RWBYFanon v5

RPG World of Remnant => The Vale Region => Beacon Academy => Topic started by: Zwei Not on November 25, 2017, 04:26:59 PM

Title: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Zwei Not on November 25, 2017, 04:26:59 PM
It was a meeting that neither Juno nor Phi had been particularly excited for.

Their last interaction with the huntress had been a short talk before her mission abroad, in the aftermath of Acero Walker's injuries. To think that had been just a month ago... Juno shook his head as he waited outside the door, eyes opening and flicking up to the purple cast of the TA's insignia adorning the slab of mahogany. What had passed in the month between their meetings surely wasn't pleasant for either of them. It wasn't for him, at the very least. Target practice got tedious quick, he had been challenged by a runner up for the Vytal Festival, and most of all, Caja had been kidnapped by the White Fang, who had demanded that Juno hand over both his suit and Phi, lest they kill her.

It had been a stressful month, and yet, he remained. Caja was alive, He had made a friend in Mithra Ragvos, and the sparring match was inconsequential. And yet... So many things lingered in the back of his mind. Were they really safe from the Fang at Beacon? Were his parents alright? Did Acero make his recovery?

Juno looked down at his scroll to check the time, hoping that he could, at the very least, answer tow of those questions with this meeting, as unpleasant as it was likely to be. Letting out a deep breath, the young man knocked twice before peeking his head through the door, ensuring the TA's presence before striding to her desk and taking a seat in the adjacent chair. "You wanted to see me, Ms. Nahualli?"
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Dr. Gustave on November 25, 2017, 06:29:16 PM
Malina let out a breath as she heard the knock on the door. She knew who it was and although she was a huntress and had, in the past, been more than ready to get into fights and arguments, she wasn't a fan of confrontation anymore. Not on the surface at least.

She slid closed her scroll as Juno entered and moved it to the side of her desk. Her "office" wasn't nearly up to par with the full-time teachers of Beacon and certainly not up there with Alban's office in the tower, but it had been made a little bit better with some personal touches. Originally a fourth-year dorm room, the four beds had been relocated and the four smaller desks replaced with a single larger one positioned in the center of the room with the two large windows overlooking the Beacon campus at its back. Several small succulents sat on the windowsills, basking in the late winter light. To Juno's right and pressed up against the wall next to the door to the bathroom was a comfy looking couch with a large pillow at one end, to his left was a personalized rocketlocker with Malina's symbol on it.

Malina herself was wearing her short cloak and, although Juno couldn't see from behind the desk, she'd opted for pants over a skirt today.

"Right." She said, tapping one finger anxiously as Juno took his seat before suddenly stopping and looking at the door. "Oh, could you leave Phi outside? There should be a chair out there to put the belt on." Seeing obvious worry cross Juno's face, she added, "I promise no one is going to take her."
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Zwei Not on November 25, 2017, 07:00:46 PM
The request to leave Phi outside was met with a swift and firm "No." as the young man looked the TA in the eye. Sensing that his response likely wasn't enough, however, he then continued to speak, "Events that have... transpired over the past month have not been kind, and have shown me that Phi is at her safest when with me. Your promise, while touching, isn't enough to convince me to put her out of sight." he replied. Not the best start to what was likely to be a tense conversation, but one that was necessary. After almost losing both Caja and Phi, he couldn't afford to keep either in the hands of those he didn't fully trust. And given the sour note he and Malina left on, he didn't see her as the most viable candidate to put Phi's safety in.
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Dr. Gustave on November 25, 2017, 07:37:15 PM
Malina leaned back, crossing her arms and slowly nodding. "This is a conversation I intend on having with both of. Individually. Just like I said back at Amity." She uncrossed her arms and tapped a finger on her right armrest. "So, what do we do about that?" She asked with the slightest bit of annoyance in her voice.
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Zwei Not on November 25, 2017, 09:31:05 PM
"We have this conversation as is. Anything that must be said to one of us can be said to both of us. Juno replied, his eyes focusing on hers. "So what is it that concerns you about us? The advanced technology? The accident on Amity? Our leave of absence?" He inquired, attempting to maintain a sense of control over the situation.
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Dr. Gustave on November 27, 2017, 05:48:12 PM
Malina was silent for a moment before letting out a deep sigh. "Very well." She leaned forward, interlocking her fingers and placing them on the desk in the most teacher-esque pose she could come up with. "In that case, I want you both to take part in the conversation, not just one of you talking for the both of you, understood?" The look on Juno's face was all the answer she needed as she quickly added, "Good."

"I don't know how much Phi told you about our talk in the stands during your match but I'll give you the basic run down." Malina slid the scroll back to the center of the table, opened it into its tablet mode, and turned it toward Juno. On it were photos of his fights against Xanh, Jack, Zabar, and Acero taken from what appeared to be television cameras or security cameras.

"The purpose of the training exercise I conducted at Amity was to get students out of their comfort zone when training with weapons. Your weapons of choice are your hard light and rifle. I'll tell you the same thing I told Phi. Xanh loses her weapons, she can pick up something similar in the weight class or try to find other kama. Jack loses his grenades, he can try to find others or just continue with his fists. Zabar loses his gauntlets, he can use his fists or find something else to add to his hands. Acero loses his weapon and he can find a sword, greatsword, or polearm and have a pretty good idea of how to use it. I lose my staff and I can find a spear, polearm, or tonfa to replace it with." As she spoke, she swiped through images of the fights on the screen showing Juno's four opponents before ending on a shot of Juno, hard light sword in hand, surrounded by swirling sand.

