... were those snakes? Phan landed backwards on the bike, his back to Axel's. Not safe per say, but it'd allow him to keep certain pursuers off their trail. Well, they clearly were more interested in killing him than capturing him so there was no need to hold back anymore.

"We could have resolved this peacefully you know!"


He extended his gauntlets and started to check and see how many feathers he had loaded. Enough, for now. Unfortunately, that also meant that he'd absolutely have to take care of his feathers when he got to Vacuo. He'd been cocky, arrogant. Now he was going to pay the price for that by being totally under-prepared for this fight.

Foolish boy. Let me try-

"Well, any ideas on why they're after you, Axel? 'Cause me, I'm a regular choir boy. 'Cept for the Hunter thing, I'm just a guy who wanders around lookin' for work!"


Phan aimed his right hand and steadied it with his left, making a finger gun gesture behind them. He clenched his fist and watched as a feather streaked across the distance and impaled a snake. He reloaded and adjusted his aim for the Captain, as that was the only one he could see at the moment. Another grunt maybe, but she was the biggest threat right now. If he didn't fire first, she might. However, he hesitated. She didn't really want to be here any more than he did from how she worded that, but at the same time if he let her go now...

Shoot her. Do it boy.

He fired. Whether or not it hit didn't matter. He couldn't let her go without at least a little fight.
 
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<br /> Setting/Location
Time - Morning
Weather - Clear
Location - Forest In Between Vacuo and Vale
Tags - @Karyra @happydeath

The clown boy hitched his slipping pack back onto his shoulders as he hugged himself and rubbed his arms up and down trying to warm himself. His shoes crunched in the snow, leaving a trail in the otherwise undisturbed, crisp snow, freshly fallen from last night. He muttered some curses under his breath in irritation towards the cold. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a small, annoying voice continued to drone on and on of how he should have stayed a little while longer at the last town he was in.

You could have had a warm bed, it whined.
You could have gotten a job working in the tavern while you waited out the cold, it moaned.

The clown, only shook his head and tugged his green cloak closer to his body. The town was too small and its residents were far too cynical. He could have stayed, true, but he'd also have to suffer who-knows-how-many weeks or months without jokes, wit, and play. No, the cold was far better than that.

He had packed enough supplies to last him several days at least. HIs pack stored his food, water, a blanket, and even some dust. Besides that, he also was carrying the tools of his trade in his pack and on his body, some juggling balls, a deck of cards, a flute, coins, and other props he used in his performances. His weapon, adoringly named after the way he lived, remained wrapped in cloth and strapped to the side of his pack.

Though he knew he wouldn't have to worry about starving anytime soon, the clown couldn't help but to wonder how much further it was to civilization again. He knew that he was somewhere between the cities of Vacuo and Vale and in what general directions either of them were but he knew none of the specifics. He didn't even know which one of the two he wanted to go to. Vale, he knew at least, was a growing city filled with both survivors of the previous Vale and foreigners still coming in. This meant a large audience for the clown which meant more business. Vacour, on the other hand, was a city in its own right. It was nowhere as rich or developed as Vale but there were individuals there who were like him, or at least like his parents. The clown shook his head at the memories that brought up and pushed them back down.

Being the indecisive boy he was, the clown eventually gave up and pulled out a silver coin. Heads, go to Vale. Tails, go to Vacour, he decided. Placing the coin on his right hand, he flicked up the coin with a twing and spun around, catching the coin behind his back with his left hand. Swinging his arm forward, he tossed the coin again into the air and spun to face the direction he had originally been facing, snatched the coin out of the air with his right hand and slapping it down onto the back of his left.

"And fate decrees that I shall head..." he dramatically announced to nobody. His words, however, were cut short as the faint sound of motor caught his ears, growing ever louder. Turning his head towards the sound, the clown saw two men on a motorcycle rushing towards him. "Huh, wonder where those two are heade--Woah!" He was forced to hop back to narrowly dodge the oncoming bikers. "They certainly were in a rush, wonder where they're headed?" he muttered to himself. He looked down at the coin in his hand, still covered, then back towards the direction the bikers had gone. "Well then, I guess fate can just go to hell then." Without looking, the clown rolled the coin between his knuckles then twirled his hand, making it disappear. Following the track left by the motorcycle, the clown resumed his journey, now slightly more cheerful in anticipation of the entertainment he may find following this path.
 
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Setting/Location
Time - Evening
Weather - Snowfall
Location - Forest In Between Vacuo and Vale
Tags - Everyone on the Road
"What in the..." Eyes widening as a swarm of snakes, creepy Grimm like snakes, bursts forth from the woman, seemingly.. No, she had turned into snakes. More than a bit creeped out by this, the Captain jumps from the jeep, tucking into a roll and rebounding off the ground a time or two as the forward momentum carries her forward. "...fuck...uhh?" Finishing her sentence, she just has time to react to a Nevermore Feather... Pausing briefly to reflect on this absurdity the Officer was left with more questions than answers.

Watching as her Aura shielded her from a grazing shot of the Feather, he had fully meant to kill her, or at least to hurt her, so much for his offer of surrender, while the Agent Nick fellow seemed to mean his words, his teammate went full psychotic and stole the Jeep. Taking the time to notice what would likely be it's end, the Captain was quick to get off the road and run for the trees, carrying her HMG. She knew where they were going and if the other was like the one who attacked her and the Snake ally that went insane, the City was in grave danger.

Simply put she would have to go for Zramore and capture them, or at least make it clear to the Hunters what was lurking in their midst, after that she would board a Military Transport and return to base in Malden. With the Agent out of sight from her pursuit they would either catch up or do as they wished, Juniper however wasn't about to head after them, that woman wasn't normal and this had to be some sort of clean up work from a nutter in the weapons Division that went too far...

"Atlas wouldn't have willingly made those..things...right?" She asks herself, hearing that bike taking off as she went into a full on woodsman sprint, Captain Garnet already knew there was no way in hell she would be cutting them off on foot..

But just maybe something else would.. Off in the distance she could hear the cries of Beowolf, no doubt drawn to the source of conflict and display of Grimm powers, while none where in eyesight as of yet, nor the Ursa that lived in these woods it was likely they would show up.. Cursing her luck the Captain dives out of the woods and back onto the road, taking a runners sprint as her HMG shifts into Hammer form, she might not could catch them, but she could still do something.. What that something was she hadn't thought through however.

And of course the day couldn't stop getting more weird, while she wasn't sure how she would learn more about this, never mind how to explain it to whoever provided security and ran that city, she would run across; "...A clown? ..I, what.. Argggh! now's not the time! EXUCSE ME!!" Barreling past the clown and half wondering if he was some sort of entertainer..or upon seeing his mask, a serial killer.

