Episode 19 - A New Year

[Phoenix1]

%5BURL%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DwAbwhVOwJQw%26ab_channel%3DRoosterTeeth%22%5DVolume%204%5B%2FURL%5D%0A%0AIt%20had%20been%20a%20long%20winter.%0A%0AThe%20attack%20on%20Vale%20at%20the%20Vytal%20Tournament%20had%20been%20like%20a%20meteor%20falling%20into%20the%20sea.%20%20The%20direct%20impact%20was%20violent%20and%20destructive%20and%20world-shaking%2C%20of%20course.%20%20But%20the%20true%20damage%20was%20only%20felt%20later%2C%20when%20the%20ripple%20effects%20started%20crashing%20ashore.%0A%0AVale's%20CCTS%20tower%20had%20been%20destroyed%20by%20%5Bstrike%5DChapi%20Incident%5B%2Fstrike%5D%20dragonfire.%20%20Global%20communications%20required%20all%20four%20towers%20to%20function%2C%20meaning%20each%20kingdom%20was%20cut%20off%20from%20reliable%20communication%20with%20the%20others.%20%20Messages%20could%20still%20be%20delivered%20by%20mail%2C%20but%20that%20had%20never%20been%20%5Bi%5Dsuper%5B%2Fi%5D-reliable%2C%20and%20the%20infrastructure%20wasn't%20really%20in%20place%20to%20support%20the%20newly-increased%20demand.%20%20This%20would%20have%20been%20troublesome%20enough%20on%20its%20own%2C%20but%20among%20the%20last%20scenes%20to%20be%20played%20out%20on%20international%20broadcasts%20showed%20Atlesian%20military%20robots%2C%20up%20to%20and%20including%20their%20state-of-the-art%20Paladin-class%20battlemechs%2C%20contributing%20to%20the%20attack%2C%20while%20their%20battlecruisers%20hung%20silent%20in%20the%20air%2C%20hovering%20uselessly%20over%20the%20destruction%20while%20an%20Elder%20Wyvern%20dominated%20the%20skies.%20%20It's%20not%20that%20nobody%20knew%2C%20or%20even%20tried%20to%20say%2C%20that%20the%20Atlesian%20systems%20had%20been%20compromised%20and%20there%20had%20been%20no%20hostility%20on%20their%20part.%20%20But%20it%20was%20hard%20for%20that%20note%20of%20clarity%20to%20cut%20through%20the%20noise%20of%20fear%20or%20anger.%0A%0AIt%20certainly%20wasn't%20helping%20Atlas's%20international%20reputation%20that%20the%20kingdom%20had%20to%20all%20accounts%20gone%20completely%20on%20lockdown.%20%20Even%20the%20SDC%20had%20been%20forbidden%20from%20shipping%20any%20product%20across%20the%20nation's%20borders.%20%20This%20didn't%20entirely%20cripple%20the%20premier%20Dust%20company%20-%20their%20local%20resources%20in%20each%20other%20kingdom%20were%20still%20producing.%20%20But%20the%20arctic%20wilderness%20of%20Atlas%20was%20home%20to%20some%20of%20the%20richest%20Dust%20mines%20on%20the%20planet%20-%20particularly%20but%20far%20from%20exclusively%20when%20it%20came%20to%20Ice%20and%20Lightning%20Dust.%20%20That%20alone%20would%20have%20been%20a%20substantial%20loss%2C%20but%20as%20a%20result%20of%20losing%20Atlas's%20supply%2C%20Vacuo%20-%20home%20to%20Groen%20Corp%2C%20the%20SDC's%20biggest%20competitor%2C%20as%20well%20as%20to%20vast%20fields%20of%20Dust%20(primarily%20Fire%20and%20Light)%20farmed%20throughout%20the%20inhospitable%20desert%20-%20had%20increased%20demand%20on%20its%20local%20companies.%20%20Groen%20Corp%20was%20the%20SDC's%20biggest%20competitor%2C%20but%20they%20weren't%20the%20SDC%2C%20and%20the%20increased%20demand%20made%20it%20nearly%20impossible%20to%20%5Bi%5Deconomically%5B%2Fi%5D%20ship%20much%20more%20than%20a%20trickle%20to%20other%20kingdoms.%0A%0AAll%20in%20all%2C%20Dust%20supplies%20in%20Mistral%20and%20Vale%2C%20less%20blessed%20with%20local%20resources%20and%20equally%20efficient%20distributors%2C%20were%20down%20by%20something%20like%20forty%20percent%2C%20with%20much%20of%20the%20loss%20in%20some%20of%20the%20energetic%2C%20high-output%20forms%20that%20formed%20much%20of%20the%20basis%20of%20modern%20technological%20infrastructure.%0A%0AIt%20had%20been%20a%20cold%20winter%2C%20too.%0A%0AThe%20reduced%20supply%20of%20Dust%20was%20coupled%20with%20increased%20demand%2C%20because%20Grimm%20attacks%20were%20at%20a%20high%20not%20seen%20since%20before%20the%20Great%20War%2C%20the%20monsters%20drawn%20by%20the%20fear%20and%20anger%20choking%20cities%20and%20towns%20throughout%20the%20world.%0A%0AAnd%20hate%2C%20of%20course.%20%20The%20Farm%20and%20the%20White%20Fang%20had%20both%20been%20involved%20in%20the%20attack.%20%20If%20you%20thought%20that%20that%20fact%20would%20make%20people%20realize%20that%20there%20was%20a%20greater%20enemy%20at%20play%20using%20both%20groups%20as%20pawns%2C%20a%20great%20foe%20of%20civilization%20that%20all%20the%20People%20of%20Remnant%20must%20unite%20against%2C%20then%20I'm%20sorry%20to%20say%20that%20many%20people%20are%20simply%20not%20that%20reasonable.%20%20Those%20whose%20prejudices%20or%20politics%20aligned%20them%20-%20even%20if%20they%20didn't%20%5Bi%5Dally%5B%2Fi%5D%20them%20-%20with%20one%20or%20the%20other%20of%20the%20extremist%20groups%20were%20all%20too%20quick%20to%20shout%20blame%20and%20invective%20at%20the%20other%20side%20and%20anyone%20who%20supported%20them%20-%20or%20even%20just%20did%20not%20denounce%20them%20sufficiently%20loudly.%20%20%0A%0AIt%20could%20have%20been%20worse%2C%20to%20be%20fair.%20%20With%20Mac%20off%20the%20board%20and%20its%20forces%20depleted%2C%20the%20Farm%20%5Bi%5Ditself%5B%2Fi%5D%20was%20in%20ruins%20-%20there%20were%20some%20rumors%20that%20what%20remained%20of%20the%20organization%20was%20coalescing%20under%20new%20leadership%2C%20but%20there%20was%20little%20evidence%20to%20support%20such%20claims%2C%20and%20certainly%20no%20Farm%20attacks.%20%20And%20the%20White%20Fang%20seemed%20to%20be%20having%20internal%20struggles%20of%20their%20own%20-%20they%20were%20no%20longer%20the%20type%20of%20organization%20to%20make%20media%20appearances%20and%20seek%20to%20sway%20public%20opinion%20through%20discourse%2C%20but%20the%20general%20word%20among%20those%20in%20the%20know%20was%20that%20the%20top%20leadership%20was%20stridently%20against%20the%20faction%20that%20had%20taken%20part%20in%20the%20attack%2C%20but%20it%20was%20anybody's%20guess%20which%20side%20held%20more%20sway%20among%20the%20rank-and-file.%20%20Had%20either%20or%20both%20organizations%20been%20in%20proper%20fighting%20form%2C%20the%20blood%20might%20have%20run%20thick.%20%20As%20it%20was%2C%20it%20mostly%20just%20ratcheted%20up%20existing%20tensions%20and%20provided%20greater%20opportunity%20for%20hatred%20to%20flourish%2C%20with%20ordinary%20faunus%2C%20as%20usual%2C%20somehow%20ending%20up%20the%20ones%20bearing%20the%20brunt%20of%20it.%0A%0AIt%20had%20been%20a%20hard%20winter%2C%20too.%0A%0AThe%20Mission%20Boards%20sometimes%20seemed%20to%20be%20moving%20more%20like%20a%20popular%20internet%20chat%20room%2C%20so%20often%20were%20new%20threats%20popping%20up.