"You lose Phi and your gun, you not only lose your second set of eyes, you not only lose your weapons, you can only replace the gun with the basics understood. Hard light doesn't have weight, it can't simulate weight, and it doesn't prepare you for the weight of a real weapon. You lose that generator and try to pick up a sword, all that muscle memory of how to swing a sword goes straight out the window."

Malina locked eyes with the first year and leaned back into her seat once more. "During my time at Beacon I saw a lot of people get complacent with their weapons and I've heard about a lot of those people dying. I have no intention of letting that happen while I'm here."
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Zwei Not on November 27, 2017, 06:33:19 PM
Juno remained silent, his brow furrowing as the TA went on and on. It wasn't a conversation he was unfamiliar with, Phi had already given him the sitrep on what had happened while he was fighting Acero. That wasn't to say he was fine with having it again, however. The implication that Phi was holding him back was troubling to him, but... unfortunately plausible. However, he couldn't allow her to leave his possession. He already got this far with her, and starting again would take to long. Not to mention what would happen to her if someone else got their hands on her...

Nevertheless, he took his time in considering a response, pausing as Phi took a seat on his shoulder. "Are you suggesting that I abandon Phi?" he inquired, breathing deeply as he could feel the small hand of Phi's avatar grip his shirt that much tighter.
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Dr. Gustave on November 28, 2017, 07:03:46 PM
"Not at all." Malina closed her scroll and slid it back off to the side of the desk. "I'm suggesting the same thing I had suggested to Phi during our talk, that you shouldn't rely on each other as a crutch that, if taken away, will cause you both to fail because at this point you will." She paused for a moment and glanced off to the locker. "Worse comes to pass out there and you lose Phi, you're just going to weigh down your teammates. A gun and hand to hand are nice but they aren't enough to stop Grimm. Not out there."

Malina paused again before adding, "I guess that's something that can be said about a lot of students though."
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Zwei Not on December 04, 2017, 02:20:12 AM
”If the same can be said for most students, then that can’t be all you want to talk about. We’ve been through this part already. Phi replied before Juno could open his mouth to speak, a notable edge of frustration to her voice. What Malina had dragged them here for had to be something else, lest she be wasting their time with conversations they had already had.

”Miss Nahualli, what is this really about?”
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Dr. Gustave on December 10, 2017, 02:27:41 AM
Malina pursed her lips and looked at the small avatar. She was silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts, considering Phi, considering Juno. Finally, she broke the silence with another drawn-out sigh. "Like I told Phi at Amity, I am very thankful for your honesty about your... origins. The problem I take is I did nothing to earn that honesty. If I was given the benefit of the doubt on this matter, I find it hard that other figures of authority would not be far behind. I have nothing to gain by reporting your crimes, nor selling information on Phi, but you may find that others will." Malina's furrowed her brow and glanced at the door. "Not just those you tell. This school is, quite literally, filled with students with extraordinary powers. Even if you're careful not to talk when anyone else is around, it's not outside the realm of possibility that someone may be listening in with their semblance."

She tapped her finger against the hard wood of the desk three times in thought, staring directly down at it before returning her eyes to Juno. "Many-" Malina caught herself and shook her head once. "Some of the students here have... less than honorable goals. Some are only here to get stronger, some are here to get skills that can be used in the criminal underworld, some of them are even members of the White Fang. I'm sure you've heard the stories from Mistral and from here? I shouldn't have to tell you that you don't want to get into hot water with them. Their recent push to look like freedom fighters is nothing but bullshit."

"And none of this is limited to Beacon," Malina spoke with an almost half-chuckle. "no matter where you go, there will always be someone willing to sell you out, and you won't be able to best them forever, no matter who you are."
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Zwei Not on December 11, 2017, 06:01:42 PM
As Malina spoke, Juno felt the urge to interrupt diminishing. As much as he didn't like it, everything she said was backed up by truth, not baseless fear and conjecture as he had thought. Once the TA had finished, both Juno and Phi sat silently, unable to find the words to respond. On the one hand, their worries had been dismissed, and quite handily, too. Malina showed no intention of separating the two, which was beyond a relief. Hell, as far as he could tell, she was looking out for him. However, there was a good chance someone else would want the AI, something the two had witnessed firsthand. Eventually, Juno found the ability to speak up, taking a deep breath before doing so. "We already know about the White fang." he started, sitting up just a bit straighter.

"While you were on mission, a group of White Fang members broke into the apartment Caja was staying in and kidnapped her, stating that they would only give her back if I went to Mistral and handed over my tech. Since we're having this conversation, you can guess that my team and I were successful in recovering her without having to give into their demands, but... So many things could have gone wrong. I didn't know what to do at first." he stated, shifting his eyes away from Malina's own.

"I'm still unsure of what to do. We got lucky with Caja." he eventually finished, drumming his fingers against his thigh in anticipation as he looked up.
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Dr. Gustave on December 14, 2017, 08:21:21 PM
Malina simply raised an eyebrow as the student spoke, letting him get his story out completely before swallowing and furrowing her brow. She looked down at her desk for a good long moment, lost in thought. Juno, Phi, White Fang, Mistral, and Caja. The thoughts raced through her head, the last an unknown. An old friend of Juno's perhaps. Either way, the Fang knew about Juno's suit, tech, and, possibly worst of all, Phi. Not only that, they had gone to the lengths of actually stringing them along to Mistral.

Malina let out another sigh.That was dangerous. That could have gone wrong in too many ways.

She raised her head to look at Juno and Phi. They were capable, sure, but they weren't capable enough to deal with any of the Fang's hard hitters. Not yet. They must have run into one of the captains or lieutenants. 'Thank the gods for small favors...' she mused as she thought back to her mission to Jackson, to the fight she had there.

