deercountry | o5 . initiation!

[ The morning is bright and cold, and Gaze's clocktower is very, very tall. How Ozpin got access to the roof isn't terribly important. What's important is that you, Sleeper, now stand at the edge of a terrible drop, looking out over the dark rooftops of the district and the tangled Trenchwood just beyond. ]

[ Ozpin looks pleased by the turnout. He certainly doesn't look like a combat instructor: the man is six-foot-six and skinny, with odd dark little glasses and his hair pulled back into a ponytail fraught with cowlicks. He's dressed, as usual, in an ostentatiously detailed green tailcoat; his gloved hands rest upon a filigreed walking cane. ]

Welcome, everyone. Thank you for joining me here today.

In another life, I was headmaster of Beacon Academy, the most esteemed combat school in the kingdom— perhaps the world. We held our students to a high standard, but that was for good purpose: our students were all that stood between their kingdom and destruction. They were the heroes our land needed to keep its people safe.

Here in Trench, I recognize a similar need. And I see similar potential in every one of you standing here today. You could be the heroes this city relies upon.

But first, you must show bravery... dedication... skill... and the ability to work together.

Here is the task I present to you: reach the Trenchwood, and venture one mile due west. You may face terrible dangers along the way. Where you are going, there is no path, and to lose your way could mean madness or death.

That is why you must rely upon each other. Upon entering the forest, the first participant you lock eyes with shall be your partner for the remainder of the challenge. I advise you do not leave each other's side.

You will know your prize when you see it. Retrieve that item, one apiece, and return to me at my home. [ He points down to the forest's edge, where a turreted green mansion sits at the edge of the district, overgrown with creeping vines and Doorway's white roses. ] There will be tea and cookies waiting for those who have survived.

[ A beat as he lets that settle in, then: ]

I believe it is time to take the jump. [ He steps up to the rooftop's edge and turns to his students, expectantly. ] Good luck.

[ Even at its edge, the Trenchwood is dark, tangled, and eerie. The snow could look beautifully pristine against the jagged shapes of the trees, but instead winter has given everything a treacherously slick and icy quality; watch out for frozen-over dark puddles and hidden burrows you could break your ankle in. At least the day is clear enough you should be able to navigate by the sun.

And, apparently, you won't be going it alone. Now inside the treeline, the first person you lock eyes with is your new partner. ]

[ Deeper in, you begin to find signs of the creatures that live in these woods— and they do not seem friendly. There are patches of churned-up and dirtied snow; mud gone red and tacky; spatters of blood, sometimes so fresh they haven't yet frozen. The sense of being watched starts to build, and it becomes clear how so many who get lost here go insane.

All sorts of things roam these woods. Good luck, heroes. ]

[ One mile west of Gaze, the trees become sparse. The forest opens to a shrubby meadow, currently bone-thin and bare with winter. It's a surprisingly vast clearing after the cramped rows of trees, and you might be relieved to step out into it.

Until you realize the ground is gouged by hoofprints, the snow churned up with old blood. Resting in the center of the clearing are several Nightmare Steeds, the most aggressive natural predators of the Trenchwood.

Just beyond them, up on a little snowy knoll, float two dozen orbs of glowing green Vileblood. Each is the size of an orange, just the size to hide something small inside. Those who know Ozpin will recognize the look of his shield magic, albeit with an odd and liquid sheen. ]

[ Some of you may have noticed a bird in the trees, appearing again and again to watch your progress. Qrow Branwen, Ozpin's fellow teacher, has volunteered to challenge students on their way back to the end point; Ozpin trusts him to pull his punches exactly the right amount. If he's already engaged in battle, or you get lucky, you can make it back without seeing him— but if you'd like a fight, just tap the player here for a thread. ]

[ When you return to the manor, the double doors are thrown open and Ozpin's stag Omen waits politely to guide returnees in. Through the grand foyer (this is not a normal amount of grandfather clocks for a man to own, and most eerily, they all stand frozen and silent), and through another set of old oak doors, is the private library.

