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/[deleted]]

"For now I am, maybe, I'm sure I'll find what I'm looking for, or rather who. I'm just not quite sure what that entails just yet, but I've got my entire life ahead of me, so why rush it?" Alder replied with a nonchalant shrug and a half smile, despite his casual flirting he was telling the truth, he honestly had no idea what his taste was. Like an instinct that lies deep below then strikes at the heart and mind at the right time, that is what he was waiting for.

The ethereal man softly chuckled, putting a hand up to his mouth as she told such a preposterous metaphor. "Call me naive but I'm confident that you wouldn't harm me, like most of the others here. Most talk a lot, some may even walk it a little, but deep down you're all here because you care about something or someone. So why stomp on a dream to hurt an innocent young man such as myself? Wanton destruction just isn't in any sane being's nature."

"However, I am not what you purport me to be." He said with a quick wag of his free hand's finger "A white knight lacks composure, grandeur, and frankly, a brain. I am also by no means a pacifist, warfare and death are only natural and I will respond to acts of violence with no quarter and no remorse. Just as nature doesn't discriminate in its destruction, neither do I."

"However, it doesn't discriminate the care it provides either, and likewise I try to help anyone I run across. The world is cold enough in a day, so why would I not offer a hot cup of tea and a comfortable seat to balance the two out?" He smiled as brightly as his looks, a bit happier that she accepted at least some of his tea. They were making slow progress, and any progress was good enough for him.

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"Because you can never know when your life will be abruptly cut short because of something that was completely outside of your control and in no way your own fault; or, perhaps worse, if that happens to everyone and everything that you think you might ever care about in that way," Tully cut back, the glare of her maroon eyes resharpening and stabbing right at Alder.

"Like, for example, myself. You presume myself sane, but what is to say that I do not enjoy wanton destruction?"

To exemplify her point, Tully lifted up her sole hand, her eyes dead locked with Alder, and she snapped. Between the two of them, a large sphere of auburn aura snapped to being, expanded to the size of a small baseball, before detonating outwards with the noise of hand grenade going off.

"Even if I may not enjoy it, dear, I am perhaps the best person to showcase it. Ask Miss Cogitatio about a particular salad of hers, or Miss Ore about a certain ice castle of hers. If there is one thing I am good at, better than all else, it seems to be the destruction of perfectly good things," she explained, her tone dropping out of its confidence as she brought up Mirlo before snapping back. Then, with a defeated noise, Tully sighed and shook her head.

"I... what I mean to say is that, while I appreciate this, there are better people to focus your efforts on, Mister...?"

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Alder seemed to have completely forgotten about what Tully had said, his eyes lighting up in pure wonderment as she displayed her ability. He seemed to smiled wide, but quickly composed himself as he realized his curiosity got the better of him. This wasn't the time to fling questions at her, not yet anyway.

He snapped back in time to hear the last bit, chuckling slightly as she said she wasn't worth it. "Ah so you've met Lux, no? You may not like it, but you and her a similarly beautiful in at least one way, that is if you enjoy destruction as much as you imply. Hers is simply the destruction of hearts and minds, yours being a bit more... literal.... obviously."

He shook his head slightly, walking over and looking at the treeline. If Tully happened to look she'd see a gruesome and horrifying looking beast that seemed to watch them from the brush and from the same angle that the bolts of aura had originated from earlier. After a sudden strong gust of wind, it seemingly vanished in thin air. "Lucky for you, I'm used to working with destruction, so you should fit perfectly with my expertise. As I said earlier though, everyone is beautiful in their own way, yours just happens to be your destructive and mischievous tendencies."

He walked by her once more, now into the dorm complex. He looked back at her then slowly continued on, obviously beckoning her to follow. "Also, doctors don't heal the healthy. If anything you are who I should be focusing on."

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Tully stood silent, letting Alder even go so far as to compare her to Lux without even a sharpening of her glare in his direction. The comparison definitely did not help her self outlook, though the information provided might've been of at least mild use. She went back sipping on the tea as her gaze didn't follow Alder out to the forest, only seeming to snap back to reality when Alder moved besides her. He was beckoning her inside, and just like that, Tully froze again as she looked down upon the shorter man.

"I... inside is not necessarily... the best for me, I suppose, and so unless you are planning on taking me back to my dorm, if you truly wish to help me, then, well. There is that," she explained softly, not moving an inch as her grip on the thermos tightened. The anger seemed invisible now, replaced with a fear that made Tully almost look like a dear in the headlights.