%20%20The%20Huntsmen%20and%20Huntresses%20of%20Mistral%20had%20been%20stretched%20thin%20throughout%20the%20winter%20responding%20to%20all%20the%20demand.%20%20Although%20let%20it%20never%20be%20said%20that%20Professor%20Wulf%20would%20ever%20fail%20to%20exploit%20any%20opening%20offered%20-%20deciding%20that%20a%20greater%20breadth%20of%20combat%20experience%20than%20just%20solo-fighting%20the%20same%20elite%20veteran%20Huntress%20every%20day%20probably%20would%20in%20fact%20be%20useful%20to%20your%20development%2C%20Wulf%20had%20scaled%20back%20her%20brutal%20beatdowns%20to%20only%20two%20or%20three%20classes%20a%20week.%20%20Those%20matches%2C%20she%20explained%2C%20would%20be%20where%20you%20learned%20how%20to%20fix%20what%20didn't%20work.%0A%0ABut%20to%20build%20upon%20and%20further%20refine%20what%20%5BI%5Ddid%5B%2FI%5D%20work%2C%20she%20allowed%20the%20class%20to%20select%20missions%20of%20their%20own%20from%20the%20Mission%20Boards.%20%20Why%20do%20all%20of%20these%20exciting%20adventures%20and%20valuable%20experiences%20get%20glossed%20over%20in%20a%20timeskip%20rather%20than%20rating%20full%20episodes%20of%20their%20own%2C%20you%20ask%3F%20%20Because%20while%20she%20let%20the%20class%20choose%20the%20missions%2C%20%5Bi%5Dshe%5B%2Fi%5D%20chose%20who%20actually%20went%20out%20to%20complete%20them%2C%20and%20she%20did%20not%20%5Bi%5Donce%5B%2Fi%5D%20send%20out%20a%20group%20that%20failed%20to%20qualify%20as%20%22utterly%20overwhelming%20force%22.%20%20Anything%20that%20would%20have%20presented%20the%20eight%20of%20you%20with%20anything%20even%20vaguely%20resembling%20a%20level-appropriate%20encounter%20she%20stacked%20classmates%20into%20until%20it%20%5Bi%5Dno%20longer%20qualified%5B%2Fi%5D.%20%20This%20is%20not%20to%20say%20your%20class%20was%20able%20to%20single-handedly%20(score-or-so-handedly%2C%20whatever)%20substantially%20ease%20the%20burden%20on%20the%20kingdom's%20Huntsmen%20and%20Huntresses%20-%20there%20was%20simply%20too%20much%20need%2C%20too%20few%20of%20you%2C%20and%20that%20kind%20of%20concentration%20of%20power%20could%20not%20be%20deployed%20broadly.%20%20But%20where%20you%20did%20deploy%2C%20it%20was%20like%20playing%20whack-a-mole.%20%20With%20a%20sledgehammer.%0A%0ABut%20none%20of%20this%20was%20to%20say%20the%20situation%20was%20hopeless%2C%20or%20even%20necessarily%20dire.%20%20There%20was%20struggle%2C%20and%20there%20were%20losses.%20%20People%20had%20been%20hurt%20who%20didn't%20need%20to%20be%2C%20and%20people%20had%20caused%20harms%20they%20hadn't%20needed%20to.%20%20But%20the%20center%20held.%20%20The%20kingdom%20stood.%20%20Over%20long%20snowy%20months%20and%20dark%20cloudy%20nights%2C%20no%20army%20came%20for%20Mistral%2C%20Grimm%20or%20otherwise.%20%20No%20villains%20made%20plays%20for%20either%20of%20the%20Maidens.%20%20Apex%20did%20occasionally%20manifest%20an%20image%20before%20one%20or%20another%20of%20you%20(Lapis%20aside)%2C%20typically%20with%20some%20melodramatic%20pronouncement%20that%20was%20no%20doubt%20intended%20to%20be%20foreboding.%20%20...And%20occasionally%20just%20to%20ask%20how%20your%20classes%20were%20going%2C%20for%20reasons%20that%20presumably%20made%20sense%20to%20him.%20%20But%20he%20didn't%20actually%20do%20anything%20particularly%2C%20you%20know%2C%20%5Bi%5Dvillainous%5B%2Fi%5D%20at%20you%20or%20in%20your%20general%20direction.%20%20Sightings%20of%20Devil%20Grimm%20happened%20on%20occasion%2C%20but%20they%20were%20rare.%20%20The%20world%20kept%20spinning%2C%20the%20sun%20kept%20rising%2C%20and%20in%20time%2C%20Spring%20came%20anew%2C%20bringing%20with%20it%20the%20promise%20of%20a%20new%20year.%0A%0AAnd%20also%20some%20new%20students%2C%20including%20one%20Roxana%20Miller%20-%20the%20Clydesdale%20faunus%20now%20openly%20using%20her%20last%20name%20-%20who%20joined%20the%20Spring%20Class%20of%201203%20as%20the%20leader%20of%20Team%20RGRK.%0A%0A%5Bb%5DTeam%20RACL%5B%2Fb%5D%0A%0AYou%20know%20what%20was%20kinda%20weird%3F%20%20It%20had%20been%20over%20four%20months%20since%20the%20attack%20on%20Vale%2C%20and%20you%20guys%20hadn't%20really%20had%20all%20that%20much%20opportunity%20to%20operate%20as%20a%20team.%0A%0ALike%2C%20I'm%20not%20saying%20you%20hadn't%20hand%20a%20chance%20to%20work%20together.%20%20You%20had%20certainly%20had%20that%2C%20what%20with%20Wulf's%20newfound%20fondness%20for%20(sure%20let's%20call%20them)%20training%20missions.%20%20But%20like%2C%20in%20the%20past%20a%20lot%20of%20your%20training%20missions%20had%20been%20either%20your%20team%2C%20or%20your%20team%20and%20FLNS.%20%20But%20between%20Wulf%20playing%20the%20hardest%20action%20economy%20game%20this%20side%20of%20Celerity%20spells%20and%20the%20whole%20thing%20with%20Pyrrha%20and%20occasionally%20Sorena%20rotating%20teams%2C%20when%20you%20were%20working%20together%20the%20missions%20had%20been%20kinda%20more%20crowded.%0A%0AAnd%20that%20wasn't%20even%20all%20the%20time%2C%20any%20more.%20%20As%20second-year%20students%2C%20you%20were%20occasionally%20sent%20on%20missions%20to%20shadow%20and%20support%20professional%20Hunter%20teams%20(Lapis%2C%20of%20course%2C%20was%20an%20old%20hand%20at%20this).%20%20And%20your%20professors%2C%20Wulf%20in%20particular%2C%20had%20seemed%20to%20develop%20something%20of%20a%20taste%20for%20mixing%20teams%20up%20on%20missions%20lately%20-%20partly%20to%20give%20you%20more%20experience%20fighting%20alongside%20different%20allies%20with%20different%20powers%20and%20capabilities%2C%20but%20mostly%20just%20to%20make%20sure%20it%20wasn't%20too%20obvious%20that%20Pyrrha%20(and%20Sorena)%20were%20rotating%20teams.%20%20The%20villains%20behind%20the%20attack%20on%20Vale%20may%20have%20known%20who%20the%20Maidens%20were%2C%20but%20there%20was%20still%20some%20value%20to%20minimizing%20the%20chance%20of%20others%20learning%20about%20them.%0A%0AAnd%20even%20outside%20of%20missions%2C%20your%20class%20had%20been%20together%20for%20a%20year%20now%2C%20and%20while%20I%20can't%20speak%20for%20you%20guys%20your%20NPC%20classmates%20(notwithstanding%20Pyrrha%20and%20to%20a%20lesser%20degree%20Tabby%2C%20who%20were%20still%20pretty%20new%20-%20Tabby%20was%20a%20social%20butterfly%2C%20granted%2C%20but%20Pyrrha%20tended%20to%20be%20a%20bit%20distant%20still%20with%20most%20of%20the%20class%2C%20though%20less%20so%20with%20Rhys%2C%20Sorena%2C%20and%20fellow%20forced-transfer-student%20Anya)%20were%20largely%20all%20more%20comfortable%20and%20generally%20sociable%20with%20you%20now.