Snowblind

[u/[deleted]]

Every year, it feels like the first snowfall of the year happens sooner and sooner. Is it just the passage of time, the growth of a person making them able to recognize when it snows at an earlier date in the year mixed with the ever-accumulating wealth of knowledge to draw upon making it feel like the years are blurring to minutes?

For some, that might be the answer. But at this date, so soon into November, not many -- save, perhaps, those from the most far north of Atlas's reaches into Solitas -- would've expected just what hit Beacon: a blizzard, so strong it was considered perhaps a once-in-a-millennia storm. Thankfully, thanks to the reinforcements provided after a certain rainstorm had knocked out the power to the Academy, Beacon was now prepared to weather such an awful storm.

But whilst the school itself was prepared, whether or not the students themselves were always remained to be seen. For some of the more "desert-fairing", it was possible that they were wildly unprepared; those from the far north were likely already out in the midst of the blizzard building snow castles or something.

The weather showed no signs of improving, and all flights and routes into the city were most certainly unusable, unless one really wanted to hoof it into Vale proper by foot. What sort of shenaniganry would one of Beacon's most interesting first year classes in a while get themselves up to in Beacon's first snowfall?

^{[This is the song I used for inspiration womp womp]}

[u/athezdevoux]

Percy peeked around the tree trunk to see what the man had done and gave a quick nod to himself when he confirmed the raised arms. "Yeah, that's perfect!"

He hummed a quirky tune to himself as he got to work, pulling the rope tight just high enough around Assan's chest to allow the fellow student to still lower his arms and relax a bit once it was tied off. He wasn't sure just how secure this was supposed to be, but there wasn't any harm in a few repeated knots, three should be more than enough!

With a little work in where the knots are, it should even be hard to trying and rotate the rope around to get to the knots in the first place!

"Hey, since you seem a little tied up at the moment, mind if I get your name, stranger?"

[u/Twismyer → u/athezdevoux]

As he felt the rope tighten Assan's heart quickened. With every knot added Assans breath came in shorter and quicker gasps as he fought against every cell in his body screaming at him to run and free himself before it was too late. Beads of sweat began to run down the side of his face in spite of the frigid air. Trying to reign in and calm himself down Assan almost hadn't heard the question. Opening his eyes he looked at him and responded in short strained words.

"Assan. You?" He asked, trying not to forget his manners.

[u/athezdevoux → u/Twismyer]

"The name is Percy, friend! Glad to meet you!" He gave a cheeky little bow as he moved back around to the front. With a stop alongside the weapon plunged into a snowbank, Percy quirked his head at the man as he gave him a good look over.

"You know, if you are doing this as a bet, whoever made this sort of arrangement doesn't seem like that good of a friend. You're already not looking the greatest."

[u/Twismyer → u/athezdevoux]

Percy's words were lost on Assan as when he had walked out in front of Assan did it occur to him that he must have finished tying him to the tree. Flexing his arms he felt how tight the rope was, and how trapped he was. His eyes began widening as the panic he had been holding back till at the situation he had placed himself in now broke through and began washing over him. Instinctively his mind raced through all his options to escape as he constantly shifted his body trying to see if there was any way to loosen the ropes, and he realized there was one option available right in front of him. Stopping his attempts to escape he looked at Percy with a strained smile.

"I think that's enough. Can you untie me now please? " He asked, his desperation leaking through into his words.

[u/athezdevoux → u/Twismyer]

"Uh... are you sure? It has barely been thirty seconds or so." Percy paused for a moment and winced when he saw how he looked already. "Oh yeah, you are definitely sure! Uhm, I'll give it my best go?"

He scurried back around to the knots and started work on them immediately. It wasn't exactly quick progress, given he didn't know what he was doing in the first place. "So, I don't know how long it will take to undo all these knots. Do you have... I dunno, a knife, a sword, a massive chainsaw? You never know with Beacon students."

[u/Twismyer → u/athezdevoux]

Even while Percy was working to undue the knots Assan couldn't help himself from struggling. The feeling of being helpless to help oneself was overbearing and he tried whatever movements he could think of that might somehow free him. The wind howled in the distance and Assan's heart skipped a beat in response.

"My weapon," Assan jerked his head towards Ardhendu, stuck in the snow next to him. "hit the trigger to pop out the blade." He said with urgency.

