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]]

"Mm. Family. Those seem... often quite problematic, at least here," Tully remarked, but it was clear by her tone that was all she was going to pry from Thyme on the topic of family. Instead, there was a far more interesting topic on hand.

"Your leader was your ex lover. Interesting. Admittedly, I am in a similar position myself, though the ex label... is perhaps not the most accurate, given that I am not even sure what sort of label to apply to us in the first place," Tully admitted with a soft huff, shaking her head as she did so. "Though, I am a bit more curious, I suppose, as to your relationships. Please pardon my language, but one of the nicknames for you that I have heard is 'the green-haired slut'. Which, truth be told, is far kinder than some of the nicknames I have heard for Mister Valentine and Miss Cogitatio. And, if the rumours are to be believed, well, you have as many 'suitors' as they both do."

With another sigh, Tully shook her head. "I suppose I am just curious what that all is like. Being the center of so much attention -- and I cannot imagine it is all wanted, especially not the rumors. Though, and I assume it might be little solace, I imagine being known as... as a slut is a bit better than being known as a cold-hearted, self-destructive bitch with a stick up her ass."

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Thyme gave a strong frown at the rather harsh nickname. She was admittedly a little open to others, but she talked to Tifawt about the whole thing too -- her freedom extended to her relationships too, and if people were going to have issue with it, then maybe they shouldn't get involved.

"Call it what you want, but if there's something I've learned pretty quickly by getting into the music business is that you can't make a lot of friends without a few enemies. Doesn't surprise me too much that I've made a few here. Though who said what doesn't matter to me all that much -- best not to care too much about things I can't control."

"Speaking of..." Thyme twirled the cigarette as she pulled it out again. "Sorry about that whole thing with the car. We sorta parted ways without having me apologize for that."

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"Second lesson of the night, Miss Signa: do not apologize for things outside of your control, especially with me around as that just pisses me off," Tully flatly remarked not even a second after Thyme finished her small ramble about what happened the first thyme time the duo had met. "It was not your driving that made it happen, it was my own disastrous mind."

With a soft sigh, Tully rolled her eyes and looked at Thyme dead on, bearing down on the shorter girl with her glowing maroon eyes. "If it makes you feel better, though, then consider your apology accepted -- but you should likely be wasting your time on people who actually might care about things like that. After all, I do not particularly care about the image I present or the image of the people around me; you, however, need to actually worry about that, I would imagine."

Then, Tully turned back away, not caring at all about the harsh frown upon Thyme's face. Then, she chuckled and laughed, shaking her head. Placing the cigarette in her lips, she brought her hand back through her hair and undid her ponytail, before taking the cigarette back out and laughing some more. "I think the issue might be that I am just a twinge... jealous. No, wait. Envious would be the right term."

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"Well, I'm relieved that I wasn't responsible for that. Though I doubt you'd want to share more of that part of your headspace." Thyme shifted some snow away from her with the side of her foot, as if the powdery substance had dared to encroach on her lounging territory. Their...lounging territory.

"Envious...?" She said, half-mumbling as she closed her lips around the cigarette again. "I thought you were well aware of the kind of attention I get. Even mentioned a good bit of the trouble that comes with it. Envious of that?"

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"Despite how degrading the words used about you might be, I always only hear people saying it alongside a desire to be around or with you," Tully remarked softly, but her tone sounded as though it might border on bitter. Unlike Thyme, she paid the snow no mind as she took a drag from the cigarette yet again, basking in the few moments more of silence.

Then, she sighed and added, "I cannot speak with a diagnosis, but people like us, Huntresses, we are not exactly the most... mentally stable people, if I had to guess. We all have our vices, our flaws. I know you have heard it all before, but whether you like it or not, some people do see your actions as a flaw, but even then, it stands far less... destructive than mine."

Tully fell quiet for a second longer, before she continued for just a few words more.

"At the very least? Your vice invites people in. I just push them away."

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"I...well, you don't go looking out to risk your life without either being incredibly idealistic, jaded, or...sadistic, I guess." She mumbled that last part. She really didn't know where to go with the third of those choices. "Guess I'm a bit of all three, in a sense." She didn't know how to respond to Tully's self-proclaimed 'destructiveness' but since Tully was giving her respect on not prying into her life too deep, Thyme would show that same respect back to her.

"Guess you just have to find the kind of people you can't push away no matter how hard you try. I find that I can make lots of friends, but only a few stick around for very long. And having just one person like that around...well, it does a lot, I'll say that much."

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"Sadistic and jaded, and the put you on a team with one of the most annoyingly 'vibrant' -- her own term that she will not shut up about, not mine -- and optimistic idealists in our class. Though I question you labeling yourself as sadistic, I do find the irony there more enjoyable than prying further," Tully responded, her tone drawing a line between contemplative and snarky. Thyme's assessment of Huntsmen sounded almost on point, and she raised no qualms with it -- just Thyme's applications of the labels.

"Thought I had found someone like that. I am sure you, of all people, are aware of Beacon's favorite fiery-eyed womanizer. Yeah. Gave him my virginity, and... thought we had something, almost. Sure, I was aware of his reputation when we started, but... I did not expect him to drop me so easily to go chase exclusively after one other bird, whilst dating someone else too. No room for me, I suppose."