%20%20Not%20to%20mentioned%20that%20as%20a%20class%2C%20you'd%20all%20seen%20and%20been%20through%20some%20%5Bi%5Dstuff%5B%2Fi%5D%2C%20and%20many%20of%20your%20classmates%20largely%20saw%20the%20protection%20of%20the%20Maiden%20powers%20as%20a%20shared%20responsibility%20(though%20out%20of%20respect%20for%20Sorena%20and%20Pyrrha%20both%20as%20Huntresses%20in%20their%20own%20right%20and%20as%20people%20who%20didn't%20want%20their%20friends%20taking%20risks%20to%20protect%20them%2C%20the%20class%20tended%20to%20make%20a%20strong%20distinction%20between%20protecting%20the%20Maiden%20%5Bi%5Dpowers%5B%2Fi%5D%2C%20and%20protecting%20the%20Maidens%20%5Bi%5Dthemselves%5B%2Fi%5D).%20%20Long%20story%20short%2C%20the%20boundaries%20between%20teams%20weren't%20quite%20as%20sharply%20defined%20as%20they%20had%20been%20previously.%0A%0AAll%20of%20which%20was%20to%20say%20that%20here%2C%20now%2C%20as%20you%20were%20walking%20back%20up%20the%20mountain%20towards%20Haven%2C%20two%20levels%20down%2C%20maybe%20half%20an%20hour%20after%20sunset%2C%20the%20mission%20you%20had%20just%20finished%20-%20taking%20out%20a%20small%20Ursa%20pack%20that%20had%20been%20harassing%20a%20small%20farming%20village%20about%20half%20a%20day%20outside%20of%20the%20city%2C%20it%20had%20been%20a%20slaughter%2C%20heads%20had%20been%20booted%2C%20doggos%20had%20been%20launched%20at%20scientifically%20interesting%20velocities%20-%20had%20actually%20been%20the%20first%20mission%20you%20had%20undertaken%20as%20Team%20RACL%20and%20only%20Team%20RACL%20since%20you%20had%20gotten%20back%20from%20Vale%2C%20odd%20though%20that%20may%20seem.%0A%0A%5Bb%5DTeam%20FLNS%5B%2Fb%5D%0A%0AIt's%20morning%2C%20and%20you're%20all%20in%20your%20dorm.%20%20It's%20a%20pretty%20normal%20day.%20%20Weekend%2C%20no%20classes%2C%20although%20Nicoale%20has%20to%20report%20to%20a%20security%20shift%20at%20work%20in%20a%20little%20under%20an%20hour.%20%20Honestly%20nothing%20that%20exciting%20or%20significant%20happening.%20%20Terrible%20opening%20scene%20for%20the%20opening%20post%20of%20a%20new%20adventure%20slash%20forum%20transfer.%20%20Hopefully%20something%20interesting%20will%20happen%2C%20I%20dunno.%0A%0A%5BSPOILER%3DFen%5DSo%20huh%20that%20side%20scene%20kinda%20petered%20out%20-%20figure%20that%20Doctor%20Brown%20ended%20up%20finding%20you%20after%20an%20undoubtedly%20hilarious%20encounter%20with%20the%20well-armed%20Frog%20faunus%20and%20got%20you%20and%20the%20Epoch%20back%20to%20the%20End%20of%20Time%20and%20from%20there%20you%2C%20Sorena%2C%20and%20Pyrrha%20were%20able%20to%20take%20the%20Gate%20home.%20%20I%20had%20a%20joke%20about%20Pyrrha%20and%20Sorena%20getting%20Magic%20Tabs%20from%20Spekkio%20but%20it's%20not%20important.%0A%0AAnyway%2C%20Brown%20had%20found%20the%20item%20he%20was%20looking%20for%2C%20which%20as%20far%20as%20you%20could%20tell%20was%20a%20kinda%20weird%20egg-looking%20device%20that%20kinda%20resembled%20one%20of%20Solstice's%20egg%20grenades%2C%20except%20maybe%20a%20little%20smaller%20and%20less%20colorful.%20%20As%20of%20yesterday%2C%20he%20told%20you%20it%20had%20been%20charged%20and%20if%20you%20still%20wanted%20to%20do%20this%2C%20he%20was%20ready%20when%20you%20were.%0A%0AHere's%20the%20thing.%20%20Your%20brothers%20had%20been%20(presumably%2C%20technically%2C%20but%20for%20our%20purposes%20this%20is%20a%20very%20important%20technicality)%20killed%20by%20a%20flock%20of%20Nevermores.%20%20The%20flock%20had%20attacked%20%5Bi%5Dbefore%5B%2Fi%5D%20your%20fateful%20scream.%20%20You%20had%20seen%20at%20least%20some%20of%20your%20brothers%20going%20into%20battle%20again.%20%20That%20part%20of%20your%20personal%20history%20was%20not%20something%20you%20were%20allowed%20to%20change.%20%20For%20this%20to%20work%2C%20you%20couldn't%20just%20prevent%20your%20brothers%20from%20joining%20the%20doomed%20battle%20in%20the%20first%20place.%20%20You%20would%20have%20to%20go%20in%20%5Bi%5Dafter%5B%2Fi%5D%20your%20last%20experience%20seeing%20them%2C%20but%20%5Bi%5Dbefore%5B%2Fi%5D%20they%20actually%20died.%0A%0AAll%20of%20which%20was%20to%20say%2C%20you%20had%20a%20very%20specific%20window%20of%20time%20to%20conduct%20your%20mission%20-%20%5Bi%5Dduring%5B%2Fi%5D%20your%20brothers'%20battle%20against%20the%20Nevermores.%20%20That%20means%20you%20have%20to%20rescue%20them%20from%20an%20entire%20flock%20of%20Nevermores.%0A%0AEven%20for%20you%2C%20that's%20too%20much.%20%20Even%20for%20you%20%5Bi%5Dand%20Doctor%20Brown%5B%2Fi%5D%2C%20that's%20too%20much.%20%20Your%20brothers%20were%20capable%20fighters%2C%20but%20not%20so%20capable%20that%20they%20can%20even%20those%20odds.%20%0A%20What%20you%20need%20is%20the%20sort%20of%20fighting%20power%20that%20can%20take%20on%20a%20flock%20of%20giant%20avian%20Grimm%20and%20carry%20the%20day.%0A%0ABut%20even%20if%20you%20were%20willing%20to%20involve%20as%20many%20people%20as%20you%20could%20get%20to%20help%20you%2C%20it's%20not%20quite%20that%20easy.%20%20You%20also%20need%20to%20win%20surgically%20enough%20that%20your%20past%20self%20experiences%20nothing%20that%20you%20did%20not%2C%20yourself%2C%20experience%20on%20that%20day.%20%20Not%20insurmountable%20by%20any%20means%20-%20you%20were%20not%20nearly%20so%20alert%20back%20then%2C%20and%20you%20had%2C%20after%20all%2C%20just%20rendered%20yourself%20deaf.%20%20No%20explosion%20or%20screams%2C%20not%20even%20Jason%20Ardors%20calling%20his%20attacks%20as%20loudly%20as%20possible%2C%20will%20change%20your%20past%20self's%20experience.%20%20Even%20so%2C%20the%20more%20people%20you%20bring%2C%20the%20more%20chances%20there%20are%20for%20someone%20to%20do%20something%20that%20changes%20things.%0A%0AYou%20don't%20just%20need%20a%20Nevermore%20flock's%20worth%20of%20fighting%20power%2C%20you%20need%20it%20in%20as%20small%20and%20as%20surgical%20a%20package%20as%20possible.%20%20You%20need%20it%20in%20the%20form%20of%20people%20you%20can%20count%20on%2C%20at%20least%20as%20much%20as%20you%20can%20ever%20count%20on%20anybody.%20%20And%20you%20need%20it%20from%20people%20who%20will%20be%20willing%20to%20risk%20their%20lives%20fighting%20for%20your%20family.%0A%0ABut%20where%20could%20you%20%5Bi%5Dpossibly%5B%2Fi%5D%20get%20something%20like%20that...%3F%5B%2FSPOILER%5D%0A%0A%5BSPOILER%5DNicoale%2C%20I%20don't%20expect%20the%20pending%20deadline%20from%20your%20job%20to%20have%20%5Bi%5Dtoo%5B%2Fi%5D%20much%20of%20an%20impact%20on%20your%20here%2C%20because%20Reasons%2C%20but%20it's%20still%20a%20time%20pressure%20that%20you%20have%20to%20be%20cognizant%20of%2C%20so%20take%20a%20point%20of%20Limit%20for%20your%20%5Bb%5DWorking%20for%20Schnee%5B%2Fb%5D%20Complication.%5B%2FSPOILER%5D

