Do or Die

He stood in absolute silence before the stone monument. There were many just like this one. You could find them in any city across Remnant, names carved into stone and laid to rest. A tribute to the fallen. 

This one was long, at least an acre, perhaps even longer then that. It contained no flair, no flags, only names. Only one war created so many names, the greatest conflict in Remnant’s history. 

“I’m afraid that won’t do at all!” he turned around and shook his head and finger in unison. “Being open minded is quite a virtue however it will not do to sound so defeated in your answer!”

He chuckled. His breathing grew laboured. He thought about his answer, and spoke, “You want me to answer with dignity?” He asked, panting. He laughed a little more, “The greatest sin: cowardice, lack of purpose,” He repeated himself, a bit slowly so as to not run out of breath. 

“But you know what?” He clutched his chest, heart beating fast as he clung to his own erratic thoughts: drive, purpose, obsession, teammates, “In a world this fucking shitty, where people are so content with themselves they just don’t bother, there are people with purpose! They’re so driven to live and get up after a fall and push themselves beyond limits time and time again even when they’re faced with death,” Vin’s thoughts shifted to his teammates and he shuddered with a sense of pleasure, “They are so greedy with ambition it’s fascinating!” Vin paused, not wanting to get carried away further, “If such things as cowardice are the greatest sin, then I think drive and purpose are the greatest ecstasy.” 

“With an answer like that, there is no need to question or even ask for confirmation. No matter what this is a truth you’ve buried inside. Protect it with all you’ve got!” The young man had gone above and beyond with his answer. This was no longer a discussion of what it means to fight or duty but wonderfully escalated into a talk of life itself! 

He clasped Vin’s shoulder, and pulled him closer, his eyes shining with a pale light. 

(OOC: Kirisi and Cato belong to @the-noir-sturm-hunters)

Kirisi: Why is Tsubaki crying?

Laura: She just took one of those “Which RWBY OC Are You?” quizzes.

Kirisi: Oh man, who’d she get?

“To be young.” he mused to himself. Although how many youngsters would he need to round up to do what this young lady had just done? To entrust their life to a forgery of steel? 

But even more so then that he wondered if she had thought on those questions he had left her. Perhaps she had found a small insight to it? Or perhaps Melia was still wayward on her journey?

He couldn’t see the utter joy on her face as she dove, silent as the night. Eventually her wings would flare out, pulling her out of the drop and evening her off, using that same momentum as well as the updraft to sharply increase her altitude with minimal flaps of her wings.

Complicated and graceful maneuvers were pulled off, really showing off for her Captain at what it was she could do while in the air, while bursting with confidence.

After a few tricks and twirls though, something caught the faunus’s eye, and Melia would switch from fun mode to hunting mode in a blink. Back down she dove, the claws built in to her boots uncurled from their resting position, the young adult looking very much like her owl counterpart as she caught whatever she had noticed with ease.

How must that feel? Like a dragster thundering across a long road with no end in sight? A memory bubbled to the surface in his mind, the sensation of falling, the cold air ripping into him. But it had come to an end when she returned. 

Down on one knee he observed the Lancer.  Now his expertise was mostly contained to the human condition but he was far from ignorant in this regard either. 

Thousand armies                               couldn’t                                             keep me out

I don’t want                         your money

I don’t want                        your crown

He stood in absolute silence before the stone monument. There were many just like this one. You could find them in any city across Remnant, names carved into stone and laid to rest. A tribute to the fallen. 

This one was long, at least an acre, perhaps even longer then that. It contained no flair, no flags, only names. Only one war created so many names, the greatest conflict in Remnant’s history. 

“I’m afraid that won’t do at all!” he turned around and shook his head and finger in unison. “Being open minded is quite a virtue however it will not do to sound so defeated in your answer!”

“To be young.” he mused to himself. Although how many youngsters would he need to round up to do what this young lady had just done? To entrust their life to a forgery of steel? 

But even more so then that he wondered if she had thought on those questions he had left her. Perhaps she had found a small insight to it? Or perhaps Melia was still wayward on her journey?

~Editing and reposting this because tumblr saw fit to remove me from the search function…