Now was sadly not the time to question him, chasing fugitives, partly running away from her allies and from the distant cries of Grimm, it would be a bad time to ask about just what his job was, she just hoped the poor man could take care of himself...well he was out here alone and on foot. Almost bowling over him, she regains her posture quickly and continues her mad aura assisted dash.
 
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Setting/Location
Time - Evening
Weather - Snowfall
Location - Forest In Between Vacuo and Vale
Tags Everyone in the Forest. -

What a way to ruin the chances of peaceful conversation, Medusa... What a way. The man had planned beforehand several attempts to begin this off peacefully through negotiations, but it didn't seem like the snake-carrying woman was too fond of it. As usual, she took the first step in stride and effectively went in with unmatched hunger. While the Captain didn't make things any easier by shooting the ground and raising the term of him and Medusa being the real cause of the two's arrest, Medusa's actions certainly cut out the entire option for fair treatment and negotiations.

With the woman beside him having turned into a blob of snakes, he was left with little choice other than cutting out of the jeep. As his feet touched the ground, Nick broke into a roll and stopped to snap his face to his left, watching the jeep drive off go towards his targets. With the snakes pouring out of it, it was clear that Medusa got overly excited with the prospect of cleansing another impurity. Clicking his tongue as he got up, Nick watched as the response was almost immediate.

A sword moved up to meet the viper-infested jeep, effectively cutting it in half along with many of the snakes in it. This, in effect, warranted a whistle from Nick. "Neat sword there... Wonder what else he can cut." With a small smile, the Agent planted the sword, still sheathed, onto the hard ground and used it as support for him to set up and watch the events unfold. Things would've been fine... But sadly he heard the shout from the sword-carrying man and clicked his tongue in disapproval. That made his plans too clear. Looking towards the bike, he focused his attention towards it. As he did, a blood hued crimson extended far towards it and the two targets, and effectively below the bike far before they could reach it. Seeing the two take over the bike, Nick extended his Aura further up, although it was in vain. The sheer force created by the bike's movement caused the clogged blood-hued Aura to sever itself from the vehicle, effectively ensuring that he couldn't do much other than sigh in forfeit and curse under his breath. The sound of the jeep crashing and the ebb and flow of snakes slowly dying down signaled the situation to have devolved quickly.

With the two gone from sight, Nick noticed how the Captain also rushed to make pursuit. He wondered how far she would manage to get with the Aura she was expending. However, there was far more to worry than their presence in the nearby city of Zramore, what the Agent presumed to be the Captain's first issues. Picking up his sword, the sound of birds caw caught the man's attention briefly. Turning towards the sound, he noticed the several crows present behind him. Black as night, with vermilion eyes, they stared and then flew away in a flock, beating their wings and leaving behind the typical feathers that Nick knew well. Turning back to the jeep that had been torn in half in a single slash, his Aura withdrawing and pulling back to him as he walked towards it.

From below him, the Aura rose up to form a couple of enormous hand-like constructs, which pushed through into it's remains and the many snakes to pinch and pull a single body from within. "I hope you have a good reason for having done what you did." The Agent spoke, raising his eyes to meet hers in a scowl below the hat as the enormous hand put her down in front of him. "After all, we still have to bring them in." His tone was almost annoyed, in truth. Which meant he wasn't hiding his real expression too much from her.
 
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Setting/Location
Time - Late Afternoon
Location - Zramore, Vacuo


Ever since shit hit the fan 20 years ago, Atlas decided it was the best opportunity to extend its influence outside its borders and across the kingdoms by playing hero while the rest of the world blamed Huntsmen for the Grimm problem.... well except in Vacuo apparently. Some say it was Vacuo's geographical location, being farther away from Atlas compared to its other neighbors that prevented Atlesian presence. Other said that Atlas saw Vacuo as nothing more than a wasteland and wasn't worth warranting an expansion into.

Whatever the case was, a certain blonde bar owner was glad this city wasn't in martial law. Sure there's crime all over the place but at the same time people were legally allowed to beat the crap out of other people for messing with them. Which brings us to Ael's current situation. Despite his clothes being dirtied and ruffled from what the random passer-by could presume as no ordinary little scuffle, an unnerving grin was present on his face. Such an expression prompted most people to steer clear of him... that and the fact that he was dragging two bloody men with him towards the hideout of a rather well known bunch of small-time thugs.

"Another bar fight I assume?" One of the citizens mused suggesting that this wasn't the first time they had seen something like this.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

Three knocks started the conflict between the owner of the Sunshine Tavern and the Dusk Rats. When their gatekeeper was about to open the door of their hideout to check on their mysterious visitor, Ael had thrown one of the men he was dragging all across town through the door and into the gatekeeper knocking the wind out of his lungs.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be? Don't you know who our boss is? When Little Franky finds out what's going on-- "

Before the thug could finish the blonde bartender throws the thug's other buddy at him just in time for their boss to see the whole thing.

"Ael? Hold up, what the hell is all this? You come charging into my turf and beat my men for no good rea--- Ohh... they did that again at your place huh?" The man of small stature wearing a pinstripe suit felt only disappointment as he looked at his henchmen's beat-up and battered forms.

"Listen, Frank. You know me right? I don't discriminate between who comes and goes into my bar. Anyone who needs a drink gets it. I just have one rule for everyone... NO FIGHTING IN MY BAR! But it seems like you can't get that one simple fact into the heads of your boys here. That's why I'm here to collect AGAIN for the damages your men did to my tavern. "

An exasperated sigh left little Franky's lips when he heard what happened before looking the furious barkeep in the eye.

"And what if I say no? What if instead, I let you leave my turf alive in exchange as compensation for the trouble my men caused you despite you causing similar trouble for me." Little Franky replied in a condescending tone.

"Well I say we have a problem Franky. I don't accept courtesy as a form of payment."

It had seemed that the time for talk was over as five other henchmen arrived, guns drawn and aimed at Ael. They simultaneously opened fire at him with their sub-machineguns but Ael had already anticipated this outcome allowing him to use his sword to block the hail gunfire all the while charging towards the thugs. He managed to knock one of them through a wall when he collided with the unfortunate thug and another was quickly incapacitated after Ael slammed his unsheathed sword on the henchman's face with enough force to send him through another wall.

Three thugs remained and it seemed like they've just run out of ammo. Dusk rats must be falling on some pretty hard times then. Still it looked like they were still adamant in killing him as they each grabbed a melee weapon, a lead pipe, a machete, and a double-sided ax respectively, with a determined look in their eyes while their boss was trying to escape.

"I really don't have time for this so..."

Activating his semblance, Ael managed to to catch the pipe mid-swing when the tug tred it attack him. The pipe promptly melted when it came in contact with Ael's hand and he took advantage of that moment of confusion by delivering a crushing boot to the goon's torso.