Volume 4

It had been a long winter.

The attack on Vale at the Vytal Tournament had been like a meteor falling into the sea. The direct impact was violent and destructive and world-shaking, of course. But the true damage was only felt later, when the ripple effects started crashing ashore.

Vale's CCTS tower had been destroyed by Chapi Incident dragonfire. Global communications required all four towers to function, meaning each kingdom was cut off from reliable communication with the others. Messages could still be delivered by mail, but that had never been super-reliable, and the infrastructure wasn't really in place to support the newly-increased demand. This would have been troublesome enough on its own, but among the last scenes to be played out on international broadcasts showed Atlesian military robots, up to and including their state-of-the-art Paladin-class battlemechs, contributing to the attack, while their battlecruisers hung silent in the air, hovering uselessly over the destruction while an Elder Wyvern dominated the skies. It's not that nobody knew, or even tried to say, that the Atlesian systems had been compromised and there had been no hostility on their part. But it was hard for that note of clarity to cut through the noise of fear or anger.

It certainly wasn't helping Atlas's international reputation that the kingdom had to all accounts gone completely on lockdown. Even the SDC had been forbidden from shipping any product across the nation's borders. This didn't entirely cripple the premier Dust company - their local resources in each other kingdom were still producing. But the arctic wilderness of Atlas was home to some of the richest Dust mines on the planet - particularly but far from exclusively when it came to Ice and Lightning Dust. That alone would have been a substantial loss, but as a result of losing Atlas's supply, Vacuo - home to Groen Corp, the SDC's biggest competitor, as well as to vast fields of Dust (primarily Fire and Light) farmed throughout the inhospitable desert - had increased demand on its local companies. Groen Corp was the SDC's biggest competitor, but they weren't the SDC, and the increased demand made it nearly impossible to economically ship much more than a trickle to other kingdoms.

All in all, Dust supplies in Mistral and Vale, less blessed with local resources and equally efficient distributors, were down by something like forty percent, with much of the loss in some of the energetic, high-output forms that formed much of the basis of modern technological infrastructure.

It had been a cold winter, too.

The reduced supply of Dust was coupled with increased demand, because Grimm attacks were at a high not seen since before the Great War, the monsters drawn by the fear and anger choking cities and towns throughout the world.

And hate, of course. The Farm and the White Fang had both been involved in the attack. If you thought that that fact would make people realize that there was a greater enemy at play using both groups as pawns, a great foe of civilization that all the People of Remnant must unite against, then I'm sorry to say that many people are simply not that reasonable. Those whose prejudices or politics aligned them - even if they didn't ally them - with one or the other of the extremist groups were all too quick to shout blame and invective at the other side and anyone who supported them - or even just did not denounce them sufficiently loudly.

It could have been worse, to be fair. With Mac off the board and its forces depleted, the Farm itself was in ruins - there were some rumors that what remained of the organization was coalescing under new leadership, but there was little evidence to support such claims, and certainly no Farm attacks. And the White Fang seemed to be having internal struggles of their own - they were no longer the type of organization to make media appearances and seek to sway public opinion through discourse, but the general word among those in the know was that the top leadership was stridently against the faction that had taken part in the attack, but it was anybody's guess which side held more sway among the rank-and-file. Had either or both organizations been in proper fighting form, the blood might have run thick. As it was, it mostly just ratcheted up existing tensions and provided greater opportunity for hatred to flourish, with ordinary faunus, as usual, somehow ending up the ones bearing the brunt of it.

It had been a hard winter, too.

The Mission Boards sometimes seemed to be moving more like a popular internet chat room, so often were new threats popping up. The Huntsmen and Huntresses of Mistral had been stretched thin throughout the winter responding to all the demand. Although let it never be said that Professor Wulf would ever fail to exploit any opening offered - deciding that a greater breadth of combat experience than just solo-fighting the same elite veteran Huntress every day probably would in fact be useful to your development, Wulf had scaled back her brutal beatdowns to only two or three classes a week. Those matches, she explained, would be where you learned how to fix what didn't work.