Ozpin sits by the grand windows that look out over the lawn. This wall has been long overtaken by red and blue morning glories, and the home shows clear signs of damage: places where windowpanes have been badly replaced, wallpaper torn, bookshelves rebuilt a little lopsided. But there's a fire burning in the hearth, and a lot of comfy chairs, and tray of tea and snacks. Help yourself to pastries or the oddly endless supply of hot cocoa.

Maybe see if anyone can patch up your wounds or commiserate, while you're here. ]

[ Once you seem to have your bearings and your breath back, Ozpin waves you over to his chair. He leans in over his knees, cane at his side, looking pleased— with himself or with you, it's hard to say. ]

Well done. How did you find the challenge?

[ He holds out his hand for the glowing orb, expectant. ]

[Luca listens to the instructions, thinking they all sound perfectly reasonable. Go into the forest, face dangers, come back with a price. It all sounds fun and exciting, presumably not too fatal since this is just a training exercise, and then there's a treat at the end. At least, that's what Luca thinks until this guy mentions jumping.]

Um...excuse me...sir?

[Luca looks down at the jump he's apparently supposed to be making.]

So...uh...all that sounds good and all, but I'm pretty sure if I jump off here I'll...you know...die.

[Klee originally wandered by and had seen the whole group of people. So she simply followed along because maybe it would be something fun. In the end, it would be something super fun. Fighting and making friends with the promise of cookies. Klee was vibrating with absolute excitement. Also getting to jump off this really high roof sounded fun. Pity she didn't have her glider which would make things easier, but she turned to Dodoco as if asking. Dodoco ears twitch before she sighed. Raising her hand and jumping to get Ozpin's attention]

Hey Mister! Mister. Does it matters how we jump? Cuz I don't got my glider right now, but if I use Dodoco will that be okay?

Also what kind of cookies?

Edited 2022-02-02 06:17 (UTC)

[ Ozpin looks down at the genuinely tiny kid before him, and does not even blink. He just nods at the question like it's a reasonable, academic suggestion. ]

If the distance seems a grave threat under these circumstances, it would be far worse to face such a drop in the midst of a dangerous battle. What tools do you have at your disposal which might protect you from the fall? I do mean tools in every sense; some of us have magical abilities which might prove handy, while others create their own means of safety. And this world has provided us help in several forms.

[ This is, he hopes, a useful hint. Not all Omens will be big or nimble enough to matter, here, but some certainly will be. ]

[ He smiles at this, as though it's an entirely normal question to ask. On both counts. ]

Any method you choose is a valid one. In the heat of battle, we must rely on every tool available to survive.

Also, they are my personal favorite: chocolate chip.

You hear that Dodoco! We can do that.

[She turns to tell her little fox rabbit Omen. The Omen just sighs and nods before turn to nod at Ozpin. It's expression not changing despite Klee's excitement.]

Thank you Mister for explaining. Klee is going to btey super hard because it sounds fun and for the cookies!

Come on Dodoco let's see which place is the best to jump from! It's so high! This going be fun even without a glider.

[Which means Klee is going to look around and see what's the best place to jump from]

[ Is this Ange's usual sort of activity? Definitely not. But Ruby was participating in it, and there's nothing that girl somehow doesn't get Ange to do, just through the force of sheer enthusiasm and cuteness.

Which is what leads Ange here. Somehow having managed to go through all of that.

And yet, despite the experience she just went through - it's so hard to place her tone and facial expression when she finally approaches Ozpin again after all of it. Maybe it's unimpressed? Maybe she's just hiding everything behind her usual pokerface, who knows. ]

So this is normal in you guys' world. [ Either way, it leads to her tone mostly sounding deadpan as she does hand over the orb to him. ] I'm pretty sure this would break at least 30 different laws where I'm from.

[ These woods sure are something, aren't they. In Trench, not even the woods are just some place where you could take a nice walk. It looks like something straight out of some gothic horror movie, with the constant feeling of being watched to match.

It seems that Ange has momentarily lost her partner, because she's wandering the woods by herself for the moment. She has her sword drawn, just in case, determined to show that she knows how to work it now she's got a good opportunity to do so.