She shook the thought from her head, that wasn't important now. There was still one thing, one important thing, she needed to know.

"Where in Mistral?"

Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Zwei Not on December 15, 2017, 02:44:15 PM
"Windpath." Phi replied before Juno could even open his mouth to speak, prompting the young man to glance over at her. Feeling a need to elaborate, Juno considered his response for a few seconds before speaking.

"Somehow, they had gotten Caja all the way to Windpath without alerting anyone. I don't have an address to where she was held, but I have a general idea of how to get there from the port." To be frank, that was as much as he could remember about where it was. At the time, his focus was on far more pressing matters, most notable of which being Caja's well-being. In retrospect, it would have been a better call were he to instruct Phi to note the facility's address, but there wasn't anything he could do about that matter now.
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Dr. Gustave on December 17, 2017, 09:34:28 AM
A sigh of relief slipped from Malina's lips. Bad still, yes, but far from the worst of it. "I'll tell you what," she began to say slowly, choosing her word carefully, "as the current situation is... unique, I think I can have something arranged." She grabbed her scroll and slid it away from Juno and toward her, swiping away from the photos and into the contacts. "I can't promise anything, but my old teammate may be able to let Caja stay with her for the time being. I'm pretty sure there isn't anyone in the valish branch of the fang that can take her on in one on one and she could probably even hold her own against a group of the stronger ones." It wasn't a perfect arrangement, she knew that, but hopefully enough.

She set her scroll back down after sending "Need to talk later" to Carmine. "Getting back onto the topic at hand, since I assume you're not in immediate danger now, this is exactly what I was worried about. This isn't going to go away, information is like lien to the white fang, trading some info in exchange for something they want to know. Word is going to get around, slowly probably, but it will get around. I can't, as an assistant teacher at Beacon, condone you going on any missions outside of kingdom territory."

She paused, letting the words sink in before continuing. "As a huntress, on the other hand, I think that the best course of action is to put a stop to the problem before it gets to the point where it's impossible to handle. Unfortunately... it is the fang. I..." She paused again and a frown crossed her face for a split moment, "I know better than most that they aren't a group you can just get a group of hunters and organize strikes against to take down. Not to even mention we don't know where any of the local bases of operation are."

Malina folded her hands and locked eyes with Juno, glanced to Phi, and then back to Juno. "So I'm open to any suggestions as to how to help remedy this situation because right now the best option looks hiding out or continually fighting off people trying to get Phi."
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Zwei Not on December 18, 2017, 11:17:07 AM
A sigh of relief left the young man's lips, grateful that he wasn't chewed out for not having an exact location, only to perk up when Caja was mentioned. The news that she would be safe for the time being was incredibly reassuring, and the young man visibly relaxed when the arrangements seemed to have been made, offering a short "Thank you." in response. However, the topic soon changed, and all he could do was listen. After all, she was right. Information regarding his suit would spread, and the fang would keep coming after him and Caja until they got Phi and murdered both of them. Of course, if this were to stop in his favor, they'd have to snuff out the Fang, first. A tall order, to say the least, but not a sentiment he held on his own.

His eyes, however, lit up when she mentioned a lack of information regarding WF outposts in Vale. After his and Caja's fight with Cerdic, the lieutenant had started to give information on one of their bases before succumbing to a terrible case of "choking on his own blood". It was't an area he had scouted out yet, but it was... something.

"If we decide to go on the offensive, I might have an idea of where one of their strongholds is located." he replied, taking a second to mull over his words. "I've been told that they have numerous operations in the shipyards, namely around the dockside warehouses. It's not an area I've scouted out yet, but it's something."
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Dr. Gustave on December 23, 2017, 07:36:31 AM
Malina was silent for a moment. Information was good, information was great, but... "I did say I couldn't condone you heading outside of the kingdom limits on any missions." A slight smile creased her face. "I suppose it's good, then, that the docks are within the city." She was silent again, mulling over the information. She reached for her scroll and, without a word, typed and sent out a message before setting it down and returning her gaze to Juno. "I'm going to need more concrete or specific information than that. The docks are a big place and we can't just go barging into whatever warehouse we want without clearance."
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Zwei Not on January 02, 2018, 05:20:25 PM
While the young man was grateful for the opportunity Malina was hinting so heavily toward, the lack of a concrete location for this outpost was... disheartening. She was right, they didn't have enough information to advance, and there were too many potential locations in the docks to hide in. "That's all he told me, nothing more. What now? Stake out the area? Send someone to nail down the exact location of their base?" he suggested, considering other options as he awaited her response.
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Dr. Gustave on January 06, 2018, 05:28:24 AM
Malina pursed her lips and tapped her finger on the table repeatedly, lost in thought. It was a moment before she responded with "We don't do anything, not yet." She raised her fist to her mouth, partially covering it, and stared off toward her locker. "I can't do anything, not directly and not yet. You- both of you- keep a low profile for a while. Don't poke your head into any trouble and don't let Phi be in the limelight." She returned her gaze to Juno. "I'm gonna do a little info gathering, see if I can pull any strings with Tania, maybe check to see if anyone's heard anything. I'll call you in when I have enough info to act on something." Malina locked eyes with the student and repeated herself. "Until then, stay. Low."

Juno furrowed his brow as Phi began to say, "Miss", only to be cut off by a knock at the door. Malina's eyes flicked to the door, back to Juno, and back to the door. "Come in." She said hesitantly, though she phrased it more like a question.