But to build upon and further refine what did work, she allowed the class to select missions of their own from the Mission Boards. Why do all of these exciting adventures and valuable experiences get glossed over in a timeskip rather than rating full episodes of their own, you ask? Because while she let the class choose the missions, she chose who actually went out to complete them, and she did not once send out a group that failed to qualify as "utterly overwhelming force". Anything that would have presented the eight of you with anything even vaguely resembling a level-appropriate encounter she stacked classmates into until it no longer qualified. This is not to say your class was able to single-handedly (score-or-so-handedly, whatever) substantially ease the burden on the kingdom's Huntsmen and Huntresses - there was simply too much need, too few of you, and that kind of concentration of power could not be deployed broadly. But where you did deploy, it was like playing whack-a-mole. With a sledgehammer.

But none of this was to say the situation was hopeless, or even necessarily dire. There was struggle, and there were losses. People had been hurt who didn't need to be, and people had caused harms they hadn't needed to. But the center held. The kingdom stood. Over long snowy months and dark cloudy nights, no army came for Mistral, Grimm or otherwise. No villains made plays for either of the Maidens. Apex did occasionally manifest an image before one or another of you (Lapis aside), typically with some melodramatic pronouncement that was no doubt intended to be foreboding. ...And occasionally just to ask how your classes were going, for reasons that presumably made sense to him. But he didn't actually do anything particularly, you know, villainous at you or in your general direction. Sightings of Devil Grimm happened on occasion, but they were rare. The world kept spinning, the sun kept rising, and in time, Spring came anew, bringing with it the promise of a new year.

And also some new students, including one Roxana Miller - the Clydesdale faunus now openly using her last name - who joined the Spring Class of 1203 as the leader of Team RGRK.

Team RACL

You know what was kinda weird? It had been over four months since the attack on Vale, and you guys hadn't really had all that much opportunity to operate as a team.

Like, I'm not saying you hadn't hand a chance to work together. You had certainly had that, what with Wulf's newfound fondness for (sure let's call them) training missions. But like, in the past a lot of your training missions had been either your team, or your team and FLNS. But between Wulf playing the hardest action economy game this side of Celerity spells and the whole thing with Pyrrha and occasionally Sorena rotating teams, when you were working together the missions had been kinda more crowded.

And that wasn't even all the time, any more. As second-year students, you were occasionally sent on missions to shadow and support professional Hunter teams (Lapis, of course, was an old hand at this). And your professors, Wulf in particular, had seemed to develop something of a taste for mixing teams up on missions lately - partly to give you more experience fighting alongside different allies with different powers and capabilities, but mostly just to make sure it wasn't too obvious that Pyrrha (and Sorena) were rotating teams. The villains behind the attack on Vale may have known who the Maidens were, but there was still some value to minimizing the chance of others learning about them.

And even outside of missions, your class had been together for a year now, and while I can't speak for you guys your NPC classmates (notwithstanding Pyrrha and to a lesser degree Tabby, who were still pretty new - Tabby was a social butterfly, granted, but Pyrrha tended to be a bit distant still with most of the class, though less so with Rhys, Sorena, and fellow forced-transfer-student Anya) were largely all more comfortable and generally sociable with you now. Not to mentioned that as a class, you'd all seen and been through some stuff, and many of your classmates largely saw the protection of the Maiden powers as a shared responsibility (though out of respect for Sorena and Pyrrha both as Huntresses in their own right and as people who didn't want their friends taking risks to protect them, the class tended to make a strong distinction between protecting the Maiden powers, and protecting the Maidens themselves). Long story short, the boundaries between teams weren't quite as sharply defined as they had been previously.

All of which was to say that here, now, as you were walking back up the mountain towards Haven, two levels down, maybe half an hour after sunset, the mission you had just finished - taking out a small Ursa pack that had been harassing a small farming village about half a day outside of the city, it had been a slaughter, heads had been booted, doggos had been launched at scientifically interesting velocities - had actually been the first mission you had undertaken as Team RACL and only Team RACL since you had gotten back from Vale, odd though that may seem.

Team FLNS

It's morning, and you're all in your dorm. It's a pretty normal day. Weekend, no classes, although Nicoale has to report to a security shift at work in a little under an hour. Honestly nothing that exciting or significant happening. Terrible opening scene for the opening post of a new adventure slash forum transfer. Hopefully something interesting will happen, I dunno.
 

Fen

So huh that side scene kinda petered out - figure that Doctor Brown ended up finding you after an undoubtedly hilarious encounter with the well-armed Frog faunus and got you and the Epoch back to the End of Time and from there you, Sorena, and Pyrrha were able to take the Gate home. I had a joke about Pyrrha and Sorena getting Magic Tabs from Spekkio but it's not important.

Anyway, Brown had found the item he was looking for, which as far as you could tell was a kinda weird egg-looking device that kinda resembled one of Solstice's egg grenades, except maybe a little smaller and less colorful. As of yesterday, he told you it had been charged and if you still wanted to do this, he was ready when you were.

Here's the thing. Your brothers had been (presumably, technically, but for our purposes this is a very important technicality) killed by a flock of Nevermores. The flock had attacked before your fateful scream. You had seen at least some of your brothers going into battle again. That part of your personal history was not something you were allowed to change. For this to work, you couldn't just prevent your brothers from joining the doomed battle in the first place. You would have to go in after your last experience seeing them, but before they actually died.

All of which was to say, you had a very specific window of time to conduct your mission - during your brothers' battle against the Nevermores. That means you have to rescue them from an entire flock of Nevermores.

Even for you, that's too much. Even for you and Doctor Brown, that's too much. Your brothers were capable fighters, but not so capable that they can even those odds.
What you need is the sort of fighting power that can take on a flock of giant avian Grimm and carry the day.

But even if you were willing to involve as many people as you could get to help you, it's not quite that easy. You also need to win surgically enough that your past self experiences nothing that you did not, yourself, experience on that day. Not insurmountable by any means - you were not nearly so alert back then, and you had, after all, just rendered yourself deaf. No explosion or screams, not even Jason Ardors calling his attacks as loudly as possible, will change your past self's experience. Even so, the more people you bring, the more chances there are for someone to do something that changes things.

You don't just need a Nevermore flock's worth of fighting power, you need it in as small and as surgical a package as possible. You need it in the form of people you can count on, at least as much as you can ever count on anybody. And you need it from people who will be willing to risk their lives fighting for your family.

But where could you possibly get something like that...?

Spoiler

Nicoale, I don't expect the pending deadline from your job to have too much of an impact on your here, because Reasons, but it's still a time pressure that you have to be cognizant of, so take a point of Limit for your Working for Schnee Complication.

 

Edited March 18 by Phoenix1 (see edit history)

[Ridai]

It has been four months and Lapis had been a little down. He took on several roles at the Academy almost immediately, he feels he has been doing good work there for the benefit of the students. Mending the shattered bodies of his classmates several times a week. Seeing to it that physical and mental issues are taken care of. Repairing and maintaining weaponry. But he felt no closer to no longer being the new kid (well, one of them) of the Spring Class of 1202. In hindsight, perhaps he had fallen back too much into his function as provider of a great many services. Appreciated, but basically part of the staff.

Lapis having a much easier time running support for the adult Huntsmen teams than syncing up with his class really doesn't help.

But! A solo Team RACL mission! Lapis has been quietly hopeful all day, doing his very best to come prepared, and even getting all the work for the day out of the way early! Dealing with Grimm packs outside the big cities is something he knows, helping with navigation, calming down the villagers, tracking the Ursae, and of course fighting them. There was slingshotting Robin once, and doing his best in combat, taking out an Ursa or two, tending to injuries afterwards (if any even occured).