Except if you approach her, or make any sound nearby, you might suddenly find said sword raised right towards you - and if you look, you might notice that it's not just a sword, because you're definitely staring down the barrel of a rifle.

It's only a moment or two later, when Ange realises that she's very much not looking at a monster, that Ange lowers the weapon, letting out a huff. ]

Don't sneak up on me like that!

[ You were probably doing none of the sort - but Ange can't help but take things way too personally, apparently. ]

[Ruby was absolutely trying to sneak up on Ange. And she was not really doing a good job at it, stealth has never been the strongest weapon in her arsenal. So when the sword gets pointed toward her she'll throw her hands up in the air in surrender.]

Woah- Woah!

Okay fine- You're not getting a sneak attack hug.

Happy now?

Touch the Sky

[Ruby Rose was mostly here for a refresher course and getting the chance to pair up with people she hadn't seen in action before. She was used to being thrown off cliffs or jumping out of airplanes and having to find creative ways to safely land, and she missed it. While some of the methods people in her world seemed off the wall compared to others it's what helped shape her into the fighter she is today.

She'll look to whoever's closest to her and smirk.]

You ready for this?

[And she doesn't wait for an answer before she let's herself drop off the roof backwards to plummet down toward the ground.]

For Every Life

[As everyone falls to the ground there's a burst of flame, lightning, or frost that vaguely looks like a flurry of rose petals darting back and forth through the air. If someone looks like they've lost control of their fall it'll dart their way before reforming back into Ruby. Her scythe in one hand and her giant scythe in the other she'll offer a hand to whoever's falling.]

Need a lift? Take my hand!

Edited 2022-02-02 22:23 (UTC)

[Kaworu moves close to the edge, maybe too close depending on your opinion of heights, looking over at the city and not the ground, as if he has little concern for it.

Then he leans over further, zeroing in on the rooftop he'd land on and charting the course forward to their end goal. Easy enough.

He turns to the person next to him, offering his hand or taking theirs.]

Come on. Don't look so scared. It's easy.

[Luca looks down the side of the tower, then right back up at Oz.]

Um...nothing.

[For a moment he debates whether or not he should run down the list of his powers. There were some aspects of his powers he didn't like sharing with people, but maybe if he's very clear on what he can do, Oz will have a better understanding of what he can't do. Otherwise he might just think Luca's giving up too soon.]

My powers from home just turn me into a fish person if I get wet, and my blood powers I got here just let me poison people. And...

[He glances around, then leans in closer to whisper the next part.]

...and heal if I drink blood. And my omen is a crab.

[To demonstrate, Luca puts a hand out and smoke forms in the palm of his hand. A small hermit crab appears.]

[ Jumping from a roof isn't exactly out of the realm of Yuri's experience. It wasn't exactly a blast, but there you go, he made it to the ground, the fall cushioned by Smokey, his kestrel omen, grabbing the back of his jacket and helping him the last few feet to the ground. ]

Not so bad.

[ He lets out a laugh, and Smokey shrinks back down to his normal size, perching on Yuri's outstretched arm. The old guy said something about partners, but Yuri isn't really here for that. He's here to test himself, to stretch himself. He wants to figure out what the hell is going on in his head, and what the hell is going on with his blood, and he doesn't need anyone else (except maybe Smokey) to do that.

His breath steams up in front of his face, a cloud of mist, as his feet crunch into the snow, heading out into the forest, intent to do it alone, but then, he hears something to his left, and can't help but look over and meets someone's eyes-- a guy. Maybe a familiar guy? He was on the roof, right?

Shit. That means they're partners, doesn't it? He could just leave. He could just pretend like he didn't see this guy at all and keep moving but, well.

He lets out a breath. That's what the old Yuri would do, isn't it? Go it alone, pretend like he doesn't need anyone, but he does. Everyone does. Suppressing a sigh, Yuri treks over to this guy with an exaggerated smile ]

We gonna do this?

[Johnny held back and did his best to stay out of sight until the little party here had dispersed and Ozpin was seeing his guests off.

