森林的小熊

“Th-Thank you.” Autumn smiled to them as they moved out of the way for her so she could see this interesting lecture about mission types. She listened intently as professor Goodwitch spoke. The mission types that she had particular interest in were the search and destroy ones. She was kind of the type that liked to deal with a threat before it became an actual threat.

As soon as the lecture had ended Autumn tugged on the taller person’s arm. “Hey. Thank you for moving out of the way.” she smiled. “S-Sorry if my height is kind of an issue.” she scratched the back of her head.

   The bear slumped slightly, a low rumbled beneath their throat as they placed their own large hand in the one offered to them. A Rose, a Schnee. The names sounded familiar, though not one that they knew personally. Huntsmen and Huntresses often made themselves a name out there in their fields however. So Alioth merely let it slide out of their mind.

She offered them a smile.  ”Thank you for listening.  You didn’t have to.”  She knew plenty of people that would have just left instead of listening to the princess complain.

   They might be rude, to an extent. Still, they were not a complete brute.    “Thanks.” The word was tossed out into the air across the distance before the large figure seemed to hunch into their thick coat. That gaze moving over to the exit.

It wasn’t a long trek through the underbelly of the ship, but neither was it a particularly short one. The necessity of avoiding witnesses or places Glynda might think to look along the way made it necessary to avoid most of the more direct routes.

   There was no question of the routes they took, merely an ambling bulk of the employee following after Ozpin like an oversized shadow. Yet when spoken to, there was a grunt like noise. An almost thoughtful one as they fixed their gaze somewhere into the distance while they kept walking.

"She inadvertently got in my way which lead to a forest fire.  Which sounds like it could be the second one.  So I think she’s a mix of both.  She’s not overly aggressive enough to bash things, and she can sometimes be tactical."

   "It could just be inexperience. Knowing one's weapon isn't the same as knowing a battle. Remember, she needs to work with you as much as you need to work with them."    They seemed to hunch even further into their seat. Staying there for a while before straightening up again. Without so much as a warning, the scrape of their chair sounding as they stood, tray in hand and started heading towards the disposal unit to drop it off.

Adjusting her hold on Tigerwulf, she made a quick slash feeling annoyed when it proved far too shallow for the task at hand. The monstrous bird flailed and kicked, flapping it’s good wing and rearing, fighting the one that held it down.

   Still, the Bear seemed tired now, the metal of blades scraping against dirt and rocks as they leapt backwards barely in time to avoid a blow. They weren't actively bleeding, but from red and streaks, they've already bled.

   One didn't study or work at Beacon by being weak. Not when the school laid upon the outside boundaries of Vale's natural protections against the Grimm. There was a limit to how much the Bear could push though, and as Alioth growled at the Nevermore, it was clear that they were nearly hitting it.

A nod of her head at the next statement.  As she listened she began to understand Ruby a little more.  That seemed to be generally how she handled things.  Ruby had been the one to get the final hit on the Nevermore after all.

   The very definition of someone who was reckless was that they took risks. Jumping ahead into things without much thinking of the consequences. It was the choices they made, and it reflects in their fighting. The same way previous training shows in the way a person moves. An aggressive fighter, well, they tend to fall into the 'hit it till it stops moving' category of things.

Reaching into her leg harness, the student threw a capsule of Dust into the wound, breaking it into an icy explosion with the tip of her sword. The monster screamed in pain and no doubt anger as ice ripped through it’s wing and body, jerking to the side and falling to the ground.

   They didn't quite ignore Topaz as much as they simply glanced over and decided that there was a bigger threat to be handled first. Sharp blades sinking into feathers and flesh without much regards as they pinned the oversized Nevermore to the ground.

A sigh fell from her lips as she finished eating.  ”It’s difficult to read cues if she appears out of no where and at a drop of a hat.”  That’s what Ruby did.  And that’s what frustrated Weiss to no extreme.  Ruby didn’t understand how dangerous combat could really be.