Through the door stepped two men, both human. The one in front wore a winning smile beneath a set of steel grey eyes and pushed back ginger hair, a small suggestion of a trimmed beard lined his jaw. He was short, lanky, and pale; giving the impression of a man who had not been able to spend much time outdoors or exercising. He wore a somehow well-fitting white lab coat and black undersuit with the Atlesian Dust Science Division emblazoned on the right shoulder of the coat. The man following behind him had windswept charcoal hair and hazel eyes above a not-so-winning smile, nor any smile at all. He wore a stonefaced expression, making his jawline stand out more as well as the charcoal colored stubble lining it. Where the man in the back was tall, muscularly built, and in stark contrast to the man in front of him. He wore the standard Atlesian armor, sans helmet, with a yellow highlight running along strips and patches of the hardened surface: a special operations soldier.

The scientist's smile faltered into a small frown as he saw Juno and the faintest suggestion that something may have been in his lap before it winked out of existence. "I'm sorry, Miss Nahualli." He spoke softly and with a slight tone of regret in his voice as he brought his gaze up to Malina. "We weren't aware you were meeting with a student." His hand clasped behind his back and bowed slightly to Juno. "And my apologies to you, Mr...?" He left the sentence open for Juno to finish.

"Unimportant, and we were just wrapping up," Malina said curtly before Juno could say anything, "I don't remember having any other meetings scheduled today, certainly none with Atlesian staff."

The scientist raised his hands up, feigning surrender. "Caught red-handed, I'm afraid." He said with a small smile. "It's an impromptu visitation, one that was originally supposed to take place with Mrs. Printemps, but she was busy teaching a class. She said we would have to wait until the end of the class so we asked if there were any others we could talk to and she suggested you..."


The soldier's gaze bore down into Juno who had, in turn, tensed and averted his gaze from the man to the doorway and then to the scientist. Despite the somewhat obvious motions, especially to a member of the special ops, the man did not see Juno or his movements. He didn't see Malina, the scientist, or even the room.

Atlas, born to Hera Azuuli-Vert and Seward Vert, former huntress current teacher and mechanic, middle-class, aspired to be a hunter-
Unimportant, skip.
Good with tinkering, repaired Designated Marksman Rifle, received a distress call from a girl.
Not a girl.
AI
AI?
AI Unit-00, Designation "Phi", capable of running Mark-4 ANUBIS Suit Designation "OSIRIS" and capable of running Hardlight Combat Generator. AI Unit-00 History unknown; Possibly not AI, possibly soul trapped in chip, created or developed by SET; Mk-4 ANUBIS Suit created by SET.
SET.
Special Enhancement Technologies of the Atlesian Science Division possibly led by Sarah Anki. Blacksite developme-
Off track.
Escaped with Girl-AI, not true escape. Leader of VCVS, participated in Vytal Festival.
Schism.
Frown.
Off Track.
Suit destoryed, HCG not, in confrontation with Lenox, several fights with White Fang; Girlfriend captured by Micah-Figaro.
Frown.
Meeting with Malina, Phi in room. Micah-Figaro and Self enter.
Haze.
Frown.
Two bases, explosion, escape, Mistral, haze.

The room returned.


"And as you can see, I'm similarly busy," Malina said curtly as the soldier's unblinking unseeing eyes fell on her, "and I don't see how I could help if you're looking for Tania."

The scientist frowned and reached into his coat, producing a scroll. "I assure you, it will only take a bit of your time," he began, "I am Dr. Jonathan Fawn and my stone-faced friend over there," he gestured toward the soldier, "Is Elijah Goban, my escort."

"You need an escort for your trip to Beacon?" Malina scoffed.

Jonathan offered only a polite smile. "Believe me, I would rather not have to be escorted from place to place but those are the rules." He paused slightly before adding, "No offense, Elijah." who offered only silence. "Not much of a talker, this one." Jonathan said quietly before returning his gaze to Malina. "Now, we're very close to massive strides, smaller dust engines, cleaner burns, less volatile crystals, all things I'm sure you as a huntress can appreciate, yes?"

Malina remained silent, only glancing to Juno who also remained silent and tense.

"There are experts in Atlas, of course, but... well, the bureaucracy and funding has always been progression's greatest enemy, hasn't it?" Elijah flashed the smile he had on when he had first entered the room. "So we figured the next best thing would be Mrs. Printemps, she is somewhat of an expert after all. Failing that, we figured her assistant would be a go-"

Malina raised a hand.

Elijah's stone-faced expression was replaced with a furrowed brow and a slight frown.

"So this is an unregulated, undocumented request to get me to help you, let's not beat around the bush here, outfit your bots with better and cheaper dust."

Jonathan remained silent.

"I thought so. Get out of my office." Malina ordered, her brow creased and voice firm.

"Miss Nahualli I-" Jonathan started before Malina cut him off.

"If you want to wait for Tania, you can, but you'll have no meeting with me."

Jonathan stared at Malina for a moment before nodding with a quite, "Fine." Before turning around to stow his scroll and leaving through the doorway, Elijah following behind and closing the door on his way out.


Malina slumped in her chair and began to rub her eyes, muttering something that could have been a swear, paying no mind that Juno was still in the room.
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Zwei Not on January 07, 2018, 03:38:56 AM
Juno kept a watchful eye on the duo throughout the entire meeting, his focus primarily on the spec ops soldier accompanying the scientist. The scientist himself was a non threat, especially in the face of the soldier. While his attempts to hide his somewhat tense glances were mediocre at best, he did notice that there soldier seemed to be staring at him the entire time. Did... Did he know? He hadn’t checked back with his parents in Atlas since the tournament concluded... Was it possible something had happened? That there was a warrant for his arrest?

