The library is a repository of books and other sources of archived information within the Academy. It is generally meant to be a quiet place for students to read and study, though students often use the area as a gathering place, playing board games and socializing instead.
It can also make transcontinental calls to areas outside of the kingdom of Vale, similar to the CCT. The library also has access to several holographic computer terminals, which can be freely used by the students.
Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2018 12:53 am
Rouge Stahlketten von Mantle
General Info
Location: Beacon Library Company: Himself, at the moment. Attire: Dress Uniform Mood: Neutral
OOC: Obviously this is an open invitation.
Combat Info
Abilities Aura: Not Active Semblance: Not active
Gear Sky Breaker Status: Deactivated/In Storage - Right Shoulder Unit: Deactivated - Left Shoulder Unit: Deactivated Fuel: Empty Rifle Power Supply: Deactivated
The soft murmur of hushed voices, the quiet rustle of pages turned, the careful, measured steps of those who stalked knowledge between rows and rows of shelves. These sounds comforted Rouge, to know he was surrounded by so many who wished to better themselves through study, it gave him confidence while he searched his own tome for answers, clues, anything. The subject matter was something he was all to familiar to him, Aura, the physical manifestation, and/or extension of one's soul that could be projected into the world in a variety of ways. He'd read dozens of books on aura, he probably knew almost as much about the topic as any of the teachers here, but those books had been written by Mantle authors. His hope was that, perhaps, researchers in Vale had a different take, a fresh perspective, an obscure theory, something that would tell him what was wrong with him.
Three chapters in, however, it had become clear that, no, they didn't, their view of aura was just like everyone else, I shouldn't be surprised, he though to himself with a deep sigh. He snapped the book shut in a fit of frustration, the sound drawing stares from those around him, he glared back at them, and their gazes went back to their own texts. Rouge slumped back into the plush chair, Control yourself, he thought to himself, You're representing Atlas here. With a deliberate, precise motion he set the book down on a nearby table, steepled his fingers before him and bowed his head, eyes shut. He took a few moments to calm himself, tucked away his anger in some dark corner of his mind, then simply sat for a minute in absolute silence as he mused what to do next. Eventually he decided that he needed to take his mind off of business for a while, relax, enjoy his time here at Beacon with... someone he supposed.
Rouge sat up and his hands pressed firmly against the arms of the chair to lift himself from his seated position,
"Alright." he muttered as he looked about himself. A group of younger students caught his attention, That game they're playing, could it be..., he thought as he strode purposefully over. He halted just a few feet from the table at which they sat, his gaze fell upon it and he beheld a map of Remnant, festooned with plastic models of soldiers, grimm, and airships. So it is, he thought then looked at one of the players, a young girl, and made a hmphing noise to grab her attention. Success, the girl looked up at him, her gaze ran up and down his length as she tried to identify him, puzzled, she inquired,
"Can I help you?" her tone tentative. Rouge put on a half smile, though his own gaze remained serious, and responded with,
"Pardon the intrusion, but I couldn't help but notice that you're a player short and... Well this is my favorite game. Would you mind if I..." he trailed off and waited for the girl's response. The girl's gaze went to her friends, he assumed they were, her expression one of indifference and asked them,
"Do you guys mind?" her tone flat. The other two students gave only shrugs, armed with this answer she turned back to Rouge, gave a shrug of her own and said, "Take a seat, Mantle is still open." while she gestured to a vacant seat, and undisturbed stack of cards, across the table. The irony of situation was not lost upon Rouge, who thankfully had enough social tact not to chuckle aloud, and he promptly took his seat.
In a matter of minutes the other three players found themselves suddenly beleaguered by Rouge's forces as he aggressively pushed them on all fronts. Only a few turns later he watched impassively as the others stared at the board in shock, their forces routed, capitals destroyed, and their people all united under Mantle's flag. Rouge, asked genuinely,
"Another go then.". The girl, apparently a tad upset, answered his challenge with a vengeance, her friends reluctantly agreed and the match began anew. Several games later Rouge looked at each of his adversaies in turn, the girl was livid as her friends tried their best to placate her rage, Rouge gave a small shrug and said flatly
"If that's the best you Valers can do, I'm disappointed." it wasn't that he was trying to be deliberately rude, he was just being his usual frank self.