   Those broad shoulders moved in a sort of resigned shrug. The low tones of their voice reverberating through their chest. "Only to get to know the way she thinks." Time together, time to get to know the other.    Still, those amber green eyes studied Weiss for a moment before the Bear sighed, lifting a hand to cover their face such that their elbow rested against the table.

   "I'm guessing your partner isn't the patient or planning type." Else you wouldn't be having so much trouble with this.    "Generally," they started in a slow even tone,  "The aggressive or reckless like to hit hard. They also like to hit first, whenever they see the chance to. They like to hit whenever they can, regardless if it's because they see an opening or because they're just trying to hit the opponent as many times as they can to try to make an opening."

She took careful bites of her food as she sat across from them.  She was just glad that Nora wasn’t here because Nora had started that food fight, by throwing a pie at Weiss.  Weiss hadn’t appreciated that in the least.

   "It takes two to dance." The words were spoken quite bluntly, Alioth pushing the now empty plate slightly away from themselves. "Unfortunately, in a fight, turns are..."    There was a pause here before they rumbled, a noise deep within their throat lost somewhere in their chest. "It's not something that can always be counted upon."

   The scrape of their chair, the creaking of wood as they sat back in their seat. Arms crossed over their chest, they spoke rather bluntly without sparing anyone's pride. "It's about reading cues. Knowing what the other is going to do as well as yourself or even better. Both of you that is."

The glittering barrier she used as a platform sprang out in length, fading into the air as she leaped off the end, spinning her weapon above her head, praying to Dust she hadn’t been mistaken. The massive black Grimm shot by underneath the student as it dove for the battle below.

Her blade flashed down burying itself in the beast’s shoulder, Topaz’s body smacking uncomfortably against it as she jerked to a stop on it’s back. Activating the Dust on her sash she stabbed a short hunting knife in as well, the Nevermore spiraling in the skies trying to shake her off. 

   The wound would sting later, yet now, there was only the tearing of bones as the berserker blood within them boiled. To follow their namesake in a rage, they roared into the face of another black shape that stumbled back from the noise.

   They would drive the smaller Grimm back. If for no other reason than for the understanding that would eventually be reached that the Bear was not a force to be easily pushed by back a mere pack of lesser Grimm. The one above though...

"Everything I do turns into a disaster. I guess I really don’t know what Christmas is all about."

"I know when I’ve been insulted!"

"I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It’s not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love."

"Don’t you know sarcasm when you hear it?"

"Christmas is coming, but I’m not happy. I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to feel."

"You’re the only person I know who can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem."

"I know nobody likes me. Why do we have to have a holiday season to emphasize it?"

"The best way to spread Christmas Cheer is singing loud for all to hear."

"I just like to smile! Smiling’s my favorite."

"I think you’re really beautiful and I feel really warm when I’m around you and my tongue swells up."

"You smell like beef and cheese, you don’t smell like Santa."

"Oh, I forgot to give you a hug!"

"What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down."

"Why don’t you kiss her instead of talking her to death?"

"I’ll love you ‘til the day I die."

"Every time you hear a bell ring, it means that some angel’s just got his wings."

"Isn’t there any romance in you?"

"You’ll shoot your eye out."

"Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal!"

"We’re all in this together."

"This is a full blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here."

"It’s silly, but I believe."

"One can never have enough socks. Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn’t get a single pair."

"God bless us, every one!"

   The tray that they did end up with was piled with food. Not that surprising considering their size. Still, that was a lot of food that went down very quickly the moment that they found a seat. All this going on about without much paying attention to Weiss. It was only halfway through that they paused, fixing that gaze upon the younger one.

A short snarling came to her left then. Whipping her head around, Topaz threw herself flat letting the Beowolf’s claw slash empty air, ramming her blade under it’s rib cage.

   A low growl that came from their chest as they hunched over, scraping their claws against the dirt before they threw themselves into the fight once more. This time with a lot more energy as claws caught into fur, bone and flesh. In fact, one could almost swear that they bit one of the Grimm.

   Thinning numbers and sheer brute force, that was their job. The Grimm knew it too as they started falling back once again. Leaving only the Nevermore with the fighters.