After all that's happened, he couldn't let Franky escape so he ended up activating his semblance as he rushed the two men and used his enhanced strength to deliver a double choke slam with enough power to send them through the floor of the building. Rushing over to the balcony as he converted his weapon into its rifle form, he was relieved to find out that the pudgy crime boss was still within the range of his weapon. After loading ice dust bullets into his rifle, a single deafening shot could be heard and moments later the target hit its mark. The ice dust instantly froze on of Franky's legs making him writhe in agony.

A few minutes later, Ael arrived where he had downed the gang leader and was quite surprised to see that he still managed to crawl several feet from where the blonde had originally downed him.

"I think it's not too late to re-negotiate, Frank. Killing you won't pay for the damages to my bar so I say you cut me a deal here. In exchange for keeping you alive, you give me enough Lien to repair and replace all the damage your men caused then we can forget all of this ever happened. " Ael said enthusiastically.

"After everything you've done, you're still thinking about business? What about my men? You..."

"... beat the shit out of them. Everybody gets beat up in Vacuo at some point in their lives so that hardly is an issue. Relax, Frank. I'm not a murderer, I'm a businessman. But you see I can't really conduct business with a wrecked tavern... the tavern your boys wrecked when they had an argument about who has the best knockers among the gals in a certain brothel at the Red Light District." Ael cut in nonchalantly.

"UGH!... Fine. How much do I owe you?" Franky said in a defeated voice. With his leg still frozen, he looked like a depressed, partially melted miniature sculpture.

"I'm glad we're making progress, Frank! Well, I was really sure you won't believe me if I just say it to you outright so here's a complete list of things that need to be either repaired or replaced." Ael says endearingly as he hands a small piece of paper to the gang leader.

"... sixty thousand Lien?! Are you kidding me?"

"I'm afraid I'm quite serious, Franky. The boys really did a number on her so it led to those figures. If you want, I can take you to the bar now and you can have a look yourself."

Sighing once again, the gangster takes a wad of green Lien out of his wallet and grudgingly hands it to the barkeep.

"Save it, Ael. Take that money, unfreeze my leg then leave. I need to have a very long talk with my men after this."

Setting/Location
Time - Evening
Location - Zramore, Vacuo - Sunshine Tavern


After receiving compensation from Franky, Ael was about to head back to the bar when he suddenly remembered something that could easily send him out of business in present-day Vacuo.

"I forgot lock the bar when I left!"

With a sudden sense of urgency, Ael began running towards the direction of the Sunshine Tavern. Knowing that with each passing second, the amount of fatigue he could feel increases as well until it reaches a proportionate amount of effort needed to compensate for his Semblance usage.

By the time the reached the bar, what had been a 5 minute minute jog felt like a 3-hour long marathon. His legs felt like lead and his body felt like it had been hit repeatedly by a couple of baseball bats so he was ready to collapse right then and there. However, he soldiered on through his fatigue in an effort to clean up the bar as much as he could since there was no way he could get some nice decent sleep with the thought of his pub being a mess.

As he was cleaning up, he noticed signs of someone arriving at the bar while he was gone. Seeing that nothing seemed out of place other than the stuff Franky's thugs had previously wrecked, the mystery person seemed like an ordinary customer who left the bar as soon as he/she realized that its proprietor wasn't around. It was a shame that he wasn't able to serve that customer properly and he could only blame himself since this wouldn't have happened if he didn't pursue the mob boss for damages.

In hindsight, the customer leaving may be a bit of blessing in disguise. At the current state he's in as well as that of the bar, he wouldn't have been able to serve that customer properly anyways. With that in mind, he decided to close up shop and retire for the night.


Setting/Location
Time - Morning
Location - Zramore, Vacuo - Cafe Kyrie


As soon as the first rays of sunshine appeared in the skies of Zramore, Ael was up and about, feeling more refreshed than ever and ready to tackle the tasks for the day ahead. He had already gone to a trusted contact of his to haggle repair costs for his bar and the renovation's already well began since he had paid more than half of the costs up front. Time is an important, non-renewable resource after all, specially for businessmen like himself.

Once he had sorted everything needed for the bar's renovation, the blonde bar owner finally realized that he hadn't had a bite to eat since yesterday. Luckily, he was at a particular part of town that was brimming with restaurants and cafes so it was all a matter of choosing where he wanted to eat.

"That reminds me, I've mostly only eaten meals I've cooked for myself so I've rarely been to any restaurants in Zramore before. Maybe I should eat out a bit more often." He mused.

He finally picked a rather casual looking cafe to have his breakfast. Upon gently pushing the cafe's door open, he was greeted by the smell of freshly baked pastries and freshly brewed coffee that only stimulated his appetite even further. Upon taking a closer look of the cafe's interior, he noticed that the furniture and decor made the place look more homey than any conventional cafes he had been to in the past. So much so that a fleeting smile could be seen on his face since the cafe briefly reminded him of his bar.

Redirecting his attention to the counter, he came face to face with who he assumed to be the Cafe's proprietor seeing as there weren't any other employees present. The woman looked a bit older than Ael but was still beautiful nonetheless. With her dark blue hair, radiant red eyes, and a warm smile prepared to be given to any customer, she exhibited the aura of an older-sister figure that had just finished preparing breakfast for their younger siblings. If the cafe owner had coincidentally possessed sandy blonde hair and sky blue eyes, he would have mistook her for his own older sister but after a moment of clarity he finally realized why the woman seemed so familiar.

"Very nice place you've got here, Miss Chro. I forgot that you owned a cafe in this part of town though I must say, I love what you did with the place." Ael said with an earnest smile on his face.

That's right, this woman was Chro Leonhart a regular in his bar.

"Anyways, I'd like to order a couple of those delectable croissants and a fresh cup of coffee... of and I'd also like a slice of that apple pie."

With how hungry he was feeling, the barkeep would have ordered a lot more, but with his financial situation being not that favorable at the moment, he needed to do a bit of penny-pinching despite the tempting pastries sprawled out neatly before him.​
 
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Colab between @Neko_Green @Jessica2477 @R-9 Pilot

How long had she been awake now? Two? Three hours? The dust and gun power had been sitting beside her on the table, the completed shotgun shells packaged within the heat-resistant box. With this order finished, she placed it with the rest of the special orders, putting a sticky note that held the initials “DK” with the word “BrHThLShY.” This was her and her grandfather’s way of saying “the customer has brown hair, is thin, has pale skin, sharp features, and is young. It was so they would have a description ready to keep from mixing up orders. It was how Xanthias did things, and Blanche wasn’t going to tell him to fix what wasn’t broken.

Blanche had to wake up incredibly early to complete Doran’s order now that the cases had cooled and were ready for assembly. The seven bullets were no problem, however, to thank him for his efforts she had readied an extra five to bring up the count from seven to twelve. Blanche knew this was a little generous, even by her standards, but if the mercenary turned out to be competent, she wanted him to come back. Or at least have some way to contact him when she and Burgundy inevitably got robbed again. Doran might just be the answer to saving her grandfather from future lost profits.