It wasn't a big, eventful mission, but it's something, right?

As they are walking back up the mountain, Lapis is in good spirits, but also hides fidgeting princess-like fingers in his sleeves.

"Do you think we will be assigned more single team missions? This one went well, after all." He really hopes there will be more, hoping the ice will break at some point.

[Zelphas]

In Mistralan Sign Language, rotating your wrist with your hand held loosely is the way to say "um". Fen generally has no use for this particular sign; if she doesn't know what to say, she simply doesn't speak. Because of this, she simply skipped over this sign when teaching the language to her fellow classmates, and generally found no reason to incorporate it into the faster, more efficient language that came afterwards.

It might, therefore, be very confusing to some of her team when Fen placed herself carefully in front of the door out of their dorm and froze, before pinwheeling both of her hands on her wrists for a solid minute.

Seven years. In seven years, she has talked about her past twice. One of those people are in the room right now, which should make it easier, but...

Fen takes in a silent, shaky breath, deliberately forcing her hands to go still. Then, carefully using the old form of Mistralan Sign Language, she signs: I need to ask you to do something for me. It's something crazy. It might not work. It might make... things... everything... bad. It might do more damage than anything Apex could do. It might--

She stills her hands once again from their frantic signing, taking in another breath. But I'm going to do it. Anyway. Or try. And... and I need your help. Please.

[Llyarden]

It was worth remembering at this point that Fen had not actually been Sorin's first exposure to sign language. Sure, he'd been pretty terrible at it, but one of the hand signs he actually had known was 'um.' He'd used it a lot at the start of the first year when practicing his sign language, while he was trying to remember what the actual sign he was trying to use was.

Nonetheless, seeing Fen use it did make him pause for a moment trying to work out what she was saying, purely because he hadn't missed that she had deliberately omitted teaching what he'd been taught as being a fairly fundamental component of the language and so therefore had just kinda got it into his head that for whatever reason Fen didn't do that.

Slow down, he signed, following suit and using traditional sign language. The thought occurred to him briefly that that was the first thing he'd ever signed to her. A lot had changed since then. What is it you want us to do?

[Keramane]

%5BTable%3D2%2C1%5D%5BR%3D1%2C1%5D%5BRIGHT%5D%5BIMG2%3D200%5Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FZq3SZje.jpg%5B%2FIMG2%5D%5B%2FRIGHT%5D%5BR%3D2%2C1%5D%5BLEFT%5D%5Bhr%5D%5B%2Fhr%5D%5Bhr%5D%5B%2Fhr%5D%5BCENTER%5D%5BSIZE%3D%222%22%5D%5BB%5D%3A%3A%5B%2FB%5D%20%5BURL%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.myth-weavers.com%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D489286%5D%5BB%5D%5BCOLOR%3D%22Blue%22%5D%5BSIZE%3D%222%22%5DLapin%20%22Chapi%22%20Champagne%5B%2FSIZE%5D%5B%2FCOLOR%5D%5B%2FB%5D%5B%2FURL%5D%20%5BB%5D%3A%3A%5B%2FB%5D%5B%2FSIZE%5D%5B%2FCENTER%5D%5Bhr%5D%5B%2Fhr%5D%5Bhr%5D%5B%2Fhr%5D%5B%2FLEFT%5D%5BCENTER%5D%E3%80%8E%5BB%5DAttack%5B%2FB%5D%206%2F11%E3%80%8F%E3%80%8E%5BB%5DDefense%5B%2FB%5D%2014%E3%80%8F%E3%80%8E%5BB%5DResistance%5B%2FB%5D%208%E3%80%8F%0A%5Bhr%5D%5B%2Fhr%5D%E3%80%8E%5BB%5DH.P%5B%2FB%5D%205%20(%2B5%20Party)%E3%80%8F%20%5B%2FCENTER%5D%5Bhr%5D%5B%2Fhr%5D%5BB%5DCondition%3A%5B%2FB%5D%20None%0A%5BB%5DActive%20Powers%3A%5B%2FB%5D%C2%A0%0A%5BB%5DNotes%3A%5B%2FB%5D%20Souvenir%20Bun!%0A%5Bhr%5D%5B%2Fhr%5D%5Bhr%5D%5B%2Fhr%5D%5B%2FTable%5D

:: Lapin "Chapi" Champagne :: 『Attack 6/11』『Defense 14』『Resistance 8』 『H.P 5 (+5 Party)』 Condition: None Active Powers:  Notes: Souvenir Bun!

 

Following her return from... apparently Atlas, if the following clues weren't enough for people to figure it out, Chapi would literally drag a comically large duffel into the dorms. Certainly there were suspicions about what terrible things that might be in there (the biggest vote being dust-based explosives) but they would be left unanswered until much later, allowing the rumour-mill to do as it willed.

 

Souvenirs! From Atlas! Everyone got nice fluffy mittens! Bespoke too, apparently Chapi knows what glove size everyone has. In fact, all the to-be mentioned apparel was perfectly fitted, meaning she knows everyone's dimensions. All of them. No secrets from the Bun it would seem...

 

Fen would be given a cool scarf that while a light fabric was almost comically long, allowing for dramatic perching and flights! Ooo! Sorin would get some comfy new boots with a replaceable liner to alternate between warm and cold seasons! Practical! And for Nicoale, a fashionable new winter coat, with removable inner layer that itself could be worn as a spring coat leaving the outer layer as a fall coat! Three coats in one! Economical!

 

For RACL got mitts too, with Rhys getting a coat, red, some kind of leather with belts on it, branded D.Vil MacRy. Fashionable! Anya would get an audio collection from Atlas, which while mostly classical composition had some tracks more hip for those to jive to. Topical! Robin would get, with no small amount of fanfare, a wing-suit. Extra-durable, in his preferred colours, so that he too could pull ninja tricks! Or its intended purpose, avoid a second heavy impact when returning from a familial exchange with his aunt. Goodest! And last was Lapis who would be given a toolbox-sized sewing box with a variety of coloured threads and dust cannisters. Whatever could this be fore? Why, fashioning your own dust-infused threads of course! Certainly not a lifetime supply, the portable box would last a normal thread-master a fair duration before needing a restock. For someone that wove in trousers-per-second, it might last an afternoon. Craftastic!

 

In addition to all of the above, Chapi gave everyone a personalized keycard which - if they so desired - could clip to the back of one's scroll with the help of a fashionable case she'd included. What did this key open? Don't know! Because Chapi would only give a mischevious smile and reply with "It's a secret for now~ Don't loooose it~~~" Mysterious!

 

In addition to these specialized gifts and the mitts, Chapi had also brought snacks and sweets and so on which went to everyone, and certain teachers got letters and trinkets as well, such as high-class coffees and teas and some bits and bobs. Wulf got a pair of padded gloves and foot covers, MMA style, which was honestly far too hopeful a plan of Chapi's to be practical. A gift for the class more than for Wulf. One that would likely be discarded within moments.

 

Still, she would return to the Dorm and find her path blocked by a Fen working stiffness out of her wrist. Ninjitsu mode would reply with "We're always ready to help!"

[Imtar]

Seated at her desk, Nicoale shoveled another spoonful of cereal into her mouth. Her hair, still a little damp after her morning post-workout shower, would be dry soon. She'd have some time yet before she had to get going for her shift today. It was a valued moment of relative calm in the whirlwind that had been the past few months.