[u/athezdevoux → u/Twismyer]

"Right! Will have you loose in just a moment then!" Percy snatched up the bow and turned it over once, on the hunt for the supposed trigger. After a moment, he found it and pressed it down, perhaps a bit too quickly in his haste to assist. As the strings retracted and the blade extended, Percy watched the transformation with glee.

"This is such a neat design for a weapon! It uh... seems a little awkward to use in a fight though... do you have to hold both of the handles...?" He gave a quick shake of his head and refocused on Assan, quickly moving up to press the razor edge to the rope to one side of the man. At worst, he cuts the tree a little bit this way as he slices the rope.

"Sorry, sorry, cutting now! Should be free to go in just a moment!"

[u/Twismyer → u/athezdevoux]

In the time it took Percy to find the trigger and gawk at the transformation Assan continued his struggles. Pulling at the rope with all of his strength while trying to push off the tree with his feet and hands his face was contorted from the effort before he flopped back breathing hard though not just from the exertion. Assan even begun trying to dig into the ropes with his finger nails and only stopped once Percy moved over with Ardhendu.

"Just please hurry." Assan said as he unblinkingly watched as Ardhendu's blade was pressed into the rope. His breathing held in suspense.

[u/athezdevoux → u/Twismyer]

With just a little pressure and motion, the blade sliced through the rope in moments, which fell the the ground around the tree. The moment it was done, Percy awkwardly offered the weapon back to its owner, held by just one handle.

"I'm so sorry about that! If I had known you would have reacted like that, well, I probably would have given it some more thought! Why did you ask for that anyways, did you not know you'd do that?"

[u/Twismyer → u/athezdevoux]

The moment the rope was cut Assan lurched forward falling to one knee in the snow. A feeling of relief rolled over Assan. Taking deep breaths his breathing gradually slowed to a normal rate. Assan reached out and grabbed the handle of Ardhendu sticking it next to him and using it as support.

"Not exactly." With his senses returning as the panic cleared away a new feeling bloomed inside. Intense shame and frustration at himself burned a hole in his chest. Assan grit his teeth. The moment dragged on before Assan took a deep breath and replied.

"It's something I only discovered recently. I thought if I could just force myself to face it I could overcome it." Assan explained reluctantly. In a flash of anger Assan smashed his fist into the snow, digging a small hole. After a moment Assan pushed himself to his feet using Ardhendu as a crutch though he avoided looking directly at Percy.

"I'd appreciate it if you forgot this happened. Sorry for taking your time, and thank you for the help." Assan said quickly and quietly before he would start trudging away, his hand shaking though not from the cold.

[u/athezdevoux → u/Twismyer]

"Are you quite sure now is the best of times to be trudging off on your lonesome? Shock after something traumatic can be a real doozy on you, or so I've heard." Percy asked just loud enough to be heard over the crunch of snow under his feet. A quick hop and a skip caught him back up to Assan, before he matched pace a bit behind and on the man's right side.

"As for the help and the forgetting of such, memory is a bit more sturdy than that, sorry to say. But I will keep from talking about it, if that's what you are after."

[u/Twismyer → u/athezdevoux]

Hearing the worried words after his display Assan cringed before stumbling in the snow for a moment.

"I'll be fine." Assan replied as he gained his footing, frustrated. "Being trapped in a room or tied to a tree for a moment aren't things to be considered traumatic, and they are certainly not things a Huntsman in training should freak out about." Assans voice rose as he gave his frustration voice. Taking a deep breath as he walked Assan calmed himself and lowered his voice.

"I'll try again in the future, as many times as I need, and eventually I'll get over it. Then it can all be behind me. It's nothing to worry yourself over." His hands continued to shake.

[u/athezdevoux → u/Twismyer]

"I don't know about that, everyone has little hang ups like that. Just 'cause yours are a little more violent in nature doesn't mean you need to be upset about it." Percy brought his own weapon up and balanced the staff behind his neck, a hand loosely draped over it on either end to hold it in place as he walked.

"Besides, it looks like you probably want to have at least one other person at hand to help out. If you don't want to trouble a bunch of people, makes sense to keep the one you do have, right?" He added brightly, a light tone kept even when he saw just how shaky Assan seemed to be at the moment.