She didn’t want to think about the currently lost profits right now. If she did, Blanche might find herself wrapping her hands around a frail little weasel Faunus neck.

Mistakes happened, yes. But a careless one that was going to cost her grandfather thousands in lost material, resources, and finances? She had a right to be angry.

Burgundy had been saying in the basement of the shop since they got into town. It was more cost effective, plus Burgundy wasn’t one to complain about sleeping arrangements having come from a caravan for the past month. Though one would think someone heading a caravan would have more a comfortable stay Burgundy was humble in a sort of unknowing way.

Her mistake kept her up most of the night, probably taking her out an hour or two of her sleep. She couldn’t stop thinking about what Blanche would say to her and what she had done. She was too experienced to had some stupid mix up like that. It wasn’t uncommon though and that is what frustrated though, Burgundy just wished she would be more like Blanche. She never had to depend on anyone or did she ever mess up as bad as Burgundy had in the past. Blanche was such an asset to the team and such a great help Burgundy could never think of working in the business with her or someone like her at least.

By the time she was awake, Burgundy was already up on her toes. She had come before the business opened important tasks to do before the store opened. While Blanche did the handy work, Burgundy did the finances. She looked at the ledger and compared the prices with some data she collected on the road and out about. In short, she was checking if there was any reason to change the prices of the goods. While she didn’t work officially for Blanche’s Grandpa, Burgundy enjoyed suggesting to him some clever tricks that may save him some money.

Other than that Burgundy was checking the prices of the good she still had and as she looked over her memories of yesterday. They had come in with a good load of goods. Probably 3-4 thousand [unit of money]. While Burgundy never wanted to think about this it was almost unavoidable and the fact of how much money she had lost got sank in. Burgundy shuffled upstairs seeing if she could find something to eat even though it was almost noon. She saw Blanche in the corner of her eye. She avoided making eye contact and seemed [HALP I need a word].

Blanche, on the other hand, held a smile on her face and seemed to be humming while she worked. The normal, sweet customer service mask she usually wore to control what she really felt. It was a gift, honestly. No one could truly tell if she was happy, angry, upset, or dead inside. In this case, it was the latter.

She was very much aware of her friend’s presence, despite not giving her too much attention. Did Blanche know what Burgundy was feeling? Guilt, probably. Was she going to call her out on it yet? Soon. They would have to communicate before their travels; otherwise, it was going to be very awkward very quickly.

“Burgundy,” Blanche eventually spoke up, removing the apron and the thicker gloves she wore while she swaged the bullets. “I’m going to that little cafe around the corner for some coffee. Would you like to come with? Say yes, because I’m taking you anyway.”

Burgundy was about to grab a bowl to serve herself something when she heard her friend’s voice. She winced a little unknowing what the talk was going to about. “I guess, you don’t have to take me its fine I can eat here. Just because we are in town doesn’t mean we have to eat out,” Burgundy replied.

“Nonsense!” Blanche looked to her friend, the same sweet smile she had given Doran. “It’s just a little girl time between friends. In a public setting, where you and I will be safe.”

This was Blanche subtly telling her “you won’t die.”

Burgundy put the bowl down with audible clank against the countertop. “I guess I will come,” Burgundy said giving in.

The cow Faunus’s smile only widened, “Great! It’ll be my treat. We’ll have to be fast too, so I can get everything ready for that mercenary.” She told her friend, gesturing her to follow.

Their walk to Cafe Kyrie was silent, aside from Blanche’s little humming and cheerful demeanor. Anyone seeing them pass by would have no idea just the kind of trouble Burgundy was in, or that the two had just lost a lot of merchandise. Either way, Blanche kept her eye on her weasel Faunus friend every now and then, just to make sure she wouldn’t get scared and run. She had already assured the other she wasn’t going to be hurt in a public place. Well, not openly, but the subtlety was still there.

Burgundy didn’t recall ever going to this cafe when she was in the town last time. “So this is the place? Seems cozy,” Burgundy said trying not seem as sheepish as she really was.

“Grandpa likes the coffee here. Thought I’d come to try some with my dear friend Burgundy.” She responded, approaching the counter so they could place their order.

“Good morning, welcome to Cafe Kyrie,” Chro greeted the two Faunus with a smile. “What would you like?”

“Good morning,” Blanche gazed up at the menu but looked a little lost. She hardly knew anything about these beverages, but her grandfather loved this place and she wanted to try it for herself. “New customers, sorry… What do you recommend?”

Chro had to think for a moment. “I’ve got tea and coffee if you like either of those. You’d have to tell me how you take them, of course. And I think the banana nut muffins turned out pretty well this morning if you’re looking for breakfast.”

The cow Faunus thought for a second, “Hmm, black coffee then and a banana nut muffin for me then.”

The dark haired lady nodded and looked to the brunette. “And for you?”

“I will just have a coffee thanks,” Burgundy ordered. She tapped her fingers on the wooden table almost as if waiting for something. She was guessing the words were going to come sooner or later.

“You got it. I’ll be right back with your order.” Chro left to go prepare the coffee and other things. In a few minutes, she returned with two mugs of coffee, the muffin, and cream and sugar, in case either was desired. She set out the order and retreated back to behind the counter.

Once Blanche and Burgundy had taken their seats with coffee and muffin on the table, the cow Faunus smiled to her friend. “Drink as much as you want. I’m just going to make a few things clear. Okay?”
 

Setting/Location
Time - Morning
Location - Zramore, Vacuo - Cafe Kyrie


Another customer arrived soon after, and it didn't take Chro very long to recognize him. "Morning, Ael. I'll get that right out for you." She quickly prepared the man's order and brought it to him. "I'm not sure what went down last night, but your bar was in a pretty sorry state and you were nowhere to be found when I stopped by the other night." Hopefully, it wasn't more than the usual sort of problem. She could've just walked in after a robbery, or lord knows what else.

"I assume you handled whatever it was, but I am curious, if you've got a minute to talk." She probably shouldn't be too involved with her customers, but when the bartender shows up, might as well enjoy it while the roles are reversed. "Unless a tornado let itself in, bars don't just wreck themselves."
 
Fire_Emblem_Awakening_lonqu_crit_full.png

Doran Kol
Location:
Zramore, Vacuo
Mentioned: N/A

The day was done and Doran would have to spend the night searching for some stolen goods. Zramore was a big place with a lot of thieves, so finding the goods wouldn't likely be very easy. If they were smart, they'd have gotten some distance before trying to unload. If they were desperate though, there's a chance they'd just want to fence what they had right off the bat. In which case, it was just a matter of finding who would buy.

The ghetto was where anyone who wanted to get something, or get rid of something, went. While Zramore in and of itself was, as someone more uncouth might say, fucked, the ghetto was a special place. Best to think of it like Mistral's black market, just—disorganized and a lot less respectable looking.