Auburn sat in the Library, having showed up not long before the new guy finished his book. She was here to technically greet him, but, she wanted to try to get a feel for him first. From the excessive irritation with the book, she guessed he pent himself up. She couldn't fault him there, she was probably the worst example of that herself. He also seemed to try and retain control of it, so, he had some discipline. She then saw him get up and approach a group of younger students playing Remnant: The Game. So, he was outgoing enough to at least make an effort to interact with others. he was leagues ahead of her in that regard then. She watched him join the group and play several games, of which he won. So, he was tactical too. And blunt, something she could respect. As one girl became livid, she decided to interject and stood, towering everyone in the room, her braided tail swishing behind her languidly as she strode over to the table, back straight and sure-footed.
"Cool your heels princess, it's a game. One you're terrible at, but a game still. You were Vale, meaning you have the richest economy and you did virtually nothing with that. And you spread out your forces too thinly instead of bottle-necking and playing defensively. With the highest production and population, you'd have easily been able to win a defensive match. Mantle is advanced and is structured to play offensively. Mistral is the most over-all balanced of them and is decent at a little of everything, but excellent at nothing, your friend there would have done better to simply bypass what he could and strike Mantle back home. Vacuo has the hardiest population with a boost to morale, strength, and defense, but they are fewest in number and more under-developed than the rest. You'd have done best to take Vacuo out first and absorb them to benefit from their strength and your production. Now, if you're done throwing a damn tantrum because you're a poor leader, I have need of your new conqueror."
She looked to the guy and motioned for him to follow. She didn't even wait for him to comply, simply began walking. The students had gone quiet and subdued when she spoke and most people seemed intimidated by her as she passed by them. Once he followed, she'd start to speak to him."I'm Auburn, I've got no last name so, don't bother asking. I'm your new Team Leader. I'm not friendly, I'm not cruel. I am tough, demanding, and blunt, but, you pull your weight and don't be stupid, we'll get along...relatively well. There's just one other guy at the moment as we've lost a member, gained one, then lost them and another. The first ran off to join the...White Fang...which, if you want to keep things calm, you won't mention that group around me. And the others, one got reassigned somewhere and the other had to drop out to care for family. Your interests are your own, and I really don't care what they are as long as you don't let them get in the way."
She led him to a corner of the library and took a seat, motioning for him to take a seat."So, what do you bring to the team? I'm a melee specialist and my semblance greatly improves my muscle performance. Most just see me as the giant who can punch holes through concrete."
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OOC: Sorry for all the quotes, I was like half asleep when I replied and noticed several errors when I woke up
Weapon(s): Judgement is a massive sword that is 77" long, 14" wide and weighs 54 lbs, but, has no unique properties other than that. Auburn is able to wield this beast of a blade, even one-handed, because of her Semblance.
However, her boots and bracers are equipped with mini cannon-like guns that fire off dust rounds and the bracers can deploy into gauntlets when she wishes to switch to hand-to-hand. (See Mission for image of bracers and boots)
Semblance: Stallion’s Strength: Auburn’s semblance is a passive one that enhances her Strength, Speed, Agility, Endurance, Durability, and even recovery by strengthening her muscles directly. She can semi-activate it to give her an even greater boost, though, doing so can lead to painful and sometimes severe injury and cannot be sustained for long periods of time.