No, he would have been notified of something of that nature, likely through Anki’s associate or one of his parents. Then why was this guy staring at him? He didn’t think he knew anyone in the military. Several questions regarding the curious action floated through his mind through the duration of the impromptu meeting, the young man remaining silent as the scientist and TA spoke.

Thankfully, the two eventually left, closing the door behind them as they left. Given the conversation he had just laid witness to, the young man made the assumption that these kinds of meetings were quite uncommon, and very unorthodox. Strange and stressful as the meeting was, the silence after they left was even more nerve wracking. Hoping to distract from the ever looming cloud of stress that see,ed to cover the room, the young man spoke up, shifting his gaze between Malina and the door. ”You should get a ‘do not disturb’ sign. Or lock the door.”
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Dr. Gustave on January 08, 2018, 07:41:06 AM
"I suppose that would be smart," Malina mused, her fingers still rubbing her eyes, "but no. I like to keep my door open to anyone who needs it during office hours." She paused and added, "Not every day I get visitors from Atlas." She took her hand from her face and looked to Juno. "As much as I'd like to say I had planned that visit for effect, I'm not that resourceful." She raised an eyebrow at the boy. "I'd like to believe whatever argument you were going with before is gone now, but I'm not sure I'm that naive."
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Zwei Not on January 13, 2018, 05:41:43 AM
Juno paused once Malina returned the conversation to where it had been left off, taking a moment to remember what he spoke up about, then another to properly word his thoughts. ”So... the thing about me staying in the city is that my team will need to go out in the field. We can’t just sit around in Vale for who knows how long.” he explained, debating with himself on whether or not to continue, eventually deciding to get on with his reasoning. ”Besides, the Fang isn’t just going to stop coming after me just because I’m behind city walls. Their kidnapping of Caja made that explicitly clear.”
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Dr. Gustave on January 13, 2018, 05:55:19 AM
Malina looked away from a moment, rubbing her thumb and forefinger together. "You and so many others say that, that you." She said, almost absentmindedly. "That you can't just sit around and wait while the enemy, White Fang, Grimm, whoever plots and schemes." She looked back to Juno with a somewhat sullen look. "I... We were all in that place, once. I have my doubts that there was ever a hunter or huntress in history that wasn't at least a little bit headstrong when they were in school, thinking that if they could just get out there and do something that it would make a difference." She furrowed her brow again but not in anger or condemnation. "But going out there, against whatever the threat is, is a suicide mission. Maybe you won't actually die, maybe no one with you will die, maybe you'll even feel like you're winning, but..." Malina's eyes narrowed, "... it's suicide either way. The White Fang doesn't pull off an operation because they want to, they spend countless hours gathering information on the people they have to fight, when they have to strike, and who to send. They didn't kidnap Caja on a whim, it was researched, vetted, gone over twice, I can assure you that."

Malina's eyes flickered away from Juno for a moment and she leaned back in her chair. "They won't stop because they have the resources not to stop. You're outgunned and outmanned, I'm outgunned and outmanned. We can't operate like they do, we don't have the resources and even if we had the resources it's still suicide to go out without proper intel."

She paused again, looking away from Juno for just a moment and lost in thought before returning to his gaze. "If you can't agree to stay low, I'll have to institute a formal lock on your team from going out on out-of-city missions."
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Zwei Not on January 13, 2018, 06:35:49 AM
Juno froze for a moment, almost as though he were still processing the threat. ”So what you expect my team to do is just sit around and do nothing?” he asked, seething as the implications of a citywide grounding came to mind. ”We don’t know how long the Fang will remain active, and laying low means we don’t do much of anything until they are out of the picture.”

“I get it. The Fang is fucking scary. They somehow found out where I live, broke into my home, tore it apart, and kidnapped my girlfriend, all without me knowing for several days. I have a damn good reason to be afraid of them. But I’m not going to let my team commit academic suicide just because I’m scared of some masked morons in tunics.”
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Dr. Gustave on January 13, 2018, 07:12:00 AM
Malina nodded, silently, and let Juno get everything he needed to say out. She was silent even after he finished, only staring at the student, the boy, sizing him up. Judging him. It was a long moment, the two diametrically opposed hunters simply staring to one another.

She broke the silence with a simple and short, "Alright." and despite the affirmation, Juno's eyes twinged slightly, not entirely trusting the answer.

Almost as an afterthought, Malina added, "So what's your grand plan?" She cocked her head to the side slightly, eyes locked on the student. "Surely you have to have a master plan if you intend on doing what experts have been failing to do for years and beat back the fang, right?"

Malina leaned forward, interlocking her fingers and resting her chin on them, elbows just on the lip of her desk. "What's it going to be, rush in and kill anyone in your way so no one can come after you? Kill the reinforcements? Kill any White Fang member until you become so desensitized to the act that the fact that some of them are misguided faunus becomes null and void to you?"

"Or perhaps a subtler approach?" A single eyebrow arched in place. "Perhaps you'll sneak into one of their bases, entirely undetected through your minimal infiltration skills, won't have anyone on the inside to help this time, after all, steal all of their identities and release them to the public, taking away the one thing they have to lose? Maybe you don't even touch the lesser members, maybe you just decide to kill off the leadership, that would be the best option, wouldn't it?" Her voice was thick with sarcasm and condescension.

"Kill the ones put in charge and hope someone less tactically inclined and more bloodthirsty doesn't take over. But let's say leadership devolves, I'm sure the main forces in Mistral will simply leave Vale and the surely millions or billions of lien they've put into gaining ground here. I'm sure they'll be happy to stop winning in the long term and won't strike back at the ones who hurt them, right?"