From what Blanche had told him, they had stolen quite a lot of merchandise, likely too much for any random peddler to take on. Whoever the thieves were would have to haggle with one of the bigger fish in town which, fortunately, Doran knew some due to his work. Not to mention, if they wanted the big bucks, they'd have to jump through some hoops; examine the quality of the goods, take inventory of how much, then barter a price. Not so much a simple "drop-off, get paid".

Stopping in front of a bar, this was the place you went to if you needed something. Special goods, information—a head. It was also where his old friend stayed, if he was still alive.

Walking in, sure enough, there he was sulking in a dark corner. Brooding bastard with white hair, a mask and a clunky metallic arm. It looked like a ripoff of the kind you'd see in Atlas, but a lot more worn down and less functional. You get what you pay for, or scrap, or so Doran mused.

"Alban! You're not dead!" The mercenary cheered happily, though the broker appeared less than enthusiastic to see him.

"Kol... The fuck do you want?" The man grumbled, looking quite a bit shifty now that Doran had made his presence known, almost as if a gun was just slightly more likely to go off. The metallic arm jittered and spasm'd slightly, as if it was having some malfunction, but likely that was how it always was, and it required the use of his real hand to steady it.

"Well, since you invited..." Doran took his seat, smirking as the older man growled in response. "I need some help..."

The peddler eyed him with some suspicion, whatever help Doran required wasn't likely to be good. "How many bodies do you need buried?"

"Wha-No! Well... like, 3 for today... maybe more later. Not why I'm here! I need to find some stolen goods," Doran sputtered out. "And, if they didn't just skip town, you're probably one of the only sods who buy'em up."

Doran paused a moment to look around, careful to watch for eavesdroppers or anyone else a little too interested in their conversation, then leaned in.

"Bunch of ammo, dust ammo, shit like that. High grade, made from around here. Seen or heard anything?"

Whatever the man had seen or heard, he appeared hesitant to share, leaning back and scowling at the mercenary in front of him. "And why the fuck would I just give you information, huh, you prick?"

"Alban... Remember when you swindled me out of my sabers?"

"...Yeah..."

"I was 13 and carried them around more to remember my dead parents than anything else. I'm twenty-fucking-four now. Why are you asking me stupid questions?"

Grumbling once more, Alban took a long while to consider what had been said. Back then Doran was a stupid kid, but he still caused plenty of trouble when he nicked his weapons in a con. Now he made more money killing people than picking their pockets; probably not a hill he wanted to die on.

"Fucking... Fine! ...Fucking... arsehole," Alban mumbled to himself in aggravation. "But you have to scratch my back, I don't give shit for free... Some blonde-haired little twat came here talking about some munitions. Said they were high grade, tried bartering with me without even having some prepared for me to look at, so I told'em to fuck off and come back when he had some sense, balls or bullets that I could actually see. Jump'em whenever they come by if you fuckin' want, I don't want any part 'o this shite anymore. Got it? And if they get to me before you get to them, I ain't hiding that you stopped by."

Grinning Doran pushed himself up from the table. "Warn'em then, won't make a difference... but thanks Alban."

"Fuck off."

~~~~

"Fuck...!"

Two cloaked individuals, one carrying a briefcase, exited a certain bar in clear frustration. One seemed aggravated at the other whereas the other appeared skittish and paranoid.

"You took too fucking long, and now we got someone on our ass!"

"I-I don't know how this shit works! The thing was unlocked, so I snatched it! And it ain't like I did it alone! There were 12 crates, I called you guys for a reason!"

"You stole, fucking, munitions. Who the fuck steals ammo?! That shit coulda' been for a gang or some shit, and now they're pissed! We gotta get out of town."

Grunting once more finally in frustration, the angered one of the duo prepared to stomp off before a silver hook emerged from the darkness of the alley they passed, grasping at his waist and yanking him into the abyss with a startled shout and thud before silence replaced it. The remainder of the duo, paused, shocked, before regaining control of himself and attempting to dash away. He didn't get far, paranoid of alleys and streets, but not watching the roofs. A foot came flying into the back of his head and smashed him into the ground.

Chuckling slightly, Doran's saber rotated back into the form of the curved swords they usually appeared as, instead of the sickle responsible for hoisting the thief's friend.

"You must be the one Alban said needed to grow a pair, ha!" Doran approached the man with nonchalant stroll. "Oh, you poor cripple."

"B-But I'm not a cripple...!"

"Oh, trust me, you are... unless you tell me where the rest of that ammo is..."

~~~~

Doran yawned, rather tired from his activities during the night. Recover the full extent of the cargo required a good portion of his rest hours, but it wasn't particularly hard work, simply time-consuming. The hardest part of the job was probably organizing all the damn materials. 6 crates of regular ammo, varying in different size and type, and then 6 more of the same, but dust-type bullets. Multiple, heavy crates which couldn't just fit under his underarms. Thankfully, the thieves had a small wagon that, while it would still be a bitch to wheel it all, was a much nicer alternative to carrying it.

"I shouldn't have beat the crap out of those morons and made them carry this shit for the funsies. Ah well... fuck gyms."
 

<br /> Setting/Location
Time - Morning
Weather - Clear
Location - Forest In Between Vacuo and Vale
Tags - @Karyra @happydeath @RedArmyShogun
There he was, the clown boy, minding his own business, trailing the motorcycle at his own leisurely pace when all of a sudden he was struck from behind by a heavy object. The object turned out to be another human. A woman carrying a large mechanical hammer, to be specific. Judging from her attire he saw as she barreled pass, she was part of the Atlas military. Quickly regaining his balance, the clown rubbed the shoulder the soldier woman had bumped into while muttering something about "rude". He stood there for a moment, trying to make sense of what just happened. First, two individuals on a motorcycle came charging down the road pass him as if the devil himself was on their tail. Now, an armed woman in military uniform came rushing pass him in the same direction as the bikers.

The clown turned around and looked up the road, half expecting see what everybody was running from. Seeing nothing, the clown was left to conclude that the military woman was the devil the two bikers were running from. He briefly wondered if this was going to be worth the trouble, whatever happened when the woman caught up with the bikers, it probably won't be pretty.

Well, it would probably be entertaining anyways, shrugged the clown to himself. He resumed his walk with a little more urgency before breaking out into a full on sprint after the woman and the bikers.
 

Setting/Location
Time - Mid-Morning
Weather - Clear
Location - Road To Zramore, Vacuo
Tags - @Karyra @jeshem


Riding down the dirt road at full throttle by pushing the engine of the motorcycle to it's limits as well as with the assistance of the kinetic energy that flowed through every portion of metal of the vehicle at once, Axel had only done this once before to escape from an area that was infested with far too many Grimm and although it did get him far away it took a major toll on the bike and left him repairing it for several days before it even started up again. Making sure to keep a firm grip onto the handlebars of the bike, even if the wind was easily causing his cloak to blow backwards to reveal the bandaged up right arm of his, he wasn't about to slow down anytime soon and risk the chance of being caught by Atlas.