Rouge sensed that his time at the table was about to come to an end and so. stood to leave, as he did so a shadow fell across them, he turned to face the newcomer and found himself... pleasantly surprised. Before him stood his new team leader, Auburn, a solid, dependable, and capable woman if her file was anything to go by, and from the heavy dousing she was giving his furious opponent, she had brains to back up the brawn. Only, he did have one reservation, his gaze dipped momentarily to the braided tail that swished this was way and that just behind her. Like many from Mantle, Rouge had deeply ingrained misgivings about any and all faunus, regardless of character or deeds. I have to remember, this is Vale, not Mantle. They don't feel quite the same as we do, he thought to himself as he returned his steel toned gaze to Aurburn's.
Once she had finished her "conversation" with the others and turned to leave, Rouge fell into step beside her, chest out, chin up, and hands clasped behind him. He listened to her speak of herself, though he already knew much of what she had to say, and compared and contrasted her version of her life's story against that of her file. She made a brief mention of the White Fang, how it would be best if they never spoke of it, he knew why, and he quietly agreed with statement, he had his own reasons to despise them. As for the matter of his interests, he knew that many believed his curiosity with the grimm to be... unhealthy, he would he to be careful when operating in the field with them.
At her subtle command for him to take a seat he felt a moments hesitation come over him, his prejudice no doubt, making a fuss over the indignity of being ordered about by a faunus. He silenced that voice and did as he was told and seated himself, he took up a somewhat relaxed posture with one leg resting on the other, and head resting on a clenched hand. When asked of his own skills he let his gaze drift to a spot just over Auburn's shoulder as he deliberated over whether or not he should tell her of his condition. He quickly decided against it, partly because he was under strict orders not to tell anyone, and partly because of his... well... pride. He came back from his thought, returned his gaze to her's, and said,
"I have formal military, and huntsmen, training, though the latter is incomplete and is partly the reason I am attending this academy, additionally I have spent nearly half a decade with ARC, that is, the Advanced Research Corps. I test experimental weaponry and other equipment, so you need not worry about my courage or my ability to stay level headed in a bad situation. As for my "fighting style", I suppose you can say I predominantly fight at a distance, I'm a fair shot with the Atlas standard service rifle, though I can hold my own in a face to face brawl if need be. My suit, the Sky Breaker, affords me a great degree of mobility and offers moderate protection, should my aura fail of course, it also has a variety of other gadgets and that are quite helpful in the the field." finished, he took a breath and simply stared at Auburn and awaited her response.
Auburn had kept an eye on him the entire time. He'd seemed to be very formal and had a complete understanding of how to play Mantle. So, she guessed he was from Atlas. She'd get around to the file later, instead wanting to see what he would tell her and what he'd withhold and to test her ability to read others. She'd seen his glance to her tail and noted a very slight tensing and tic in his jaw when she prompted him to sit and tell her about himself. She sat, listening to him as he recited what he felt appropriate to the question she asked. When he was done, she leaned forward, arms over knees and looked at him.
"Military service, minimalist in answering my question, but, detailing the significant points. Your whole attitude spells Atlas. The people of Atlas are not...overly fond of the Faunus. I don't care what your opinion on me is. I ask you can put your pride aside and follow rank if the comparison helps any. I am your C.O. here. Think whatever you want of me, but you best be ready to jump when I say jump. You are the only human on our team at this point, so, you're going to have to deal with Faunus. I suspect you've read my file, so, you know I have no real Identity, just an assumed one and a bad history with the White Fang. I refused to tell them what happened there so, you probably have questions. I'll leave it at this. I lived a life of utter hell and torment there, one I shouldn't have survived. I am tough and blunt because I had no time in my life for playing nice or diplomacy. It was kill or die. We do training runs on weekends, so, you can show us what you got on our next training session. Based on what you've told me, I'd say the strong point to place you is in the mid-range. Fall back to counter ranged and move in if one of ours is taking a beating. I will outlast the others on our team, so, prioritize assisting the others if it comes to me or them. Anything to ask...Rogue?"
Weapon(s): Judgement is a massive sword that is 77" long, 14" wide and weighs 54 lbs, but, has no unique properties other than that. Auburn is able to wield this beast of a blade, even one-handed, because of her Semblance.