Johnny's irrational hatred of this man had only grown throughout the night. It was as if this guy was the weird love child of LaRusso and Sid and he hated it.

Which is why he leaves a gift for Ozpin in of his grandfather clocks. He just opens it up. Pulls down his pants and takes a hot steamy shit in it.

And then. On his way out he swipes something that looks valuable.]

Edited 2022-02-03 03:24 (UTC)

[Keith had a few options to get down from the clocktower, since he'd worn his Paladin armor for the training. He'd gone with the jetpacks, freefalling quite a way before kicking them in to cushion his landing. As he stood, and the jetpacks retracted back to lay flat on the back of his torso armor, he heard footsteps approach, and turned back to see who it was.

The guy looked familiar, definitely, in a few ways. Keith knew he'd seen him up on the tower, first, but there was something else he wasn't quite placing. But, they'd made eye contact... and as much as Keith wouldn't have minded going it alone through the task they'd been given, he knew the rules. They acknowledged each other, and that meant they were partners.

He met the other man halfway.]

I guess so.

[Just then, there was a flash and a 'shing!', and the large blue wolf appeared at Keith's side. Despite having an entrance like an omen, he wasn't. He just could teleport.]

I'm Keith... this is Kosmo.

[ 'The first person you lock eyes with' is, in all respects, an absolutely terrible way of pairing off participants for this little exercise - but Akechi had agreed to join and agreed to play by the rules. So here he is, standing at the edge of the forest and kicking his way through various snow drifts and keeping an eye out for trouble.

Instead he finds... a child. Or at least someone very short. Akechi actually tenses upon first seeing Venti, though he stops well short of actually drawing a his weapon. He knows better than to assume that this newcomer is harmless, however, so he doesn't relax, either.

Still, he's here to try to play to nice. So he should probably give that a shot. ]

I take it you're here for Professor Ozpin's little initiation?

[Whether the teacher looks ~~fishy~~ the part or not doesn't stick out too much at least, considering the gaggle of students of all shapes and sizes who make this look more like a random gathering than some combat class ft. highly questionable training methods. But it's just as well, if it helps her blend in better! The curriculum didn't sound particularly enriching to her personally, but it did inspire curiosity and vague concern. Why the top of the clocktower, of all places? She's quite fond of high grounds herself, but STARTING a lesson there feels suspicious, plus Gaze is the academics' district. To choose it as the starting point for combat training, wouldn't it likely mean...?

Well, no sense wasting time on conjectures when you can just check it out yourself. Thus there's a girl looking to be in her late teens or early twenties, casually sitting on the rooftop's edge with her feet dangling in thin air some distance away from the more eager crowd. She's not looking to mingle, just... watching with interest (and not the least bit ruffled by the increasingly worrisome things coming out of the man in green coat's mouth), keeping an eye out on things. There's enough bustle and hustle up here that she shouldn't stick out, but risking your life for tea and cookies, and telling everyone here this nonchalantly to JUMP, huh?

...Wonder what kind of tea this headmaster of some combat academy from another world's got?]

[ the roof jump was nothing to an archon like himself; he's had plenty of experience gliding in the sky without the need of a glider like most, and so the slow ride down didn't do much other than leave his limbs a little sore--- the good kind of sore from muscle burn. landing in the trees and climbing down was also not a problem.

the issue, at least for him, was finding someone who he could partner up with for the rest of the initiation. ]

Eh?

[ he turns around, currently unarmed. not that it'd be difficult for him to pull his bow. ]

I am! I assume you're here for the same?

[ a young man. seemingly innocuous. ]

o5 . initiation!

1. ROOF JUMP

Ozpin | RWBY | OTA

2. PARTNERING UP

3. IN THE WOODS

4. SPOOKY UNICORNS

5. QROW

6. END MINGLE

Ozpin | RWBY | OTA

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ange ushiromiya | umineko | ota

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Ruby Rose | RWBY | OTA

Kaworu Nagisa | Evangelion | OTA

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for Keith

Later on. Here but not here. CW: Poop

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( for venti )

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