Throughout the ride towards Zramore in Vacuo, Axel did notice a rather random traveler in the middle of the road who was just standing there with one hand over another for some unknown reason. Due to the amount of speed he was traveling at the moment, Axel was unable to figure that the traveler was some sort of clown. "EXCUSE ME! OUT OF THE WAY!" Being the only response that he had given the random traveler before zooming pass them leaving nothing more than dust and a dirt trail along the way.

Eventually after several passing minutes had gone by it would only be a matter of time that the forest dirt road would start to slowly progress to much more sand along with the temperature beginning to increase from the desert heat. Luckily, this meant that the two huntsmen were nearing Zramore so hopefully the Atlas Captain and those other two wouldn't dare start such a scene in a populated city. What came to an unexpected turn of events however was the fact that due to the heat and how much Axel was already pushing the bike to go to it's limits with the assistance of his semblance, the motorcycle had finally started to come to a slow halt as black smoke started to release from both sides of the vehicle. "Oh come on...really? Now?!" Exhaling a sigh, by the time the bike finally came to a halt; Axel quickly hopped off just to examine if it was the fact that it couldn't handle the pressure or was something else wrong. "Hey...Phan. We're in Vacuo now...Zramore should just be up ahead. Might be another hour if you decide to walk. Looks like my bike's out of commission for now. If you want to go separate ways now, then it'll be up to you. Doubt those Atlas guys are just going to leave us alone after announcing that we're supposedly under arrest for some reason...and I'm not leaving my bike here..." As the cloaked male spoke he had squatted on the side of the motorcycle only to see that there was some strange kind of damage that was done to the engine almost as though it had been slightly crushed; there was no chance that was from his semblance or just pushing the bike too much.

Exhaling yet another sigh at the sight of the damage that was done, he could only assume that this was from one of the trio members of military that they had met not too long ago. Not only did he have to repair the bike but now he even had to go to Zramore to hopefully find someone who would be selling a new engine for a motorcycle and money wasn't exactly something he had a whole lot of at the moment. Nothing else to do now but just to push the bike the rest of the way, whether Phan decided to stick around or not was completely up to him.
 
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Setting/Location
Time - Morning
Weather - Clear
Location - Forest In Between Vacuo and Vale
Tags - @happydeath
They managed to get away. That was the good news. The bad news was that he was pretty sure that Captain had been barreling towards them, but they lost her anyway. They'd also run into a clown, which was in itself something odd and noteworthy. And terrifying, somewhat. Were there Clown Grimm out there now?

That was something that Phan decided to put out of his mind because that was not a question that needed answers right now, anyway.

How had they found him? The Captain was most likely, but why now? It had been some time since he'd escaped so that wasn't it, but he was also pretty valuable. If... if his memories of those that 'failed' were true. He also didn't want to think about that, either. The bike started slowing down and once it was safe to jump off, he released his weapons.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I don't wanna get caught alone by those guys. Did you see them? They're all crazy! Snakes in a jeep! Trying to run us over!"
Phan was holding his head. "Do you know why they're after you? Because while I know why they're after me, I also think they might be...uh... sort of after you for the same reason, maybe?"

He wasn't revealing anything, but subtly trying to figure out what the bandaged arm was all about. Maybe this guy was like Phan? However, letting this guy fill in the blanks would be safer than yelling to the world that he was part evil murder bird. Besides, everyone decided to yell at him for stating the obvious, so maybe trying this cloak and dagger stuff might work better this time.
 
6a3abc1b81f77c1cd845015443ae31c0.jpg

Setting/Location
Time - Early Morning
Weather - Clear
Location - Zramore, Vacuo
Tags - N/A

The faunus eyes snapped open. Dawn was pushing against the curtained windows in a small motel cell. Awoken from another dream that was promptly pushed from his mind. Only to be recalled back a moment later. Avoiding problems had never solved anything in the man’s life and trying to do so now wouldn’t help. So he recalled the blood, fire, and pain to his thoughts. Of limbs. Of the corpses, oh all the corpses. Corpses of long dead and of the still living. Scattered around like debris from a bomb. Perhaps it was a bomb that killed them this time. He took a breath in, accepting them for what they were. Visions of horror of what had happened and what might happen, not what would happen. Upon breathing out, he let them go. One after another, he worked to sever the ties they held over him. Leaving only the will and drive to ensure that such horrific events would never happen again and that the futures he dreamed of would never come to pass. At least, he thought with a grim chuckle, not in my lifetime. Far from actually being a semblance, his councilor back home had called it PTS. He called them demonic night terrors that had to be borne with a strong front with a few core supports.

Rising, Forest considered his reflection in the cracked mirror inside an adobe room. Matted, short brown hair and forest green eyes stared back at him. Atop them, his tan and spotted cat ears flicked lazily as he stroked a five o’clock shadow, pleased at its appearance. It helped make his social status ambiguous. Forest could be dirt poor with it or simply too lazy to shave. He was clean enough that going into most middle-class establishments wouldn’t cause anyone to raise an eyebrow. At the same time, the faunus was dirty enough that he could have simply squatted in a gutter and the same people would be equally able to believe him impoverished and destitute. As ever, he found how simple it was to be either rather humorous. There was a time when he felt it was the hardest thing to do in the world.

Appearance agreeable, Forest set about to the rest of his morning routine. Train. He ran through a remarkable silent regime that even the people below wouldn’t hear his foot falls from various kicks and drops along with footwork. That, compiled with a basic routine of pushups, stretching, running, and some handstand pushups took a solid hour into morning. Breathing lightly, Forest splashed water on his face before pulling on some cargo pants and a random T-shirt over the numerous scars across his body. The most prominent of which was a horrendous one on his chest that looked like a crate from Remnant’s shattered moon. Folding up a pair of headphones and stuffing them into a large pocket, which he snapped shut, he then grabbed a simple, thick leather wallet. Flipping it open, he regarded the two visible pictures with a small smile. One had ten people in it. A young Forest smiled brightly from it, surrounded by peers, youth, an adult, and a cheering girl riding on his shoulders. Behind, the once standing Beacon academy rose in glory on a sunlit day. The other picture had only one less person, but the faces were all different. Of the original ten, only five seemed present, but older. The little girl had become a young woman with still the same brightness in her, but the sheer dirt and a few twigs in her hair suggested an almost feral air about her. Bandages wrapped around her arms and bare feet, not to mention the patches on her cheek, nose, and some new stitching across her brow. The Forest in the picture looked exactly the same as the Forest of present day, save that the picture didn’t have the five o’clock shadow. The new faces appeared to be children of two of the other members in the photograph, sharing a myriad of looks from their parents. “Off I go,” Forest whispered in a staged, dramatic voice, “to save the world.” He slipped the wallet into a front pocket and zipped it shut.