However, her boots and bracers are equipped with mini cannon-like guns that fire off dust rounds and the bracers can deploy into gauntlets when she wishes to switch to hand-to-hand. (See Mission for image of bracers and boots)
Semblance: Stallion’s Strength: Auburn’s semblance is a passive one that enhances her Strength, Speed, Agility, Endurance, Durability, and even recovery by strengthening her muscles directly. She can semi-activate it to give her an even greater boost, though, doing so can lead to painful and sometimes severe injury and cannot be sustained for long periods of time.
As Auburn spoke Rouge couldn't help but smile just a tad, a part of him appreciated the cut and dry approach she took, the no bullshit, trim the fat, here's the facts, and how it's going to be manner she had was almost exactly like military he hailed from. Though not quite exactly, he'd known in advance of this conversation that he would be the only human member of his hunter team, a point which caused him some unease. The more logical part of him knew that he would likely have little to actually worry about, If anything, I'll be the problem, he thought bitterly to himself. The thought of his new team reminded him, Russet Ayers, the boy's file had screamed REBEL something Rouge knew he would struggle with. He could imagine how often the two of them were going to grind against each other, their personalities were polar opposites, and their likely discontent with other would be a weak point. Now came the real kicker, Auburn's former association with the White Fang, Rouge, like many others from Mantle, had strong feelings about the pro-faunus organization, none of them were positive. Luckily it seemed her hadn't fallen victim to their "brainwashing" and if anything her own feelings about the Fang were close to parallel to his own, still he'd keep his eye on her.
The mention of team training, though only once weekly, was a welcome surprise to Rouge, perhaps he could convince them to adopt his own daily training regimen. As for her assessment of his fighting capabilities, which was otherwise spot on, he thought perhaps that maybe he'd been too modest when describing his hand to hand fighting skill... then again. Now he could use that as a trump card in the eventuality he came to blows with any of them, or others southern hunters, for that matter. He perked up a bit when she said his name, aside from the pointed use of it, the fact he hadn't told her his name was not lost upon him. Then again, she was one who'd sought him out, this helped to scour any final doubts from his mind that she was little more than a simple minded, yet honest, brute. His steel colored gaze softened some and fell to a point on the ground between them, he moved a hand to conceal the smile he wore that grew just a bit more. He gave a slight sigh, straightened his smile into a flat line, and brought his gaze up once more, he drew his hand away and said in a neutral tone,
"I've had a devil of a time finding my way around your school, though I did find the library, but that's besides the point." then stood from his chair and gestured to where he remembered the entrance of the library to be. "Would you mind or... ?" he asked though his demeanor made it more to be order. Inwardly he had decided that he would like to study her some more and this might be a good way to go about it. Besides, he knew now that Becaon's vaunted librarium had little offer him and that any further time spent here would be a waste.
Auburn watch him the entire time she spoke. She'd long sense learned that sizing up someone in advance could save your life and had begun noticing little ticks or habits that were commonplace and unconsciously done. While they were by no means a mind-reading tool, they let her know when someone was lying, or when they were thinking something private, if they were stressed, or what else have you. When he brought up his attempts to navigate, she cocked a brow, but, stood still as he requested. He was used to making orders it seemed, or was desiring a position to do so. That trait could prove troublesome if he didn't have the restraint to curb his pride when needed.
"We do have campus maps sent to our scrolls upon acceptance you know. But, no, I do not mind. Also, at some point today, I'd like to see how you personally do. A person fights differently on a team than they do solo, for the most part. I still tend to fight mostly the same, but, my semblance allows me to handle more abuse as does my tolerance for pain, so, I tend to draw attention away from my team so they can attack and not be swarmed. Another rule I have, if we are fighting something along the size of an Ursa or Stalker, let me know if I haven't seen it yet. Especially Stalkers are dangerous and I'd rather finish one off fast."If he'd gone through her file as she suspected, he'd also be aware that, for all the seeming bluster about her abilities, she was not being cocky. A few notes detailed how she'd nearly solo killed a Death Stalker in the initiation and her ability to stay in a protracted training fight for a few hours straight. She motioned him along and walked in step with him, pulling up the campus map and sending him a copy, just to be certain he had it.