"Oh!" Malina lifted her head away and clasped her hands together. "Maybe even more subtle than that? Maybe disrupt their supply lines, taking out supplies over the course of, what, months? Years? Until they stop sending supplies to their forces? They won't ever start increasing the guard number or strength if they get hit, of course."

She lowered her hands below the table, one hand curled into a fist in stark contrast to the condescending smile plastered on her face. "Or maybe you'll do what so many have done before you and strike out blindly, no information, no contacts, only you and your team, and get someone you care about killed within a month because you couldn't be assed to wait for someone else to draw up a plan of attack?" Emotion seeped into her voice slightly as the smile wavered.

"It. Is. Suicide." She repeated herself, "To continue the cycle of mindless backlash is nothing more than elaborate suicide and putting your team in reckless danger."

She was silent again, staring at Juno and breathing fractionally harder than she had been five minutes prior. The wavering smile still on her face, head cocked slightly to one side, and eyes narrowed toward the student, her student. "So let's hear the master plan, hm? How do you plan to beat back the White Fang?"
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Zwei Not on January 13, 2018, 07:49:34 AM
The silence was unnerving, to say the very least. Where Malina seemed composed, Juno was visibly disturbed, his angered disposition giving way to one of anxiety. Malina, however, eventually broke the silence. With every word that came out of Malina’s mouth, Juno grew more and more confused. All throughout her rant, he wanted to interrupt, to correct her where she had misinterpreted his character, his intent, but she would not shut up.

In all honesty, Juno was dumbfounded at her question.”Who said anything about us going out ther with the grand goal of dismantling the Fang?” he asked incredulously, his expression betraying his mixed confusion and anger at her assumptions... no, her insults on who he was. ”I just can’t afford for my team to be barred from leaving the city for the next gods-know-how-long! The only reason I brought them up again is because that seems to be the reason you want my team benched!”

“I’m not stupid, as much as you seem to insist upon believing. An attack with no intel is suicide. No fucking shit. If, for some goddamn reason, we decide that attacking the Fang is the best way to keep them off my, my team, and Phi’s asses, then any engagement will have to be smart and preferably nonlethal, with a thorough understanding of their forces and our surroundings. Keeping my team restricted to the city may give you the advantage of keeping tabs, but limits our experience in the field. We might not be able to rely on the academy when the Fang attacks us again.”


As the huntress and student’s discussion quickly devolved into an argument, slowly bridging upon a shouting match, Phi listened in, groaning internally as it became very apparent that two entirely different conversations were being had. They were both concerned about the safety of Juno and his team to a degree, but where Juno saw safety in preparation, Malina saw safety in outright avoidance. To be fair, she wasn’t entirely paying attention, as their stubbornness quickly made the discussion more annoying and tedious than anything else. Hopefully they would settle their misunderstanding within the hour.

Hopefully.
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Dr. Gustave on January 14, 2018, 06:10:57 AM
"Being kidnapped or beaten by the White Fang or any countless number of organizations they may have sold the information to would hamper your experience in the field much more, I assure you." Malina retorted. "I want your team benched so that we can at least get some tabs on the local groups so if any decide to make a move, we'll have some idea beforehand." The wavering smile was gone, replaced by a simple, ugly frown. "You think, what, you'll just be off scot-free, left to wander on missions outside of the kingdom while people who would very much want to get at you know exactly where you, your girlfriend, and your teammates are?" Her hands were once again above the desk, the fingernails of her right hand digging ever so slightly into the wood of the desk. "What I'm suggesting is the only way you have a decent chance at not getting kidnapped yourself."

Her eyes narrowed on the boy, someone who she'd already had poor views of because of the Vytal tournament, someone who she believed was too stupid to be trusted with an AI, someone in over their head that made it into the world stage and got hot-headed because of it.

It gave her pause, the last thought, a slight pause, but a pause nonetheless. It was a familiar feeling, both seeing others get stuck in the state and even falling into it herself for a short period of time.

She squared her jaw and stiffened her shoulders. The pause passed, the feeling passing with it. "I don't care if you like it or not, if you hate me or not. Believe me, you get used to the feeling when you're out there real quick. There's only two ways out of this room. At the very least try to understand that this is the best option and go along with it or keep acting bullheaded and force me to put a formal lock on your team."
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Zwei Not on January 14, 2018, 01:45:13 PM
While she had a point, Juno was far too angry with her to care. It was clear she saw him as incompetent, and while he thought similarly of her, she was the one in a position of power, not him. It was a bullshit situation that he couldn't do much of anything about. As much as he wanted to fight her on this, as much as he wanted to somehow convince her that she was wrong about him and that he could handle himself and his team outside of the city, he had a feeling any argument would be meaningless.

So he backed down, pressing his fingers to his temple with an agitated sigh, eyes flicking to Phi as she materialized on his shoulder and sat down. "How long do you suggest we stay within the city?" she asked, her face and voice emotionless to avoid betraying her own distaste for the woman.
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Dr. Gustave on January 16, 2018, 07:29:28 PM
Malina loosened her back slightly and let out a quiet breath as Juno backed down and Phi appeared. "I appreciate you asking how long instead of immediately denying the request," she eyed Juno, "but I can't give an exact amount of time. A month, maybe... Two tops." Her fingernails slowly eased off of digging into the wooden desk, leaving faint imprints where they had been. "It takes time to organize all of this, time you might lose out on the rare mission, sure. If for whatever reason your team is selected for an out of city mission I will be sure to figure out an alternative within the walls." The anger, frustration, and annoyance were subdued now, though not entirely. Despite how much she wanted to at the very least act amicable, the emotions still seeped into her voice. 'Something that I would have been happy to explain if you hadn't outright denied it...' The thought shot through her head but she thought better than to voice it.
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Zwei Not on January 21, 2018, 03:17:15 AM
”Very well. We will hold you to that.” The AI replied, glancing over at Juno, who returned the look before the duo turned their focus to Malina. It was clear he didn’t like the TA, and to be frank, neither did Phi. However, Malina was in a position of power, and she did have her fair share of good points. A fact not mitigated by her bitchiness and stubborn behavior. Granted, it wasn’t like stubborn was unfamiliar territory.