***

Vacuo’s bright morning set him off to a good start. It put one of his favorite walking songs into his head. There weren’t any words, but it set a good tempo to his steps and an energy to the start of his next stage of his journey. Any new stage of a journey should always begin sunlit, Forest thought, unless said journey needed secrecy and was about dark and dangerous deeds. Then a cloudy night would do. But he was off to see an old school-mate. While secrecy may need to come into play, there was nothing dark in his mission. And dangerous? Well, he supposed that depended on how lucky he was today. Today's luck was feeling pretty good. To Forest, it was regrettable that he had anything close to regular contact with only a few survivors of Beacon. But he had been busy. Quite busy, he thought ruefully.

It was, however, one of those contacts that had set him on Chro’s trail. It lead him to reform several more Beacon contacts as he made headway in his search. Although, it wasn’t exactly hard. While Chro hadn’t exactly been drawing attention to herself in Vacuo, she also wasn’t going to any lengths to hide herself. In fact, from what Forest could see, the public story had her almost in retirement at this point. At least, retirement in comparison to her previous work. He wasn’t sure if he believed that, but there was no sense in trying to track down other people who could help until this lead was dried up. In any event, Forest was looking forward to seeing her again, despite whatever may or may not have changed. He paused for a second, wondering if she would even recognize him, then shoved the worry aside. He could always pull out his headphones. That would certainly obviate him. The main reason he didn’t wear them now was not for Vacuo’s numerous pickpockets and thieves. No, it was because he would hardly look like a potential hobo wearing a military-grade, specially armored headphones.

Speaking of, he thought as he passed a line of them outside a building. Given how they were steadily shuffling inside, it was likely a shelter of some sort serving breakfast. Making a mental note to check back there later, Forest continued on his way.



Setting/Location
Time - Morning
Weather - Clear
Location - Zramore, Vacuo: Cafe Kyrie
Tags - N/A

There wasn’t much further to go until arriving at Cafe Kyrie. Wondering what dish would taste the best, Forest stepped inside. The first thought that Forest had about the place was: refreshing. The indoors was out of the direct heat of the sun, but still had quite a bit of natural light. As if stepping into shaded palms next to an oasis. It took barely a glance to spot her. He’d know that hair and those eyes anywhere. The grin on Forest’s face turned brighter, becoming like a cheshire’s. Noticing that she was already engaged with the solid number of patrons in the place, the bobcat Faunus meandered his way over to a vacant table and sat down. Watching the proceedings. He was in no rush and was mildly entertained by the idea of seeing how long it took for Chro to realize he was there and if he would have to get out his headphones or not. He wondered if he could get away ordering a coffee, pastry, and requesting a song without her realizing it was him. Or she’d see right through his lack of disguise and the whole game would be up before it began. Either way it would be fun. As a cat who has found just the right bit of sunlight to bathe in, Forest relaxed with a soft purr.
 
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Setting/Location
Mid Morning
Weather - Clear
Location - Road To Zramore, Vacuo
Tags - Anyone on the road
"Wh-..." Turning her head a bit at the sound of foot falls, the Captain only had the time to see a figure with a rather sinister mask and robe set fast closing in on her...

Oh great, so he IS a serial killer after all..Err..maybe he's just a runner..yeah..just a runner..also where are those bloody agents..

Reflecting that the clown that looked more like an Assassin than a circus troupe member was sort staying back, Juniper decides to focus on the chase for the time being, there was little chance she would catch up with them in full on run, while her aura reserves were immense, it wasn't endless, judging by the horizon the sand deserts of Vacuo weren't all that far off.. With Luck she could find a ride, or maybe that bike of theirs would die in the hot sands, speaking of, just how far across the border was Vacuo? If it were a border, or near border town that wouldn't be much of a problem..

If not, then water would become a real concern, though judging by the Clown it couldn't be that far. Remnant was a big place and it took a rather long time to travel from one end to the other on foot, either way the sand didn't suit her and the few hours they drove would be equal to a few days walk, it was closer to keep going and catching an airship in Zramore than it would be walking back to base, slowing her run a bit to conserve Aura, the Atlas Captain shakes her head. "I'm so going to punch the two of them in the jaw for forcing me to come out here.."

Wondering if the two agents would even bother coming this way or not, it seemed the clown was going to keep her company at least, though he reminded her more of a Jester with that mask from one of the old books. Saying nothing for the time being, she wasn't sure as of yet what his intentions were.

Though one thing was for sure, not a single one of those she seen today would blend in all that well with the sand.
 
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Setting/Location
Time - Mid-Morning
Weather - Clear
Location - Road To Zramore, Vacuo --> Zramore ; Café Kyrie
Tags - @Karyra @Verran @R-9 Pilot @Neko_Green @Jessica2477 @Accelerator


With each step forward as he kept his left hand holding onto the left handle of the motorcycle while his right bandaged hand rested on the cushions of the seat so that the cloak would be able to keep his entire right arm hidden. Not only did it have to be hot from the desert heat and the fact that his bike was now more damaged than it has ever been before but they had to be in the freaking desert of all places; why did Vacuo have to be in the desert, there was nothing more than endless miles of barren land that almost looked like the place had never seen even the slightest drop of rain for who knows how long. All Axel could do at the moment was just keep his focus forward and ignore any signs of his body might start to grow weak in anyway from the lack of water, food as well as his slightly depleted aura from having to use as much as he did just to retreat from the Atlas trio.

As it seemed though, Phan had appeared to decide to stick around as his reasoning was supposedly the fact that he would rather not meet up with the Atlas trio again by himself. Bringing up the fact about the serpent covered jeep that he had sliced in two; the question that followed right after had Axel remain completely silent rather than reply whatsoever. The fact that the male believed that Atlas was coming after Axel was for the same reason as to why he was after him made it quite difficult to believe since Axel wasn't aware that Phan was also just like him; an test subject from the very same project.

"Yeah...Probably the fact that we're both Hunters...I wasn't too trusting of that woman when she found out we were Hunters last night. She acted like she understood the whole fact that so many of us died trying to protect the academies and help others escape the day of the invasion...but for all we know, she could've just been trying to get us to trust her enough so we didn't attack straight out. She was outnumbered between you and me against her, Captain or not." Coming up with a possible excuse that was half truth about the reasoning for the Captain's sudden change of heart to attempt and arrest the Huntsmen while also half of a lie since he rather not bring up the fact that he wasn't fully human let alone the fact that he was a Faunus as well as a test subject.

--

Eventually, the sight of buildings and smoke rising into the air from the chimneys of buildings came into view over the horizon as Axel immediately changed his expression from exhaustion to one of relief. "There it is...Zramore. The new capital of Vacuo. Finally." With that said, as the two Huntsmen approached the large city; Axel constantly shifted his gaze at his surroundings with a bit of interest. There was Faunus walking around with Humans as well as the obvious sight of who was and wasn't a full fledged or at least Hunter in training. Truly, although this was the first time Axel had ever visited Zramore, it was everything he was told it was to be..at least, except for the fact of how it wasn't a city with towering buildings as rumors said it to be. Sure, there was some buildings that were larger than others though there were mainly small homes that were all pretty much pressed against one another with small alleyways here and there. Stores and shops weren't exactly like large malls or anything but almost appeared like some were family owned.