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OOC: I'm really sorry bout the delay, halfway through the post, I got called for an interview and had to take off immediately
Wearing:
Weapon(s): Judgement is a massive sword that is 77" long, 14" wide and weighs 54 lbs, but, has no unique properties other than that. Auburn is able to wield this beast of a blade, even one-handed, because of her Semblance.
However, her boots and bracers are equipped with mini cannon-like guns that fire off dust rounds and the bracers can deploy into gauntlets when she wishes to switch to hand-to-hand. (See Mission for image of bracers and boots)
Semblance: Stallion’s Strength: Auburn’s semblance is a passive one that enhances her Strength, Speed, Agility, Endurance, Durability, and even recovery by strengthening her muscles directly. She can semi-activate it to give her an even greater boost, though, doing so can lead to painful and sometimes severe injury and cannot be sustained for long periods of time.
Throughout the course of their conversation Rouge had been aware of Auburn's critical gaze and while she might have gleaned a few details about his character from her observations, he'd been careful not to let her read to much from his actions. At her mention of the map he found himself thinking back to a conversation he'd had with a tech friend of his, something about how his scroll's OS 'spoke a different language' compared to those of Vale. As such, the map that they had uploaded to his scroll didn't function correctly, he said this much to her,
"While you are correct in that regard, there a few... complications that have rendered the map provided to me, useless." he took a moment to step back, to give her room, then fell into step next to her before he replied to the rest of what she'd said,
"If you wish to observe me in action then you should come with me tomorrow to Everstone, ARC will be holding a tech demonstration in the park at midday. I'm going to be showcasing the Sky Breaker in it's first official public debut there, they'll have me perform a few tricks and do a mock battle with a few Knights." he told her in his ever neutral tone of voice. He came to a stop, they now stood just to the side of the library's entrance, clasped his hands behind his back, and asked her.
"Any where in particular you feel we should visit first?"
Auburn knew he was being cautious with her. She hadn't survived the trials of her younger years without learning to read people, even if they took care to conceal themselves. But, for the time being, she didn't get the impression he was hiding anything she needed to know, so, she'd just continue to watch and not badger him about things. The news about the issues with getting a map came as a surprise to her."You sure you didn't accidentally change a setting or that you got a defective one? Most are fairly standardized. Wealthy people or Officers may have a few extra things added in, but, I don't think anything that would override your ability to upload a map. Seems like a potentially serious issue. Anyway, we'll come across a directory at some point or another."
When he brought up a demonstration he was taking part in the next day,, she gave him the first hint of a smile he'd seen so far, and it was definitely the grin of someone up to something."Oh no. When I see what you got, you and I will be sparring. I won't go easy on you either, but, I can promise you won't have more than one broken bone at the end of it."As they approached the doors, she paused as he spoke again, asking her where they were going. "You're the one wanting to look around, and I'm no tour guide. So, I doubt I'd be any good at setting up any sort of sensible way of showing you around. So, that being said, how about you tell me what you want to see and I'll see about getting you there without you having to call for evac or something."
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OOC:
Wearing:
Weapon(s): Judgement is a massive sword that is 77" long, 14" wide and weighs 54 lbs, but, has no unique properties other than that. Auburn is able to wield this beast of a blade, even one-handed, because of her Semblance.
However, her boots and bracers are equipped with mini cannon-like guns that fire off dust rounds and the bracers can deploy into gauntlets when she wishes to switch to hand-to-hand. (See Mission for image of bracers and boots)
Semblance: Stallion’s Strength: Auburn’s semblance is a passive one that enhances her Strength, Speed, Agility, Endurance, Durability, and even recovery by strengthening her muscles directly. She can semi-activate it to give her an even greater boost, though, doing so can lead to painful and sometimes severe injury and cannot be sustained for long periods of time.