Despite all the time spent together, she still sometimes wondered about her teammates. She had tried to be less... short with them the past few months. She wasn't sure how well she'd succeeded, but she'd tried. She knew she hadn't meshed well with them when she'd first arrived here, but they'd pretty decisively put her early concerns that she'd be stuck on a team that wouldn't perform to rest. FLNS and RACL were borderline legends among the other students.

Ah, to be obsessing over grades. Looking back it just seemed small and petty. That wasn't to say that she'd stopped being diligent in her training and studies - she hadn't slacked one bit - but no one was going to stop Apex by quoting a letter grade at him. And they'd all survived Beacon. That counted for something.

She'd never really had an issue with Sorin. Her and his interests just didn't seem to align, so they worked together in class and outside of it they just kinda did their own things and didn't cross a ton. That suited her reasonably well.

Chapi was a bit harder to figure out. She'd been content believing the rabbit faunus didn't like her, which didn't bother her. The bun might be a klutz but she wasn't malicious. Nicoale had been surprised to be included among the friends that Chapi brought gifts from Atlas for. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it. The three-in-one coat was quite practical, although part of her mused that the choice could be the faunus' way of expressing her displeasure at Nicoale's wearing a coat with the SDC logo.

Fen's request interrupted her line of thought. This was... unlike her. More collateral damage than Apex? And asking them for help? Fen spent most of her nights sleeping on the rooftop she was so comfortable around people.

Still eating her breakfast, Nicoale turned in her chair and lifted her free hand. Fortunately, this was a gesture that only required the one. Go on.

[RavingScholar]

Rhys trudges up the mountain in his customary silence, proudly wearing Chapi's gifted coat over his typical wheat-colored vest. Even when the weather doesn't warrant it, he wears that coat. He doesn't have many gifts from friends, and he wants to show Chapi he enjoys it whenever he can.

 

In this past mission, Rhys had been his usual silent self, contributing greatly with tracking the Grimm with his nose. And after the battle was done, he took the time to preserve the Grimm meat and what parts of the bones he could, to see about making trinkets from them.

 

To Lapis's comment, he grunts. It is an eloquent grunt, almost of the same stripe as the Mistralan sign language but far more obscure. He clarifies, "I cannot see why not. We are a formidable team--three of us did well in the Vytal Festival, in addition to our actions in the Battle of Beacon. And Lapis, you are a worthy fighter and teammate.

[Dodgeson]

Perched on top of Rhys' broad shoulders as they made their way back up the mountain Robin was, as usual, having a great time. He was outdoors, he was with his friends and he'd got to a fight a bunch of monster! What more could a doggo want?

"You guys were awesome!" He declared enthusiastically "I bet they're gonna send us on a whole bunch more missions, there's no way we can lose not with Lapis on our side!"

Springing off of his friend he landed by the newest edition to their team, all bright eyed eagerness and merry wagging tail "I bet you could take on a hundred Ursas without breaking a sweat right? Ooo we should practice that slingshot thing when we get back to school, that could be our super cool combo move!"

[Ridai]

Lapis did not expect to be included in the group of people receiving souvenirs from Chapi. Dressed in one of his more casual wear outfits (and it is uncertain whether these outfits stay the same) having a more spacious layer mostly hiding one close to the body, Lapis gratefully accepts the gift, not even batting an eye at the obviously tailor-made mittens. Global Scrollnet hasn't been down for that long, but local fashion does not stop, so it is always good to have an example of current Atlesian glove trends available. Decently made as well, judging from his very particularly honed senses. Room for improvement, of course, but these were made to be a good fit and practical, not masterpieces, and that goal has been achieved aptly. The mittens disappear in his wide sleeves.

The additional Dust is always handy, even one cartridge goes a long way if you know to apply the proper ratios. Lapis takes a bit of thread between his fingers, feeling its dimensions and properties. "Sturdy, but not coarse. A good workhorse kind of thread. Thank you for the thoughtful gift." A measured Mistralian bow is added. Thread and Dust are soon added to Lapis' inventory taking up a good part of his wardrobe.

---

Team RACL

Lapis' already swift and fluid steps lighten a little more, given Rhys' and Robin's acceptance. "Thank you so much!" Honestly, after months, it is just nice to hear he performed decently as part of the team.

He is still wearing his deep-blue-hued combat outfit, which most likely got interpreted as form-fitting ninja gear by Robin (just as the intricate patterns of woven Dust clearly must be spider web patterns!). Since they are on the way back, a more casual hooded overcoat joined the ensemble, because Lapis likes it. It's comfy.

Less comfy is Robin's (METTLE - Truth / MIRTH - Official headcanon / ELEGANCE - Lunacy) confidence in Lapis' supposed overwhelming battle skill, heart and step skipping a beat as Lapis gives a shaky smile back. He feels like he can hear Tabby nodding sagely somewhere, much like Mirth and Mettle (with incidental flexing) are doing right now.

"W-well, we sure showed that pack, but-" But their fearless behatted leader is already on to the next matter at hand, namely the combo. Which also certainly is less stressful to talk about. "Of course. You seemed to have no trouble adjusting to the launch, too." Robin strikes him as... rather experienced with getting bodily flung at high velocities. If a lot of that said experience mostly at vertical angles, judging by how often Lapis has had to stitch up roofs. Really, the slingshot was a spur of the moment thing, his threads were in the right position, just needed to give them the right tug. Really, with how much Lapis flung himself around on the field of battle and seemed to weave endless traps of thread and needle, one would expect him to be the relatively fragile dodging defender type. His father's training saw to it that he just straight tanked an Ursa charge instead. Really, there were roughly three styles in how he fought, constantly switching between them.

"Are... are Robin launches a regular RACL move?" Lapis asks Rhys. Between his Olympian build and Lin's widely known immense strength, he figures he should ask to not potentially miss an essential RACL trait.

[Zelphas]

Fen knows that there's no reason for this moment to be tense and momentous to anyone but her--not yet, anyways. She hasn't explained what she's hoping to do yet. And she is the last person to have any right to comment on social norms or being "rude". And yet, in this moment, something about Chapi's bright enthusiasm and Nicoale continuing to eat breakfast irks her. She knows this is unfair, but this probably influences the blunt and rather dramatic form of her reply:

Eight years ago, I killed my brothers. Professor Brown's sending me back to save them. I need your help to not break time while I do it.

Fen lets that settle in for a moment before explaining more of what's going on. She almost goes backwards with her explanation, starting with the work she's done with Professor Brown, finding the egg-thing, making sure the timeline was possible, before she starts to explain about her brothers. She forces herself to continue, telling her team their names, that they didn't have Semblances, that they had trained her to be a Huntress, and then... she doesn't let herself pause, explaining that day in the woods, how the Nevermores appeared, how her Semblance woke up and deafened her in the same moment, and how her brothers fought the Nevermores so she could run away.

The bodies were never found, so I--they can be saved. I'm going to do it. If you come, I have a better chance of doing it without--without something terrible happening, she finishes finally, feeling her hands begin to cramp from so much talking all at once. She starts to form more words, but gives up every time; she can't bring herself to ask straight out, not again.

[Arlin]

It had been a dark winter.