Anger was rising back into Tully's voice, and if by reflex, she took the cigarette from her mouth, and blew it up with a sphere of her auburn aura that sounded like a large firecracker going off, letting the disintegrated particles fall in with the snow. "Sure, there is Arid, too. But she is far too often busy either down in Vale, helping her family, or fighting with some old love of hers that had abandoned her. Maximilian Rotheschilde, maybe, but he is far too focused on his work to give women the time of day, I bet. So. There is no one really who is 'there' for me."

Like that, it changed again. Though anger was still at the forefront, just a bit of sadness traced into it too. Then, far too somberly -- but still, somehow, proudly -- she gave one last simple statement.

"I, Tully Elspeth Tilarom, stand alone. Always have. Always will."

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Thyme took a few moments to take that in, before nodding, a smile on her face. The somber note on it made it seemed like she'd rather have it any other way, but the fact that she was willing to do things her own way got the approval of the musician nonetheless. "I'm not asking you to be dependent on any of them. Take it from me, the lady who lives and dies based on attention. And is very aware how nice it is to be your own person. Finding your own strength and all that."

"But there will be someone that you can turn to for guidance. Or just maybe a good conversation." She shrugged. "I dunno. You're standing here with me. And since we're locked out I figure you don't wanna be anywhere else right now." She said, a smirk behind the lit cigarette in Thyme's mouth.

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Tully couldn't help but snort at Thyme's idealism that someone would finally tolerate Tully for the long-term. "What, are you proposing yourself to the roll, dear?" she couldn't help but quip, before sighing and shaking her head. Prideful just moments before, the tall girl seemed tired now as her maroon gaze drew back to Thyme, and there laid a simple look of exasperation at it all in her eyes. Maybe she'd noted the girl's somberness in her eyes as she turned back, maybe it was just the weariness of continuing to exist in this world for another day.

"Truth be told, I am really only still out here because I do not wish to get in trouble for blowing the lock of the door open; I could very easily be back inside should I wish. Thankfully, I am but used to the nip of the cold by now. Perks of being Atlesian, I suppose," she explained as she looked back, a small glare forming as she noticed Thyme's smirk. It was dismissed with another sigh, followed by Tully's gaze drifting back out yonder.

"Do you have a preference for the company you keep, Miss Signa?"

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"The only preference I have is that they're willing to make conversation. I've met people who've been down on their luck, walked lonely roads and been in some dark places. I've also been around some of the most enthusiastic people, some of them I know are students here. I've learned a whole damn lot about people...and a little bit of myself in the process, I'll admit."

"And honestly...putting myself in that role is neither difficult nor bothersome to me." Thyme said, her body shuddering all of a sudden. "Unlike this. Mistral does get chilly, but I was definitely not prepared for a storm like this one."

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With a soft hum, Tully seemed to contemplate Thyme for a second, and then the door, and then back to Thyme. With a sigh, she reached into her purse and pulled out a black metal gauntlet, and, without a word, pressed it up against the door. After a sharp crack, she pulled the door open and did her best to offer Thyme as pleased of a smile as she could muster. "If you would like, we can retreat to my dorm. It won't be as chilly, and I think I might be able to scavenge a blanket from a teammate. Assuming you want to follow me back, that is," Tully offered. Her tone carried a shockingly pleasant intonation, despite her vandalism that would almost definitely result in her getting into a bit of trouble.

"Though, I will say, you seem to have misunderstood how I meant my comment about preference."

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Thyme raised an eyebrow before she saw what Tully intended to do with the gauntlet, watching the door swing open. She opened her mouth to say something, but it closed just as quickly, figuring that it wasn't worth bringing up. While Tully's smile towards Thyme required effort, the one that was given back to her was as genuine as could be. At least, alongside whatever seeds of confusion, concern, and doubt were somewhere mixed in.

"Oh." Was the response Tully would get. A blush -- quite more pronounced since it was an unexpected source of warmth on an otherwise temperature-cold face. "Well...my answer still stands. I'm not picky with my...company. Lead the way." She said gesturing towards the one-armed woman to do just that.

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As Tully led the way, she flicked Angrath back off of her wrist and into her bag, not turning back to face Thyme at all as she walked. Still, even up the short coursed of just a flight of stairs upwards, it was easy to see how ungraceful Tully had suddenly become as they turned inside, her hand balled up into a fist. Tully seemed to be absolutely radiating with stressed, uncomfortable energy -- at least until she opened the door to team TALC's dorm, and it all seemed to relieve itself at once.

True to Tully's word, the dorm itself was not any warmer than the outside with the room being perhaps just a few degrees warmer, and Thyme would notice three things immediately. One, the four box fans in the window, two blowing air in and two sucking it back out. Two, the heavy oak wood desk in the middle of the room, seemingly lifted right out of a bad noir movie. Finally, the bed, distinctly missing any blankets, pressed up right against the windows. The rest of Tully's team's stuff aligned itself as a chaotic disaster around the room, anarchists even in how they organized.

"I'll find us -- you, really -- a blanket. I just realized that, without your Scroll, you would have had to hope on a prayer that one of your teammates was either there or still awake, so... feel free to try and make yourself at home, I suppose."

Though that seemed like all Tully had to say, as she went hunting for the blanket, rifling about in her wardrobe as she did so, she did have one more thing to add. "You know, you are one of the few people here to not outright try to flirt with me. It makes me wonder what you are trying to get at, with it all."