”Is there anything else you want to talk about, Miss Nahualli?” Juno inquired, the hostile edge in his voice mitigated, but not entirely gone.
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Dr. Gustave on January 21, 2018, 03:54:49 AM
"No, I don't think so," Malina said, all too aware the animosity hadn't completely gone from either of their voices, "just be sure to tell the rest of your team. I'll tell Tit- Professor Printemps to let me know if she has any missions planned for you." She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms, taking careful note of her breathing. "Other than that, I think we're done here."
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Zwei Not on January 24, 2018, 02:17:24 PM
"Very well. Until next time, Miss Nahualli." Juno replied as he stood up, looking the woman over once more before turning his back to her and striding through the door. That meeting had been... Well, it was a complete fucking disaster, not that he had expected much in the way of success. He had been all but forced to stay in the city, with little information on what their next actions would be. He was, quite clearly, on Malina's shit list, and while the feeling was mutual, that was definitely a negative that would not be changing any time soon. Not to mention those two Atlesians... He couldn't be sure if they saw Phi or not, and even if they did, he could only hope nobody in their higher ups was interested in the whereabouts of the AI.

A deep sigh escaped his lips as he trudged down the hallway, replaying the meeting over and over in his head.
Title: Re: He Came from Atlas [Closed]
Post by: Dr. Gustave on January 27, 2018, 06:00:07 AM
Malina only offered a curt nod as Juno made his way out of her office, shutting the door on his way out. She waited there, in silence, for a moment or two. The same hard lines etched into her face, the same stubbornness in her eyes, just in case he came back in. After a moment or two of nothing but silence, she collapsed, dropping her face into her open palms and letting her dark hair spill over onto the desk.

The hated this. She hated how she acted, how she had to act. She hated how he didn't understand. She hated how there wasn't anyone she could go to, not Tania, not Eliana, not Candida, not even Carmine. Especially not Carmine. She hated Juno and she hated that she hated Juno.

She sat there for far more than a moment or two, hands in her face and completely still. Neither tears nor a breath of relief or relaxation came, just the stewing of emotions, boiling the point of almost spilling out before being quenched back behind wall after wall after wall.

After a long while, she drew in a breath and lifted her head from her hands, pushing her hair from her face, and picked up her scroll. She swiped through her contacts, briefly stopping on Candida before continuing on to Titania. She hit calle and raised the scroll to her ear. One ring... two... three...f-

"Hello?" The professor's voice called over the small speaker. "Malina?"

"Hello." The cheerful demeanor and smile plastered on Malina's face betrayed the earlier argument. "I just had an Atlesian scientist and a soldier come in earlier, they said they talked to you...?" She asked as she used her free hand to pull open a drawer to the right of her legs.

"Yes!" Titania sounded joyed at the question. "I could have taken care of them, but I thought it would be a good opportunity for you to-"

"I sent them away." Malina cut her mentor off midsentence. There a silence that hung in the air for a moment before Titania spoke again.

"Ah..." She sounded disappointed, Malina had expected it but it still hurt. "I can't say I'm happy with that decision, Malina... a job like that, it would look great for your career."

"I don't care-" about my career "-for their work." She thought she heard the slightest of groans on the other end of the call.

"You don't care about more efficient dust? I thought you of all people would be able to appreciate that." Titania said, almost mirroring what Dr. Fawn had said earlier.

"It's not that." Malina retorted quickly. "I just..." She struggled to find the words. "... It doesn't matter, I just wanted t check in and make sure you had sent them over."

"Okay..." Her voice wheld the faintest twinge of disappointment. She hated it.

"Before I forget, I'm doing some work with team VCVS, could you let me know if they have any missions lined up?" Malina asked, almost as an afterthought.

"Sure thing," Titania said as the sound of her taking her scroll from her ear and tapping on the screen several times sounded through the speakers. "Mmm... doesn't look like it, do you want me to arrange something?"

"No, no, that's okay. That's actually the answer I was looking for." She forced a small laugh. "That should be it..." She paused for a split second before adding, "Thank you, Tania." and hung up before she could hear the response.


Malina looked down at the book she had pulled out of the drawer. Unassuming in its appearance, it was thin and a simple black color. A small, genuine smile crossed her face as she opened the cover to the first page. Machlud 11th, 73 AC, the first day of Beacon.

The smile faded as she flipped through toward her fourth year. She stared at the pages for a moment before shifting her eyes to the screen of her scroll, where the contact information for Carmine was now displayed. With a small sigh, she closed the book and clicked the call button. One ring... tw-
Title: Epilogue: Malina I
Post by: Dr. Gustave on January 27, 2018, 07:51:06 AM
Epilogue: Malina I

Arashi 24th, 76 AC

The cargo ship shuttered to life, the noise of its engines temporarily deafening all other noises before the noise-canceling buffers kicked in, sending the cargo bay-turned-seating area into almost perfect silence. Just calling it a cargo ship was probably a bit insulting, Malina thought. It was, by all rights, a cargo ship. It just happened to also be very, very big, almost dwarfing the airships of Vale in size.