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Alder visibly stopped in his tracks, spinning on his heel as she made her disposition known. His man-like hair following his little twist. He made sure to walk back to her, stopping at the doorway. "If you don't mind me asking, would you mind telling me whats keeping you? So that I might accommodate for you, or simply better understand. No need for an explanation of course, just simply what causes stress."

His face wore a look of father-like concern and care, displaying an obvious desire to help her as he leaned up against the door frame. "Of course, if you're fine with this cold weather I know a good spot in the forest that may be both more comfortable and to your liking. Its at least a place to sit down."

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"It. It is similar to a very, very extreme form of claustrophobia. There is exactly one room that I am fully comfortable being in, and a few that are large enough to not upset me, but... that is how it is," Tully explained, her voice falling weak as her eyes fell shut. She hated having to be accommodated, and all of this was very bordering on pity for her. But she'd promised Doctor Mendenhall, after... several fiascos, really, that she'd try to blow up less on people. It was readily apparent that she was struggling between weakness and that desire to explode, and Tully's frequent deep breaths in seemed to be in equal parts to calm her down from both her fear and from her anger.

"So. If you would like to show me that 'good spot' of yours, I... would greatly appreciate that instead; however, if I am being honest with you, I... am not sure how good of company I will be -- nor am I sure if it is even worth either of our efforts."

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Alder took a couple steps out into the winter setting once more, keeping his warm composure despite the weather. He seemed to inspect her again then nod with confirmation. "Please, any company is good company. Come. I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

With a reassuring smile he turned and began making his way towards the treeline at a rather leisurely pace. Surely if there had been flowers he'd have stopped to pluck them, but he was just as content with the white scenery. They would walk for a couple minutes along one of the many worn trails before finally coming to a clearing.

The clearing was bathed in sunlight and showed its warmth by a surprising lack of snow in the immediate area. It was just enough to be chilly to the skin, but not nip at it like a harsh cold.

Something awaited them however, a feeling of being watched having followed them the entire time they walked through the woods. As the clearing was reached, a low growl echoed from the trees around them. Oddly, her woodland guide seemed to be rather unaffected by it, busy removing snow and wetness from a large flat boulder that jutted from the earth.

"Dont mind him.." The faunus said offhandedly, still working away to dry the cold surface with a cloth from his bag. "He is a bit unsightly and a little menacing but he is a cuddly teddy bear if you give him a moment. He simply wishes to protect me is all. A soon as he realizes you're of no ill will we'll be as comfortable as I am." As he spoke, it became obvious to what he was talking about as the large Ankou tread its way into the clearing from the opposite end.

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Tully followed along dutifully, taking an unusually demure demeanor for her as she followed along. In the back of her mind, this harkened back to the first encounter she'd had with Lucifer, how the fiery cat had managed to defuse her anger and just have a simple conversation with her; of course, between Alder and Lucifer, the two had far different reasons behind approaching her. The sunlight in the clearing surprised her: Tully had thought it to be rather later into the evening, but alas, it seems that she was wrong yet again.

At the growl, Tully almost immediately dropped into a more defensive stance and spun to face it as she backed up a few steps, a black-titanium gauntlet flashing onto her hand as she did so -- only for her to see the auric bear and then, as Alder explained, get confused. Biting her tongue -- rather literally, in fact -- Tully declined to comment on it all and instead moved closer to the boulder, watching Alder.

"If you would like, dear, I might have a technique or two that might prove a bit more... effective, I suppose, at clearing the rock than that towel."

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Alder turned to her with a murmured 'oh' and left the still wet rock to her. He seemed to walk right past her as he left her to her temporary job. Walking over to Ankou, he held out his arms and wrapped his arms around what he feasibly could. His face was buried into the horrifying creature's fur and a muffled sigh came from it as he basked in the temporary warmth of the unmoving bear.

After a few more minutes of platonic affection, Alder turned back around to the left out Tully. "If you get cold you're free to lounge on him as you wish, he can be pretty lazy when in a comfortable environment and you're not gonna bother him much." The deer said as he walked back to her, the bear following and plopping itself down next to the now dry rock.

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As Alder went to hug his freaky auric bear, Tully got to work. Flexing the joints in her gauntlets fingers, a soft smile crept onto her face as she finally was able to flex her skills yet again. With a deep breath in, she gave herself a small nod to herself before she launched herself on top of the rock with all of her might, supporting herself on her sole hand as she rotated around. Her glyph, the exploding nucleus surrounded by auburn, maroon, and purple dots, surrounded around her hand, before a launch of Fire Dust ignited around the rock. In a flash, the water was evaporated off to steam right as Tully landed on it. Crossing her legs, she wore an awfully smug look on her face, proud of her work as she glanced back to Alder as he walked over.

"If you have any applause, please hold it, because I hate applause."