Untitled RWBY

Nave looked in the direction of the voice that was challenging him, noticing a girl in a purple scarf approaching him. He twirled his spear for a moment and planted it on the ground, a smirk almost imperceptibly coming to his features. "I'll let you take the first shot." He said, taking a defensive stance with his weapon. If he could figure out her semblance or how her weapon worked, he would be able to formulate a strategy for the tournament; it was clear that she was a competitor and not from Beacon, as she lacked the uniform he'd seen the local students wearing.

Sola turned to face Dusky as he spoke, his wide grin shifting to shock at the man's size before changing again to a smile. "But of course! I'm not even the strongest member of our team." He nods toward Sombre, whom he notices hiding in the back "That distinction belongs to the girl next to you." He grinned, leaning in to whisper so the first-years don't hear "She punched through an Ursa's chest and ripped out its spine with her bare hands, and I'm not even making that one up."
"You mean like with the Nevermore?" Sombre asked, folding her arms and narrowing her eyes at him "If I recall correctly, Nave did that, not you. And he used his spear, not a feather."

Vi grinned. There was nothing she liked more than cocky opponents. They reminded her of herself.
"Now see, you've already made a mistake in letting me move first," she said and brandished her blades. Still grinning, she charged.

---

Dusky looked over at Sombre and looks her over more closely. No matter how hard he looked though, he couldn't see anything in the girl's frame that suggested she could pull off something so...hardcore.

Bleak Woad looks at the bartender. "Heard there was some kind of tournament in town. Thought I might check it out." Then he pats the hammer on his belt. "Besides, Lucy is tired of being swung around like a pick axe. She wants me to get 'formal training'" Bleak Woad makes air-quotes around the last two words.

Nave grinned, standing his ground as the girl charged at him. Good, she'd taken the bait. As she came in close he pivoted on his left foot, ducking low and to her side and swinging the haft of his spear at her foot. On her other side, a navy blue projection of his weapon appeared, aiming to sweep her legs from both sides.

Sombre noticed Dusky examining her more closely and she shrunk back, ducking behind the frame of the doorway self-consciously. The one eye that wasn't covered by her bangs glared daggers at Sola, who quickly turned to stammering "So!" He said, clapping his hands to divert attention back to himself "The name's Sola Rei, leader of Team SNST from Atlas Academy. And what of you, tall stranger?"

Using her semblance, Vi managed to slow Nave's movements enough that she was able to avoid the swing of his spear. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to affect the projection of his spear and it caught her foot. Her quick reflexes were what saved her. As she fell, she thrust her hands out to catch as well as carry herself forward into a barrel roll. Not missing a beat, she stood right back up and spun around and swung one of her blades at Nave.

---

Dusky turned his attention back to Sola and thrust his hand out for him to shake. "Dusky Giganski, member of Team VRDE from Vacuo."

---

The bartender smiled at him. "So you gave your weapon a name, too, huh? My brother did the same with his. I don't think he ever confided in anyone more than he did his "Olivia". Not even his own brother. Heh. Even now that he's retired, the two remain inseparable. Never bothered to settle down with anyone either.. Says "Olivia is I need". Nevermind the fact that they don't see any action anymore." The bartender grinned and shook his head while he seemingly recalled memories of his brother and "Olivia".
Rogan, on the other hand, had heard enough. This Grimm Rider person was sounding even stranger by the second. Who names their weapon like it's an ordinary person? Not only that, but he even spoke of it as though it was a real person. Clearly he was on some level of crazy. He couldn't exactly ascertain whether or not he was a potential threat, but he would be there at the tournament so he could keep an eye on him at least.
He was so absorbed in his thoughts that when he got up to leave the bar, he forgot to pay. Not that it mattered, since he didn't have any money to pay with in the first place. Fortunately for him, the bartender was too wrapped up in his conversation with Woad that it wouldn't be until several minutes later, long after Rogan had left, that he would notice.

"Where does one go to sign up for the tournament anyway?"

Nave very nearly stumbled when his body didn't move the way he needed it to, as if something was slowing him down, making his reaction time mixed up in comparison with his actual movement. Still, his semblance had bought him time to adjust to compensate. He stepped back while she rolled to recover from his maneuver, doing a quick calculation as she rose to her feet. If he's being slowed down by this much, and her attack is coming from that side then he needs to begin his dodge....now! He ducked under her blade by a hair's breadth, aiming a roundhouse kick at her wrist to try to knock her to the side.