Malina looked around at the vast empty space around her, it alone was larger than most classrooms at Beacon. To think that this was all for cargo and supplies was almost hard to imagine. The small windows that lined the area certainly didn't help, though she chalked that up to some designer in Mistral wanting to make it prettier or more symmetrical. She certainly didn't mind, the view was something some would kill for.

They were slowly leaving the Vale docks and sailed lazily over the city, a titan casting shadows on the buildings below. That made her frown slightly. It would be a long trip. A very long trip. A day at the least and a day and a half at the most. The Haven headmistress had provided chair and beds for them to relax and sleep on in the vast empty space, but there wasn't much she could do other than that. Other than prepare.

They had been specifically selected by the headmistress of Haven, Eliana Baris, for an apparently top priority mission. Not by name, perhaps, but by reputation. Malina's team, MCCA, had a reputation for getting the jobs they were put on done. The disguise of traveling in a slow, bulky, and featureless cargo ship was a downside of the mission's secret nature.

Malina looked around again at the others in the room. There was herself, obviously, who sat in a chair she had pulled up to one of the windows; There was Carmine, excitedly looking out of one of the windows nearby her; Aurelia, who laid in one of the beds, a pillow covering her face, trying to sleep; and of course there was Candida, setting in a chair a ways away from Malina, nose deep in a book, her black scleraed eyes scanning over the pages and faunus ears twitching periodically.

One of the reasons they weren't one of the top teams at Beacon was probably the fact that none of them were terribly social, Malina thought. Sure, they got their jobs done, but they were so often caught up in themselves, not asking or receiving help from others. Malina had tried, once upon a time, back in her first year and had that summarily ruined by Candida and Aurelia. The twins, for all their mischief and mayhem, mostly kept to themselves of their teammates. Carmine, probably the most social of them all, was... well, she almost always ended up overwhelming whoever she was talking to.

The question of why them crossed her mind and not for the first time. They weren't the best, even with social issues taken away. There were other teams stronger and more capable than they were at taking on tasks in Beacon and surely in Haven as well. The request didn't entirely sit well with her but at the same time, she wasn't one to turn it down. A personal mission from another school's headmistress? No one would be able to overlook that when they looked at their team.

She returned her gaze to the window and rested the side of her head against it, feeling the vibration of the ship through the glass. They were at the edge of the city now, passing over the small houses that dotted the exterior. A long trip, she thought again as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift to sleep. She could allow herself to worry about specifics later.


She awoke to someone shaking her by the shoulder. Groggily, she opened her eyes to see Aurelia, the blue of her eyes surrounded by pitch black, just like her sister. "We're here, Malina."

Malina furrowed her brow and then tried to blink the sleep out of her eyes. "How long was I asleep...?" She asked slowly.

"We sped up once we were out of CCTT range," Aurelia said, not directly answering the question. "Carmine and Candida are at the exit talking with, uh, someone... they didn't tell me who."

Malina let out a long yawn and rubbed at her eyes, offering only a quiet, "Fuck." as she grabbed the bag she had set down next to her chair and patted at her hip, making sure her weapon was there under her heavy coat. Manticore unfoiled as she stood up, swishing back and forth behind her as if she were stretching out a limb that had gone to sleep. She straightened her back and put on a harder face as she made her way to the exit, Manticore poised behind her and Aurelia following several steps behind. Confidence, Malina thought, was all one needed to take care of most scenarios like this. A little intimidation on the side didn't hurt.


"Uh huh." Candida spoke, obvious annoyance in her voice.

Malina heard her before she saw her, a few steps before she rounded the corner to the exit. Candida stood, arms on her hips, talking with someone Malina couldn't see on the other side of the doorway. Carmine stood a few feet behind Candida with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Well forgive me if I think that's bullshit."

"What's going on here?" Malina asked as she approached whoever she was talking to could respond. As she took her place next to Candida, she realized the man didn't have any weapons. A meek-looking dog faunus stood on the other side of the door. Slumped shoulders and bags under his eyes gave the impression of someone who didn't get much sleep.

"He says we have to fill out paperwork to get into Mistral." Candida offered.

Malina frowned slightly. Not the crisis situation she had been expecting, but that was a good thing. "We were-" She paused suddenly before continuing. "Actually, I'd like to talk to my teammate quickly if you don't mind."

"No ma'am." His voice was ragged and tired.

Malina offered a polite smile as she lead Candida away. "Did you say anything about our mission?" She asked in a low voice.

"No?" Candida half stated, half asked.

Malina only nodded in response and walked back to the doorway. "I'm sorry about that, sir. We'll sign the paperwork."

A small smile graced the man's face as he nodded.


"'m not sure that was such a great idea, Malina..." Carmine spoke up as the group made their way up what felt like the seven hundredth set of stairs in Mistral. "Now they've got our signatures an' info."

"Lesser of two evils... I hope..." Malina said through panting breaths. "The mission's supposed to be secret."

Carmine only let out a small sign in response.

Malina let out a long breath and stretched her back as she reached the final landing. The large gate to Haven academy loomed in front of them.

"Couldn't they have dropped us off closer..." Candida said quietly as she made her way to Malina's side, receiving only a shrug in return.

"It'd be a bit conspicuous if a giant cargo ship pulled up to Haven, I think."

"Mm." Candida grunted in return.

"Doesn't matter now anyway, we're here.... finally... now come on, let's go meet the headmistress." Malina said as she placed one hand on the large gate, pushing it open.