"Hey Phan...We should be safe around here. Surely Atlas would have a pretty tough time finding us if we try and blend into the crowd a bit. I think I'm going to go and see if I can find somewhere I can get my bike--" Walking forward while he spoke the entire time, just as Axel neared the end of his sentence the smell of freshly baked pastries as well as the sweat scent of both coffee beans and tea leaves immediately caught the attention of his sensitive nostrils. Without so much as another word, the cloaked male simply turned his entire bike in the direction of the smell before making a straight b-line towards the scent while barely even minding the fact he was pushing his motorcycle into crowds of pedestrians.

The fact of how the last time he actually ate anything was last night from the small bit of rations that Phan gave him when they first met, Axel couldn't remember the last time he even had anything to eat or drink. Eventually, coming to a small café of sorts; the cloaked male wasted no time to rest his no longer functioning motorcycle outside the café while still in sight by the front window, he headed straight indoors only to find there were plenty of other patrons already waiting for their orders. He waited this long, he could wait a little longer for his turn to get something to actually munch on.
 

Setting/Location
Time - Morning
Weather - Clear
Location - Vacuo -> Zramore ; Café Kyrie
Tags - @happydeath @Verran @R-9 Pilot @Neko_Green @Jessica2477 @Accelerator
Phan tried his best to support the bike, but as they went it was difficult to remain cool in a scarf and cold weather gear. And he couldn't exactly take it off either, lest he reveal his feathers. Which, based off the response of the guy, he probably would freak out at. So that meant slogging through desert while trying not to get heat stroke.

The walk was long, but they finally made it into the town. Axel was halfway through saying something when he wandered off in the direction of a cafe. Phan looked at the change in his pocket, and decided that air conditioning was worth it. He walked slowly towards the cafe. It seemed like there was a lot going on, but Phan picked a quiet table away from all that.

He waved down a waiter and quietly hoped that nothing else would explode for at least a day for before he left. That crazy captain lady probably would assume they came here. He really hoped that she just decided to go in numbers rather than run the whole way by herself.

"I just want a pastry and a simple coffee, if that's okay."
 
Setting/Location
Time - Morning
Location - Zramore, Vacuo - Cafe Kyrie
Mentions: @Neko_Green



Blanche could hear that the cafe was becoming a bit busier, but at the moment, that was the last thing on her mind. She looked to her friend, taking a look at her body language to make mental notes. All Blanche was going to do was make things clear. If Burgundy tried to run, Blanche would follow. She would get this across to her friend and travel buddy one way or another.

"Burgundy, mistakes happen and I know you didn't mean to. I get it." The cow Faunus began, taking a sip of her coffee before speaking again. "But this cannot happen again. Mistakes like these are going to be my family's downfall, and I'd sooner take my own life before I let grandpa's hard work go under."

Blanche took a second to take a bite of her muffin. It was delicious! She'd have to come to Cafe Kyrie at some point in the future. Once she had finished chewing and swallowed, she spoke again.

"Against my better judgment, I will give this partnership a second chance. However, I am going to tell you something..." As she said this, she crossed her legs under the table, one over the other. This was to keep a certain pouch close, in case she needed it.

"One, to prevent this mistake from happening again, the keys are going to stay with me at all times. I'm not taking ownership, I am simply going to hold onto the keys and give them to you when it's time to ride. Two, If a mistake like this happens again, and it's your fault, You will repay my grandfather back every coin owed with interest, and I will only continue traveling with you to see that everything you owe is in his pocket. After that, I will cut ties. You'll get a small chunk of change to get you situated but that's that, you're on your own. Three, If at that time you try to run without paying in any way, the right price will have you at my doorstep. Or I'll search every crevice of this planet to find you myself. And four, If it's my fault, I'll own up to the mistake and give you your product's value with interest as an apology. You'll be free to cut ties with me for my stupidity as well. I'll understand."

There was a certain tone to her voice that everything she was saying had no room for suggestions or argument. "I don't know you well enough to trust you completely Burgundy, you understand. But for now, what I've said is final. If you disagree with what I've said, then you can say our partnership is over, and the next time we meet, I may not be so friendly. So, do you agree or shall you be on your way?"
 

Setting/Location
Time - Morning
Location - Zramore, Vacuo - Cafe Kyrie



Ael was a little bit surprised that the mysterious person that wandered into the bar after he had left for the dusk rat hideout turned out to be Chro. True, he was relieved that it turned out to be her instead of someone he wasn't acquainted with but at the same time, that meant that he had failed to serve a regular of his tavern. Such shortcomings meant a great deal to Ael since not only would he lose business but the relationship between bar owner and patron would be strained as well.

"I'm really sorry about last night. Franky's boys caused another scuffle at the pub again so I had to leave in a hurry for their hideout to collect reparations. Turns out, I forgot to lock the place up in the process so you had to see the bar in such a mess. Don't worry, I managed to squeeze the Lien out of his pockets and renovations should be finished in a couple of days. " Even if he managed to hire the best hands he could find to fix the bar, the fact still remains that they'd need a sufficient amount of time to make sure everything is done correctly. The Sunshine Tavern is his pride and joy after all. Thus, he'd want only the best for his place.

"Nobody else seemed to have visited the bar last night except for you since everything that was not wrecked's still where they should be. I'd imagine only a few people would have thought of robbing the place based on my reputation around town." That said, Ael has already established quite a number of connections around Zramore and if ever somebody tried to steal from him last night, he knew a couple of "Bloodhounds" around town who'd gladly sniff out the crook for a quick buck.

He was momentarily distracted when he managed to overhear the conversation between a white haired cow faunus, and a brown haired weasel faunus. Though it seemed less of a conversation and more of the white haired female reprimanding her companion about a mistake critical enough to threaten their partnership as merchants. While he felt sorry for the brunette, he couldn't help but empathize with the white haired girl as well, being a business man himself. He would have offered to assist the two ladies since he didn't have anything better to do for a couple of days until the bar was fixed but he didn't know the specifics regarding their problem and it seemed like the white haired girl was in no mood to entertain other people at the moment.


Turning his attention back to Chro, he smiled enthusiastically at her, genuinely glad that a fellow entrepreneur was having success with her own business in Zramore.

"Good to see that business is booming for you, Miss Chro. I'm kinda envious that you don't need to worry about drunk men wrecking your place on a daily basis. Tell you what, the next time you come to the tavern, the first three drinks you'll have is on the house. Consider it my way of apologizing for not being able to serve you last night."