Sola grinned widely and shook Dusky's hand "What an...appropriate name, good sir! I take it you're here for the Festival Tournament, then? I look forward to seeing how your team will fare in battle."

Vi caught his foot easily due to the slow speed at which it moved. She laughed. "I'm surprised you were able to adjust so quickly. That simply won't do." She twisted his foot to one side suddenly in an attempt to throw him off balance.

---

"Likewise. Speaking of, I should probably figure out where they've wandered off to. Our team leader, Vi, doesn't exactly have a great record for staying out of trouble." He quickly added, "Not that she actively seeks it out. She's just...an adventurous type. Bold, but that boldness sometimes leads to recklessness. Anyways, it was nice meeting you two." He gave nods to both Sola and Sombre then turned to leave.

---

"Well you're gonna need a team, first and foremost. Though I'm sure you don't really need one, do you?" He chuckled a little. "I hope they let you in either way. I'd love to see what you can do."

Woad leaves some money on the bar. "Thank you, good sir." Then he leaves the bar and makes his way to tournament registration.

"A team? Lucy, where am I supposed to find a team? I know literally zero people in this town."

Nave spun with the movement, finding himself on the defensive with his movement impaired like this. Using his spear to balance himself, he retains his footing, and takes several steps back. He couldn't pull off any of his better techniques while he was slowed like this, but he needed to push her further to see what other tricks she had up her sleeve. As of right now, he had no other option but to remain out of her range and wear down her aura.

"And you as well!" Sola replied excitedly, stepping aside so Dusky could head out. As he walked away, Sombre glared at him from her side of the door "This girl he's talking about. She sounds like you." And before he could respond, she turned around and walked away down the corridor.

She had to admit, he was good. Real good. Most of her other spars back in Vacuo hadn't been this much of a challenge. She was already starting to wear down from using her semblance. She wouldn't be able to keep it up forever without collapsing. That was fine though. She didn't to use it to fight. She didn't need it to win. Besides. They might face off again in the tournament. He didn't need to know all of her tricks before then.
She stopped using her semblance and charged him once more.

---

While Dusky walked the halls of the school, he couldn't help but notice they were visibly more empty. Where had the students all gone? As he was turning a corner, he almost ran right into Rogan.
"W-woah, sorry, I didn't-Rogan? Where have you been? Have you seen the girls?"
"I was...just looking around," Rogan responded. "And no, I haven't seen them. I thought they were with you. I'm sure they're fine, wherever they're at." He paused and looked around to make sure no one else was around. He saw no one but he lowered his voice anyway. "Listen, I've got something to tell you."
Dusky held up his hand and put a finger to his lips, cutting off whatever Rogan was about to tell him. "Do you hear that?" A few quiet seconds later, Rogan nodded, having picked up on the sound Dusky had noticed. The sound of students sparring.

"Hey, you!" a woman's voice rang out.
Woad looked around.
"Yeah, you with the hammer and the confused look on your face."
Woad's eyes fell on a trio standing just down the street from the tournament registration. Two women, nearly carbon copies of each other. Short blond hair, fit build, matching blue light armor. They were perfect copies, except for the prosthetic arm on one calling out to him. The third was a 6'9" behemoth. More accurately he was a 6'9" faunus with a horn on his nose and dark grey skin. Woad approached the trio. "Can I help you?"
"Yeah, we need a fourth and you look like a lost puppy," said the woman with the prosthetic arm.
"A what?" Woad asked.
"Never mind. You look like a fighter, and you don't look like you have a team. We're one short. Perfect fit. My name is Sky. This is my sister Iris, and this big lummox is Pall. Welcome to the team..." She waited for his name.
"Bleak Woad."
"Awesome" Before Woad could respond Sky rushed of to register the team for the tournament.

Nave watched while she deliberated, taking careful, measured steps to circle her and to gauge his own speed. At the same moment that he noticed his movements going back to normal, her foot pushed off the floor and she charged him. He braced his spear on the ground, then swung it upward in a wide arc, hoping to have her run right into it.

Vi rolled to the side to dodge the spear but she wasn't fast enough to avoid her leg getting sliced. She glanced at it briefly. The cut was shallow and she could feel it already beginning to heal but her was already almost completely drained. She needed to end this quickly if she wanted to win.
With a growl, she dove at his legs in an attempt to tackle him to the ground.