If you had said that Anya had little experience with life being turned upside down, then clearly you had never met Team NJAS. Yet, for all that practice, it was still insufficient to allow the bat faunus to transition smoothly to her suddenly different circumstances. There had been a mountain of things to come to grips with, both due to the general scale of what was happening and the pile of personal problems. Perhaps fitting for the season, Anya had withdrawn somewhat, simply trying to do well in her new school. This did at least involve trying to get to know her own team and FLNS a bit better, but as had happened at Shade, she found herself leaning into interacting with her team more than other classmates, with the notable exception of fellow transfer Pyrrha.

What personal effects she had managed to accumulate in her time at Shade had been sent over, most likely courtesy of Sky or Leonard- you know, the somewhat responsible ones. She had been surprised the secondhand harp she had found had made the trip safely, though she had largely left it untouched since then. It reminded her too much of a number of things that were lost to her, at least for the foreseeable future. She would get back to it eventually, really she would. Probably.

Oddly enough, her new team reminded her of her old one in some ways, which definitely had helped. While Rhys was less generally grumpy than Ryuu had been, something about his stoic demeanor seemed familiar to Anya. Meanwhile, Robin and Bashe were clearly twins in a way only explorable through the wonders of fanfiction. Having him as the leader (at least officially) should have made her uncomfortable, but this was the sort of chaos she had grown accustomed to back at Shade. It made it easier to adjust, and Robin's enthusiasm was a bit infectious. Getting to know Lapis had been a slightly surreal experience- it was like looking at herself in a fun house mirror, kind of. The uncertainty, the worry about being useful, and the way he navigated conversations were pretty relatable, not to mention overlapping expertise.

---

"I'm not sure if it is a RACL team maneuver, but Professor Wulf is certainly not shy about tossing Robin. At least he tends to bounce back," Anya commented. Her boots crunched as she moved through loose scree and whatever snow still remained from winter. She was actually wearing the mittens Chapi had given her, though she would be the first to admit she'd been caught completely by surprise by the gifts. The gloves she usually favored were many things, and among them was thin, so they had definitely come in handy for the weather.

Anya looked over her team mates for a moment as she walked. "You know, I have to say I never expected to be on a team with multiple people with expertise beyond my own. It's probably a good thing, honestly. Rhys, I think you are the first person I've met with a nose better than mine, and thank you so very much for not being creepy about it," she added with no further explanation. "Lapis, where did you pick up your Dust infusion skills? I don't meet many other folks that tinker with it much."

[Keramane]

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:: Lapin "Chapi" Champagne :: 『Attack 6/11』『Defense 14』『Resistance 8』 『H.P 5 (+5 Party)』 Condition: None Active Powers:  Notes: Clarify Bun!

Chapi would blink. Then take another moment and blink again. She would mull things over a smidge but eventually sign, "Elaborate on terrible."

Edited March 28 by Keramane (see edit history)

[Llyarden]

Sorin didn't say anything for a few moments either. He knew half the story, of course, but knowing that Fen had been talking to Professor Brown about it was new. (He did briefly consider telling Fen not to say that she had killed her brothers, but decided that splitting hairs over semantics right now probably wasn't the best idea, much as he didn't like her beating herself up about it.)

Now, to be fair, he did actually think about the new revelations a little. The information that - even if only under certain circumstances - it was possible to save people who had died was...extraordinary. (Sorin had read enough fiction novels that had used time travel as a trope that he could vaguely guess based on what Fen had said what the restrictions on it were, but he wasn't going to assume that his limited knowledge was even remotely accurate without confirming it first.) What was potentially more relevant was the fact that Dr Brown had not merely approved this plan, but was actively going to take part in it. From when Dr Brown transported Roxie's weapon back in time for them, Sorin had kind of already guessed that there were some caveats and risks to his Semblance, so as far as Sorin was concerned, the fact that the person who probably knew the most about time travel in the Academy was okay with this plan was a pretty good point in its favour.

All of that, though, was kind of irrelevant. Sure, Sorin thought about it, but fundamentally he'd already decided on his answer. I'll help.

He had made a promise, after all.

"Shouldn't we ask Dr Brown about that?" he said aloud, in response to Chapi. (He was still signing as well, of course.) "I mean, no offence, Fen, but he is kind of the time travel expert. He probably has a better idea what the risks are."

Was that a not very subtle attempt to give Fen a chance to breathe (so to speak)? Well, yes. But it was also his actual opinion, so, you know, two birds and one stone.

[Phoenix1]

Team FLNS

Not two seconds after Sorin spoke, there was a sudden knock on the door to the dorm. Fen obviously couldn't hear any of it, but the rest of you would then hear Doctor Brown's voice from the other side, "Team FLNS? I believe you all have some questions for me. May I come in?"

Seriously you guys it was such a convenient Semblance.

[Ridai]

"A miracle of medical and physics as we know them," Lapis mutters in response to Anya's observations on the Doggo Space Program.

As for weaving Dust, he considers for a second, a motion drawing a continuous thread in a web-like pattern between his hands, billowing slightly from the infused Wind Dust. Between the expression on his face and the movement of his fingers, the act appears to help him think.

"Self-taught, for the most part. Due to the particular tastes and requirements of my mother's clientele, I had and still have to do a lot of problem-solving. I think it was..." The long fingers of his right hand move in a particular fashion as he goes through the index of the mental archive kept by Elegance. "...a gown for Lady Selene Pleiades' 15th birthday in 1194. After having accompanied her parents to a social function in Atlas, she saw aurorae and was adamant to have representations of the snow and how the light played on it. She was also very firm on not wishing any form of crystal studding or metals on her dress, as that 'totally is not what snow is like'."

"The idea came when I watched my father train with his team, specifically when Celes briefly encased Sabin in ice and he broke out of it, still having remains of Ice Dust on him. I also once or twice saw some of my mother's tools for delivering Dust in very small quantities. So I started experimenting with sewing Dust crystals on, but those stood out too much. A smaller scale was necessary, until I infused Ice Dust into the pigment for the cloth. The distribution and at times angling was quite difficult for me at the time. It wasn't an ideal result, but it was all I could manage in the time given." Lapis separates the Dust powder from the threads, stashing away both, and retrieves his Scroll, rapidly navigating into the depths of his project directory with all sources feeding his Boardmeister account. Meaning he would be on his lock screen and suddenly on the neatly archived entry after a sudden and brief blur of activity, showing it to Anya.

Project 1194-26, back when he used double digits for the annual project numbers, with a picture and walkaround video of a pure-white, remarkably soft-yet-smooth looking dress, with different sections of the fabric itself shimmering faintly in prismatic colors and shifting patterns depending on ambient light, without overwhelming the base color. Some of a different picture of the young Selene Pleiades wearing the dress is also attached, looking quite pleased with herself and ready to have her peers turn green with envy. Anya can also see small things like an "Orchid Score" of 73% and the beginning of a section called "Notes", the scroll bar at the edge of the screen suggesting several pages following.

"I used the experience and findings from my experiments and mistakes to improve from there. There were some industrial tools for the weaving or infusion process, but they ultimately proved too large, clunky, or slow for my personal purposes, so I made do with my fingers, needles, and threads. It is usually a somewhat niche and high-maintenance thing to do, so I can't exactly blame the industry for not investing all that much into the field."

Concluding his answer, Lapis puts his Scroll away again. "Do you have any questions? I saw a bit of your work and I think it looks quite nice."

Edited March 28 by Ridai (see edit history)