Rouge knew he probably should have felt some annoyance over Auburn's apparent doggedness about his scroll and it's "problems", in truth he felt a tad relieved, he'd blundered when he had mentioned that his scroll had a different operating system. No one outside of Atlas Military was supposed know about it's existence and he'd just casually told a civilian, from another country no less, that he had a military grade computer in his pocket... Okay, so he hadn't quite told her that exactly, but still he had to be more careful, if the wrong person got their hands on that info, a decade of hard work would have gone right down the drain. For now he decided that he would just go along with her notion that his scroll was just 'on the fritz', as it were.
"Perhaps you're right, I'll have one of your techs have a look at mine later then and rectify this issue posthaste." he said in his usual droll manner. As for the matter of finding a directory he already knew where several were but opted not to tell Auburn of this.
When Rogue saw the mischievous grin she gave him, which surprised him to a degree, he suddenly felt that nagging sensation that told him he wasn't exactly going to be overjoyed with what she would say next. He had to suppress the urge to flinch when she told him that she intended to spar him, from what he knew about her from her file, such an endeavour would likely end in a great deal of pain, and as expected, she promised as much. He gave no visible reaction to her proclamation beyond a humming sound and continued to stare straight ahead. When they arrived at the exit and Auburn responded to his question with what could interpreted as a rebuke his expression turned to that of annoyance for a moment before it reverted back.
"Just thought I'd defer to the local in this situation since you have a familiarity with the surroundings." he stated in a matter-of-fact voice. For a moment he silent, his gazed drifted from Auburn's to a point just over her shoulder, he made a humming sound again before his gaze returned to hers and he gave her a sly smile.
"Perhaps... You could show me to the training arena then?" he said in an equally sly tone of voice, his eye alight with a challenge.
Arolled leveled him with an expressionless, yet, serious gaze.. "No, I'm wrong. Listen, I'm more used to reading others than most. I'm no mind reader, but, I have a tendency to be able to tell when someone is lying or hiding something. You're military. That is a given. You're also apparently qualified to run test demonstrations to the public. So, you hold rank. With rank comes secrets of state you have to keep. I don't care what they are. I only care whether they'll cause issues for the team. So, if that hings, whatever big secret it is might cause issues, I want to know. Yes, or No. If yes, in what ways can I expect issues. I don't expect you to tell me how it works. Just something like it's not exactly compatible with transferring data in the standard format. You tense a bit when you deflect me. Slight curling of your fingers, slight squint of the eye. Everyone has some tell, no matter how much they try to suppress it. Your responsibilities outside this team are your own and I won't press what they are. I just want to know whenever something might prove a problem with the team so we can address it as needed."
She watched him as he mulled over the topic of where to go before he showed some emotion of some sort. When he brought up the training arena, she shrugged."If you want to rush into it, that's on you. I'll take you there and you can look around and warm up while I go get changed and grab my gear. I'll go ahead and tell you now, you'll last longer if you can stay at range. So, not in your best interest to try me C-Q-C."
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OOC: EXIT
Wearing:
Weapon(s): Judgement is a massive sword that is 77" long, 14" wide and weighs 54 lbs, but, has no unique properties other than that. Auburn is able to wield this beast of a blade, even one-handed, because of her Semblance.
However, her boots and bracers are equipped with mini cannon-like guns that fire off dust rounds and the bracers can deploy into gauntlets when she wishes to switch to hand-to-hand. (See Mission for image of bracers and boots)
Semblance: Stallion’s Strength: Auburn’s semblance is a passive one that enhances her Strength, Speed, Agility, Endurance, Durability, and even recovery by strengthening her muscles directly. She can semi-activate it to give her an even greater boost, though, doing so can lead to painful and sometimes severe injury and cannot be sustained for long periods of time.