---

Dusky and Rogan entered the sparring room. Dusky spotted Ebony a few feet away and walked over and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Hey Ebs!"
Ebony let a small squeak of surprise and jumped, relaxing when she noticed it was her teammate. Fortunately for her, everyone around them was too focused on the match going on in the center of the room to have paid her any attention.
"Oops, sorry. Didn't mean to frighten you. What's everyone doing in here?"
Rogan nodded towards the center of the room where the two combatants fought. "Vi's sparring with some blue-haired dude."
Dusky sighed. "Of course she is."
"They seem to be pretty evenly matched, too," Rogan observed.

Woad looked at the giant in front of him. "Hi?"
Pall snorted and turned back to his drink.
"He doesn't talk much, and he is slow to trust people, but he has a kind heart and is good in a fight," Iris said. "What about you? Can you fight or are we going to have to carry you through this tournament?"
"I can fight," Woad said, "I've killed 23 Grimm" He smiled proudly.
"So you can keep your cool. That's good to know," Iris said. "Ever fight a person?"
"No, I..." Woad started.
"They're small, and annoying," Pall butted in. "They're unpredictable, and other people tend to get angry if you hurt a person too much. I prefer fighting Grimm. No one cares if you accidental step on their hands."
Iris chuckled nervously and Woad pretended he didn't hear it.

A good few minutes later Sky returned. "All right. Team WISP is ready to go."
"Really...? WISP? That is the best you could come up with? You didn't even use his first name," Iris protested half-heartedly.
Sky looked at her. "You try coming up with something using the letters I, S, P, and B..."
"Fair enough," Iris said. "Hey, Woad. We'll be meeting up tomorrow after lunch for combat practice. You should join us." She handed him her contact information.

Woad wandered away wondering what he had just gotten himself into.

Nave stood his ground as she charged, bringing his knee up toward her face when she dove toward them, only to pivot on his other foot and bring the pommel of his spear down on her back. As he did this, he activated his Semblance, creating three more astral pommels to hit her at the same time.

Around this time, Tytani stepped into the room, the rowdy students in the halls having disturbed her reading time, so she came here to see what the commotion was about. She overheard someone say something about a 'blue-haired dude', which made her think of Nave. She made her way to a seat to watch, not sure if she should be annoyed that he was picking fights, or impressed that he was doing recon.

"Wow, I can't believe she lost," Dusky murmured loud enough for his teammates to hear about the cheers and claps echoed around the room.
"She was holding back," Rogan observed. "She could have stopped him before he hit her with that final move." His gaze met Dusky's. "She let herself lose."
"Vi doesn't let herself lose..." Dusky muttered but Rogan didn't hear.

---

Vi got up then held her hand for Nave to shake. "Well fought. My name is Vi by the way. Team leader of VRDE, Vacuo." She tried not to indicate that her back was hurting in the spot the pommel of his spear had hit her. It was definitely going to leave a bruise.

Woad made his way through town. He needed to get a look at the potential competition. And if he was going to get a look at the best of the best he was going to have to check out the academy. And if he was going to try to get some formal training, the best place to start would be the academy.

Nave grinned and shook her hand firmly "Nave Ronen, Atlas." He replied, collapsing his spear and stowing it away. "You're the first good challenge I've gotten so far today, I'm looking forward to seeing you and your team at the Tournament."
Tytani sighed and stood up, marching her way across the room to where Nave was. She extended her hand and cleared her throat to get his attention. He looked down at her and grimaced, slowly lowering his head so she could reach his ear, which she gave a sharp pull. "Ow! Hey, what's with--"
"I apologize for my teammate, he doesn't like to think before jumping into things like this."

Vi smiled. "That's funny. My teammates tell me the same thing." She waved good bye to both of them then went up to join her team. "I hope all of the competition this year will be this tough, otherwise this tournament is going to be pretty boring. Winning's no fun when your opponent doesn't put up much of a fight."

(When exactly were we planning on the tournament actually starting? Because I don't have anything else planned for my characters between then but if you had something in mind, I'm open to whatever)

(Oh, I have plans, just you wait. We could skip forward a few days, but there's still a while until the Tournament itself starts. Timeline-wise we're not even in V2 yet

(Ah, I was under the impression that this was taking during the Vytal festival, and thus a few days away from the tournament. If we're that far back, then I'm having trouble understanding why our teams are at Beacon Academy right now xP)

(For the same reason Sun, Neptune, and Penny were there, is what I was going for XP)

(All right, I guess that works. Should be Paul's turn)

Woad strolled in through the front entrance of Beacon. He had never seen a proper academy before. Most of the schools he had seen had been in outlying towns. And one thing was for certain. He had never seen this many fighters in one place, ever.